A month of action, changes and reasons for celebration in June here in Kilkenny - Year In Review

June in Kilkenny was a month defined by a drive for public safety and personal stories.

The most poignant public moment came in South Kilkenny, where almost 500 people gathered to demand immediate safety measures on the N25, a road that has claimed 12 lives in two decades.

Concerns for welfare extended to the city, where Kilkenny County Council confirmed plans to amend Horse Bye-Laws following last summer’s disturbing videos of horses struggling in the River Nore.

Amid these serious debates, Kilkenny also celebrated certain moments of personal resilience.

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One of the county’s most inspiring personal stories came from Antoinette Foley, whose journey through addiction, chronicled in James Mahon’s book The Hawk Against the Dove, was highlighted this month.

June was also National Fostering Awareness Month, during which Kilkenny farmer Claire Hennessy shared her remarkable experience of fostering children while running a busy farm with 400 ewes, 95 suckler cows, 120 sheep and three sons.

Her story highlighted the profound impact foster parents can make , even in the busiest of households, and the importance of fostering in rural communities.

On Ballybough Street, Pat Carroll’s pub marked 40 years in business, with customers and friends packing the iconic venue for a night of nostalgia.

The Bishop of Ossory, Niall Coll, confirmed a wide range of changes and retirements across the diocese in June as parishes adapted to shifting clergy numbers.

At County Hall, councillors approved new legally binding by-laws for the 14 cemeteries under local authority control. The vote followed raucous debate.

There was civic history made in local government too as Mary Hilda Cavanagh (Ireland’s longest continually serving female councillor) was elected Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council for the fourth time.

The launch of the Lingaun Loop bus service proved to be a huge milestone in the year.

The shuttle bus service gave locals and visitors alike access to the unspoilt Lingaun Valley and its landscape of high crosses, ancient tombs, medieval ruins and 5,000 years of history.

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