NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE – A YEAR IN THE MAKING 1916-2016

The Commemorative Book A Year in the Making is now available separately in English and Irish on both the Kildare County Council website and the Kildare Library Services website. Please share with all who made 2016 a truly magical year. It is presented as a flip book which can be browsed page by page – our thanks to Eamon Sinnott design and to Dawn Lynch in our IT Dept. for their efforts.

https://www.kildare.ie/Library/News/AYearintheMaking-1916-2016.html

http://kildare.ie/CountyCouncil/LatestItemsAdded/AYearintheMaking-1916-2016.html

Message from the Mayor of County Kildare,

Cllr. Martin Miley

and

Chief Executive of Kildare County Council,

Mr. Peter Carey.

The centennial year 2016 offered a unique opportunity for exploring and learning the history, heritage and culture of our country. The Kildare Decade of Commemorations Committee supported, promoted and organised over 272 projects, including 96 school visits interacting with 14,000 students; public lectures, exhibitions, publications, seminars, essay and poetry competitions, Proclamation Day ceremonies, plays, and musical performances – to an approximate audience of 65,000 people. It was an extremely busy and rewarding year.

We closed the year by paying special tribute to the centenarians of County Kildare and to our young people for their boundless enthusiasm and creativity, a fitting ceremony to represent us all. Our centenarian citizens were born under an Empire, but helped build a Republic alongside their parents and their children. It was appropriate that we presented our oldest members of the community with a highly prized and sought after lapel pin memento, designed by one of our youngest, Luke Hand from Ballysax. The spirit of youth and the courage of conviction and experience – Meanma agus Misneach – the motto of Kildare County Council.

Our Council continues to focus on the delivery of improved services and enhanced local democracy. All activities and interactions with the citizens of Kildare are grounded on the core values of local democracy, public service, sustainability, efficiency, accountability, social inclusion and community development.

Community lies at the heart of the local authority, and it was very much to the fore when the council created a programme to commemorate the 1916 Rising. The programme was designed to encourage people at home and abroad to remember our shared history and placed a strong emphasis on active community engagement.

We are proud of the partnerships we have forged and the enormous success of the school visits, flag raising ceremonies and Defence Forces participation. It has been a marvellous achievement on so many levels and we acknowledge the tremendous contribution of those in Co. Kildare who have made this a memorable year. As a county, Kildare has come far since those dark and difficult days and we pay tribute to all the citizens who have endeavoured to make it great. Our thanks to all for playing a part in that story.

Cllr. Martin Miley

Mayor of Kildare

Mr. Peter Carey

Chief Executive of Kildare County Council