News

Dates to remember September 24- April 25:
20 October Dance Republic Carlow Freestyle Dance Competition
03 November Vintage Fairs 10am-6pm

10 November Dance Studio Limerick Freestyle Dance Competition


                     

We are a Social Enterprise

Kilcullen Community Centre has been awarded a Social Enterprise Award
The award was made by the Kildare Leader Partnership, which provides training and mentoring programmes for social enterprises, using money from the Dormant Accounts Fund.
A Social Enterprise is a company whose objective is to enhance community life in societal or environmental ways rather than maximising profit for its owners or shareholders. It trades through the provision of goods and services and reinvests surpluses into achieving social objectives.

Our Coffee Hatch

Our new takeaway coffee venture. "The Coffee Hatch" great specialty coffee supplied by McCabes of Wicklow. McCabes is a hand roasted coffee 100% Arabica with a rich, creamy and dark chocolate flavours. Toilet facilities and free parking.

About Us

Kilcullen Community Centre is a sports and recreational centre built by the community of Kilcullen in 1982. It comprises an all-weather pitch, sports hall and meeting rooms. Over the years other buildings have been added including St. Brigid's Pitch & Putt Club, Kilcullen Scouts, Kilcullen AFC and Kilcullen Boxing Club. The centre is also home to The Elms Montessori School, Kilcullen Area Community Employment Scheme Offices and Kildare Badminton Association.

KCC became a Limited Company on 25th January 1988 with company number 128371.  It has charitable status with charity number 11600.

Directors and Board

 Darragh Fitzgerald (Treasurer), Cathy Phelan (Chairperson), Ann Sheridan (Secretary)
 Jimmy Cahill, Steven Kinevey, Christy Sweeney, Ronan Murphy, 
RCN number 20032470

History

In 1979 Kilcullen Community Council applied for and was awarded a Government grant of £106,000 towards the building of a Sports Complex. Kilcullen was one of sixteen towns in Ireland to be granted over £100,000 and one of only five towns to accept it. The site and remaining costs had to be funded locally. 
Sr Joan CPC

Site Donated by CPC Nuns

The CPC order of Nuns kindly donated two acres of land for this project. A lease on the lands was signed for 1000 years.

Local Funding

The balance of £214,000 was financed by a BOI loan and by community donations and fundraisers by the KCC, chaired by May Connolly.  The Ball Alley trustees (Thomas Berney snr, Pat Lynch, Andrew Maloney, Jim Berney and Tommy Wallace) donated £10,000 from the sale of a property on Lower Main Street. Jim Collins, Frank Nugent, Jerry Kelly, Brian Keyes, Tom Carter, Joe Corrigan and Pat Dunlea were other notable donors.
Interest rates in the early 1980's were often over 17% per annum. Ireland was in a recession and money was scarce. The debt owned on the BOI loan rose to over £280,000, an unmanageable amount. Despite local fundraising efforts, the KCC Finance Committee struggled to repay even the interest on the loan. In 1983 KCC chairperson Mary Connolly died suddenly and some months later the Finance Committee decided to disband. Some years later Pat Dunlea successfully brokered a deal with the bank for £20,000 as full and final settlement of the debt. Pat personally loaned the Community £15,000 towards this settlement. In 1988 a Limited Company with Charitable status was formed. Since then the centre has been run by a Manager and a Voluntary Board of Directors.

Opening Day

The  centre was officially opened on 2nd May 1982 by Kildare politician and Minister for Defence Mr Paddy Power TD.

In December 2002 a 6400 square metre all weather pitch was installed. In 2018 the pitch was upgraded to a new full size 5G pitch.