1.
Another Kilkenny/Tipperary border piece was about TD Martin Browne highlighting the issue of underfunding at PAWS in Mullinahone. Deputy Browne said that the pressure on animal welfare organisations is growing. He also urged people not to buy pets but to go to the shelter and adopt a dog, a message echoed in a campaign by Kilkenny Co Council later in the month. Junior Cycle students finally got their exam results. The results normally issue in mid-September, but a shortage of examiners and exceptional Covid-related arrangements for Leaving Cert 2022 added to the delay. A rural Kilkenny community who cooperated to protest against litter louts throwing litter from moving vehicles in their neighbourhood featured on the Eco page. Under the leadership of artist Valerie Blake, the Kilbline eco activists discussed making discarded cans, bottles and wrappers into sculptures to highlight the issue of rural litter. Rents in Kilkenny continued to rise with a report that they had increased by 14% and that the average rent was now €1288. On a happier note, Abbott received approval for construction of a medical device manufacturing building at Kilkenny IDA Business and Technology Park, in Loughboy. It is hoped Abbott will create 800 jobs at the site but where they will live could be an issue as housing remains in short supply in Kilkenny City and County.
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One of the year’s most striking guest pieces was written by Katie Kelly in December about her life as a wheelchair user. She wrote with great honesty and strength of character about the challenges she faces daily and her determination to fight for opportunities, every single day of her life. The Carnegie Library celebrated its contribution to Kilkenny life with the help of actor Pauline McLynn and local legend Brian Cody was celebrated with a wall in his honour at his former school, De La Salle with artwork by Paul Murphy. Education stories included the announcement of a new, dedicated further education and training (FET) college campus in Kilkenny, catering for up to 5,000 students. Minister Simon Harris made the announcement which marked a major good news story for the county. Another highlight was the news that Thomastown is to get 95 new community nursing home beds (including a number of dementia-specific beds) by the end of 2023 at St Columba’s Hospital. In addition to the beds there will be shared spaces and therapy spaces with facilities including family overnight stay room, clinical treatment rooms, physiotherapy and occupational therapy rooms and hairdressers’ rooms. In a year marked by growing concerns about climate change, Kilkenny Mayor David Fitzgerald hosted a meeting at the Town Hall about Kilkenny’s bid to become Ireland’s first Carbon Neutral City. It was addressed by journalist and climate change activist, John Gibbons gave a stark analysis of the climate change, saying “This is not a climate change crisis, it is an everything crisis.”