Kinnegad Matters

The Lord Primate of All Ireland, Sean Cardinal Brady, received a copy of a recently published history of Clonard during his visit to the Church of the Assumption, Kinnegad on June 7.The Cardinal was in town to officially mark the Kinnegad church centenary celebrations, concelebrating Mass with the Bishop of Meath, Most Rev. Dr. Michael Smith, and delivering a homily.Afterwards, the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland joined parishioners from Kinnegad, Coralstown and Clonard in the Hilamar Hotel, Kinnegad, and there he was presented with a copy of 'Clonard: Birthplace Of A Civilisation'.The 16-page booklet, compiled by Mullingar historian Ruth Illingworth, was published in anticipation of the sesquimillennial (1,500th anniversary) of St. Finian"s mission in Clonard.The booklet is a printed development on a lecture given by Ms. Illingworth to the people of Clonard in 2006 on the whole aspect of monasticism, and its impact on St. Finian and the Clonard model.Following on from this, an annual lecture will be delivered by Irish historians every year until 2015, when Kinnegad parish will celebrate the 1,500th anniversary of the foundation of Clonard"s monastery - a monastery which educated such renowned Irish holy men as St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise, St. Brendan of Clonfert and St. Columba of Iona.The publication - which was supported by Kinnegad Parish - is the terrific result of a collaboration between Ms. Illingworth and the Clonard 1500 Committee, which includes Fr. Tom Gilroy (Kinnegad), Lena Keegan, Angeline Treacy, Ray Martin, Nicholas Moore, John Neary, Josephine Donlon, Diane Fogarty and Danny Dunne.Illustrated with maps and images, 'Clonard: Birthplace Of A Civilisation' is an ideal item for parishioners in the Kinnegad parishioners to include on their bookshelves. It would also make a great gift to send to people from the parish who are living abroad.A copy of the booklet costs just €4, and can be obtained by contacting the Parish Office in Kinnegad on 044-9375117.Local schools make engineering finalsSchoolchildren from Kinnegad are among those who have qualified for the prestigious Engineers" Ireland Xperience Engineering Finals, which take place on this coming Thursday, June 18 at The Helix, Dublin.Pupils from St. Etchen"s National School, Kinnegad and The Downs National School are among 40 schools from across the country who will compete in the national engineering finals.The schools developed engineering projects based on the theme, 'Engineers Save Lives', and as part of their project, pupils had to design and build their invention based on an engineering feat in Westmeath from K"NEX toys; organise an engineer to visit their school to talk about their chosen design; and arrange a site visit to where their design is located.John Power, Chartered Engineer and Director General of Engineers Ireland, said: 'Congratulations to the Westmeath schools on reaching the Engineers Ireland Xperience Engineering National Final.This competition is an excellent opportunity for young people to experience the creativity of engineering.'The quality of entry has been fantastic from Westmeath, and the theme "Engineers Saves Lives" ensured that the pupils put a lot of thought, energy and effort into their designs.'This competition includes the highest standard of entries from all over Ireland and they should be very proud of their achievement so far. We wish them well in the national final on June 18 in The Helix.'Centenary DVDA DVD of the Kinnegad Church centenary celebrations - featuring footage of the June 7 Mass, and the subsequent celebration in the Hilamar Hotel, Kinnegad - is now available.Hundreds of people from the parish attended the event, which included an appearance by the Lord Primate of All Ireland, Sean Cardinal Brady.Copies of the DVD cost €20, and may be obtained by contacting JJ Farrell on 044-9375199 or 087-8229876, or by contacting the Parish Office on 044-9375117.Fun CycleResidents of Kinnegad and surrounding areas are invited to take part in a Fun Cycle this week, which has been organised by Clonard Road Club to mark National Bike Week (June 14-21).The cycle party will leave Mother Hubbard"s at 7pm on Thursday night next, June 18, and the event is suitable for adult and child cyclists of all abilities. For your own safety, please wear a helmet.No jackpot winnerThere was no winner of the €3,800 jackpot in the latest Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA Lucky Numbers Draw, which took place on Wednesday of last week, June 10. The numbers drawn were 2, 15, 17 and 18, and there was one Match 3 winner: Pat Judge, who scoops €200.In neighbouring Clonard, meanwhile, there was also no winner of the €5,200 Clonard Community Council and GAA Lotto jackpot. The numbers drawn were 10, 11, 19 and 28, and there was one match 3 winner, Ms. Gabrielle Fay, who wins €150.Sewerage funding conundrumFurther works at the Kinnegad Sewerage Treatment Plant are expected to cost €600,000, but no funding has been made available for the work under the 2009 Small Schemes Programme, Westmeath County Council officials said at a recent Mullingar Area Committee meeting.Former Fine Gael councillor Pat McLoughlin enquired as to when further funding would be made available for an upgrade to the plant.He was told that in 2008, a total of €111,000 was spent to upgrade the operations of the plant, which include the installation of a new inlet screen, new inlet flow monitors and brand new sludge return pumps, all of which assists in the efficient operation of the plant.