About Us

Our Story

To BUILD and NURTURE enduring relationships with our community and Members; to OFFER competitive financial products and services to our Members that make a meaningful contribution to their economic and social wellbeing.

Our Vision

To LEAD by example; to BUILD strong member relationships that will enhance members' financial, economic and social wellbeing; to PLACE its members and community first by operating in an open, transparent and inclusive manner.

Our Mission

To BUILD and NURTURE enduring relationships with our community and Members; to OFFER competitive financial products and services to our Members that make a meaningful contribution to their economic and social wellbeing.

Kilcloon Credit Union - History

Our Story

In 1971 Fr. Finian O’Connor put forward the idea of setting up a Credit Union in Kilcloon Parish. A number of meetings were held to explain what a Credit Union was and what type of administration was involved. Finally, in late 1971 a Credit Union study group commenced its work, meeting weekly to study rules and procedures under the guidance of Michael McGuinness and Kathleen Matthews of Navan Road Credit Union. The Kilcloon Parish & District Credit Union (“Kilcloon Credit Union”) was formally registered on 17th February 1972. There were collection points in Kilcloon, Batterstown and Kilcock. The common bond was the Parish of Kilcloon and only extended into Kildare to cover the town of Kilcock, to the Spin and Courtown Bridges and as far as the Maws on the Maynooth Road. Growth was steady and by 1982, there were over 1,000 members.

In 1983, a derelict building in Kilcock was purchased and in 1985, the Credit Union moved to its first new office, which was situated beside the Meath Bridge and close to The Square. Shortly afterwards our first employee was hired to manage the office and the accounts. Opening hours were soon increased and our common bond was extended to cover the entire Kilcloon Parish, Kilcock and the townlands of Ferns and Garadice. With the additional opening hours growth increased and by January 1990 there were over 1,500 members.

In 1990, a sub-office was opened in Kilcloon and a part-time staff member was employed to maintain the service and to take some pressure off the volunteers who were putting in many hours of work each week. In 1992, Batterstown Hall was purchased and work commenced to convert it to offices. With the growth in transactions, manual bookkeeping was becoming more and more difficult to manage, so by 1993 computer hardware and software was introduced and members accounts were computerised. Our members now had excellent facilities and access to the many financial services provided. Both the Kilcloon and Batterstown offices have since closed, primarily due to the developments in the way in which many of our members had begun to move to carry out online transactions in keeping with the digital technology that is now so widespread.

In 1996, the Board made a decision to seek a larger property and eventually the office we now occupy today in The Square, Kilcock became available. After carrying out significant renovation works Kilcloon Credit Union had its new home and continues to operate from these premises. Membership has continued to steadily grow since the turn of the century and we now offer a full suite of online transaction facilities.

Challenges

Credit Unions throughout Ireland continue to face increasing regulatory and business challenges in an environment that has radically changed since the onset of the country’s financial crisis in 2008. However, our Members can rest assured that the Board and Staff of Kilcloon Credit Union are committed to ensuring that the highest standards are maintained in running the business, in meeting whatever regulatory requirements are required and in our efforts to grow the business on behalf of Members.

We will be only too pleased to talk to any of our Members who’d like to know more about how we run the business on your behalf. The Board and Staff of Kilcloon Credit Union are excited about the future and believe we are well-positioned to continue growing the business.

Strategic Objectives

The Board of Directors is responsible for setting out the Strategic Plan for Kilcloon Credit Union.

This Plan is informed through, among other things, consultation with management and staff, who provide valuable insight into and feedback about our members’ financial needs and opinions, the broader economic environment, the competitive financial services marketplace, economic surveys and research, and the regulatory environment in which we operate. The Plan also reflects the trends that are observed in the wider credit union movement. While the Plan is prepared by the Board, its execution is the responsibility of the CEO, management and staff. The Plan is prepared on a 3-year cycle basis and is regularly reviewed by the Board, with input from the CEO, management and staff, and our external and internal auditors. The Board is also required to present the Plan to our regulator, the Central Bank of Ireland.

There are 8 broad objectives in our Strategic Plan as follows:

  • Lending - growing lending in a manner that will grow income generation;
  • Membership - increase membership by raising awareness levels among non-members and developing in line with population expansion within our common bond;
  • Marketing - develop our marketing effectiveness by using a range of channels that target key products and demographic groups;
  • Strategic Partnerships - further develop existing alliances with other local credit unions that focus on the sharing of services and costs;
  • Credit Control - continue to reduce legacy debt and the strong focus on credit collections;
  • Operational Management - ensure appropriate resources and controls are deployed that will safeguard our Members' interests and continue to strengthen financial viability;
  • Technology - utilise our data management processes and systems to drive our business and action plans;
  • Competency/Knowledge - ensure all Officers of the credit union are suitably trained and qualified to deliver Member services and remain compliant with Regulation.