News
How August can be the wicked month
THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS And so August has come around, and, being the month of my birthday, I am again reminded of how quickly life goes in — I mean where have the last 20 rears gone? What happened to yesterday? Oh, for those August days of my wild, abandoned youth, …
Healing hands
BY JOHN FITZGERALD (Part three) (Continuing the story of the doctors who attended to people in Callan and district in times past…parts one and two can be read on the Observer website) Dr. Patrick J. Phelan was grandson of the famous Callan historian Tom Shelly. He graduated from UCD and assumed his post at Callan …
Economic plan: penny wise or pound foolish?
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON The Government’s Summer Economic Statement puts me in mind of a couple who have mismatched ideas about money. You know the kind, one half is the big spender, money no object character, and the other is a cautious watch-the-cents- sort. That statement – a kind of run up …
Those heady days of the hell-raisers
THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS It seems like yesterday when Oliver Reed appeared on The Late, Late and was obviously three sheets to the wind but Gay Byrne, with great aplomb, carried on interviewing an incoherent Reed who kept nodding off. As he told Byrne, he and his cohorts “didn’t live in …
Passion, energy, beauty and rhythm
By Ger Cody Well that’s it for another year. The Liam McCarthy cup rests in Tipperary. An All-Ireland that saw the Premier county come out on top with a score of 3-27 to Cork’s 1-18. To be fair, you couldn’t deny Liam Cahill’s charges’ victory. They were mighty in their approach and execution, especially in …
Kilkenny’s Black Abbey – where history meets mystery
By Pat Griffin For a moment, just picture this: Firstly, an iconic building steeped in 800 years of history, which has lived through turbulent times. Secondly, imagine the presentation of a story which has resonated through the ages – a story which itself has emerged from some of history’s most dramatic events. Merge both together …
The ‘Bridge Collective 2025
On Friday night 8th August, Bennettsbridge Art Group members will gather in the Community Centre for the launch of their 2025 exhibition. Senator Malcolm Noonan will do the honours this year. Artists have been working hard for the past few months and are delighted to present the fruits of their labour to the public. The …
We have lift off!
Cracking ties during round 1 action BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE St. Canice’s Credit Union Senior Hurling League So, we are up and running on the club front. All teams have got a little action under their belts as spectators were treated to plenty of rip-roaring action during round one of the St. Canice’s …
Thousands in Kilkenny Stand Against Genocide in Gaza
On Saturday, August 2nd, Kilkenny bore witness to one of its most powerful and emotionally charged public demonstrations in recent memory. Nearly 2,000 people gathered for the “March for Palestine,” organised by the Kilkenny Community Palestine Solidarity Group (KCPSG). The demonstration united people from Kilkenny and surrounding counties in a peaceful but determined stand against …
Healing Hands
BY JOHN FITZGERALD (Part Two) (Recalling the doctors of a very different era who served the people of Callan and district…Part One can be read on the Observer website…) Born in Callan, Dr Richard Ryan lived in the shadow of the Augustinian Abbey in Mill Street. He wed Michael Heron’s daughter (Charlotte Heron’s aunt) and …
