Friday 16 August 2013

IMPOSSIBLY BEAUTIFUL!







Ask any Kildare Town native which building in town they are most proud of and you'll get one answer.
St Brigid's Cathedral!
Dating from the 13th Century and located in the centre of the town, St Brigids confirms Kildare Town as a classic example of a Medieval historical town. Both inside and out it is a beautiful building and is steeped in history. The original church on the site was founded around 480AD by the Kildare Patron Saint herself and through the centuries was a magnet to scholars and invaders alike. Vikings, Normans, and English all came through at some point in time but thankfully we have been left with a beautiful Cathedral in our town.





A major tourist drawcard to the town of Kildare, St Brigid's is also of great community importance to the people of Kildare. As well as Church of Ireland service on Sundays, the Cathedral welcomes visitors to it's grounds and interior. The Cathedral is also used to stage concerts on occasion. We have hosted Eimearr Quinn, Brian Kennedy, Colm Wilkinson and The Celtic Tenors at well organised Christmas events over the years. The acoustics of the building and the ambience of the the interior provide a special atmosphere and these nights have been a huge success.




It is with great excitement that on 15/9/13 we welcome the genius that is Jullie Feeney to Kildare. A Galwegian by origin, Julie Feeney has been described by Hot Press as ''An eccentric pop genius..intricate, articulate...draws on centuries of history as a source''. With Irish Times Album of the Year award for ''Clocks'' in 2012, there is no end to the accolades and recognition that this fine artist has earned. Her style of music and artistic performance will match well with the cathedral and this will be a memorable night in Kildare Town. It will be the highlight of Kildare's contribution to the 2013 ''Gathering''.
Locals and visitors are all welcome for this fantastic event. Tickets are available on Julies website  or through the Landmark Theatre in Newbridge, Co Kildare.
 Heffernan Tyres will be well represented at the event and we look forward to meeting friends old and new on the night.
Here is a clip of Julie Feeney on RTE's Late Late Show singing a song which could be dedicated to our beautiful Cathedral. Impossibly Beautiful! Enjoy!









Friday 2 August 2013

SAYING MASS FOR FATHER DOUGAL.







In Speed, the hilarious episode of Father Ted where Dougal is stuck on a 5 mph out of control milk float, the priests have to Brainstorm to find a solution. They try saying mass from a truck and return to brainstorm again. After much deliberation they argue if ''there is anything to be said for saying another mass?''.
The series was as farcical as it was funny and was a huge international success.
A friend recently mentioned the episode to me in a business context. He was telling me of a company he had worked for where they never seemed to learn from their mistakes and spent much of their time talking about what to do, ignoring what went wrong (as that would mean taking responsibility) and then after much deliberation, returning to making the same identical mistakes.
I thought the analogy was both powerful and funny. Anyone who has worked in large corporations which have either temporarily or long term lost their way, will have seen this behaviour. It is a significant reason why these ships are so so slow to turn while the guy in the dingy has changed direction and is miles ahead in the opposite direction.


At Heffernan Tyres we have built a business model that works. It is as a result of hard work, good planning and a highly professional team that we maintain that model. We monitor our results carefully. We understand that if you are not making mistakes, then you are not doing very much. We take responsibility, We tweak, We change, We stop doing if required. We do something else! But we never keep doing the wrong thing over and over again. And we get Dougal off the Milk Float quicker!