Leixlip Irish:Léim an Bhradáin | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 The Wonderful Barn, Leixlip | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Motto(s): Léim ar Aghaidh "Leap Ahead" | |
  Leixlip Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates:53°21′51″N6°29′17″W / 53.36427°N 6.48807°W /53.36427; -6.48807 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | Kildare |
| Local authority | Kildare County Council |
| Dáil constituency | Kildare North |
| European Parliament | Dublin |
| Elevation | 46 m (151 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Urban | 16,733 |
| Demonym | Leixlipian[2] |
| Time zone | UTC±0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (IST) |
| Eircode | W23 |
| Telephone area code | 01 |
| Irish Grid Reference | O003360 |
| Website | kildare |
Leixlip (/ˈliːkslɪp/ or/ˈliːslɪp/;Irish:Léim an Bhradáin,[ˌl̠ʲeːmʲəˈwɾˠad̪ˠaːnʲ]) is a town in north-eastCounty Kildare, Ireland. Its location on the confluence of theRiver Liffey and theRye Water has marked it as a frontier town historically: on the border between the ancient kingdoms ofLeinster andBrega, as an outpost ofThe Pale, and on Kildare's border withCounty Dublin.Leixlip was also acivil parish in the ancientbarony ofSalt North.
As of 2022, the population of the town was 16,773.[1] It is the fifth largest town in Kildare, and the30th largest in Ireland.
The placename comes from theOld Norselax hlaup (Younger Futhark: ᛚᛅᚼᛋ ᚼᛚᛅᚢᛒ;pronounced[laksl̥ɔup]) which means "salmon leap". The name in theIrish language (Léim an Bhradáin) is a direct translation of this, and was first adopted in the 1890s.[3] InLatin, it isSaltus salmonis, from which comes the names of thebaronies ofNorth Salt andSouth Salt.[4]
Leixlip was a possible site of theBattle of Confey, in which theViking KingSigtrygg Caech of Dublin defeated the Irish King ofLeinster around the year917. The first settlement at Leixlip was an outpost ofEarly Scandinavian Dublin, built at the furthest point wherelongships could be rowed up theLiffey. Its status as an outpost of Dublin continued for centuries, marking a border ofThe Pale.[citation needed]
The town was home toArthur Guinness's first brewery in 1756, where he brewed ales until he moved on toSt. James's Gate Brewery, Dublin in 1759.[5]
The first history of the town was published in 2005.[6]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1821 | 1,358 | — |
| 1831 | 1,149 | −15.4% |
| 1841 | 1,086 | −5.5% |
| 1851 | 832 | −23.4% |
| 1861 | 788 | −5.3% |
| 1871 | 817 | +3.7% |
| 1881 | 741 | −9.3% |
| 1891 | 679 | −8.4% |
| 1901 | 691 | +1.8% |
| 1911 | 583 | −15.6% |
| 1926 | 558 | −4.3% |
| 1936 | 571 | +2.3% |
| 1946 | 467 | −18.2% |
| 1951 | 504 | +7.9% |
| 1956 | 898 | +78.2% |
| 1961 | 915 | +1.9% |
| 1966 | 1,059 | +15.7% |
| 1971 | 2,402 | +126.8% |
| 1979 | 7,536 | +213.7% |
| 1981 | 9,306 | +23.5% |
| 1986 | 11,938 | +28.3% |
| 1991 | 13,194 | +10.5% |
| 1996 | 13,451 | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 15,143 | +12.6% |
| 2006 | 14,676 | −3.1% |
| 2011 | 15,452 | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 15,504 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 16,773 | +8.2% |
| [7][8][9][10][11][1] | ||
Leixlip is part of theKildare North constituency, which elects four members toDáil Éireann.
Leixlip, withCelbridge, comprises the Celbridge-Leixlip electoral area, which elects seven members toKildare County Council. Two of those members are based in Leixlip.[12]
Between 1988 and 2014 Leixlip had a nine-memberTown Council (formerlyLeixlip Town Commissioners), headed by a Cathaoirleach (chairperson). In 1990, the town'scoat of arms was presented by ministerPádraig Flynn. The Local Government Reform Act 2014 abolished town councils, including Leixlip's, in 2014.
Dublin Bus, and JJ Kavanagh and Sons, provide bus service. Dublin Bus run the spinal city bound C3 service, along with the non spinal city bound 52. Additionally, Leixlip is served at peak time by the X25, X31 and X32. Dublin Bus also provide the local L54, L58 and L59 bus services, which link Leixlip's housing estates together and also provide links toCelbridge andClondalkin. JJ Kavanagh provide the regional 139 service, which links Leixlip withNaas andBlanchardstown.
Leixlip is connected to theIrish railway network on theDublin-Sligo railway line, running fromDublin Connolly toSligo, with two stations,Leixlip (Louisa Bridge), opened on 1 September 1848, andLeixlip (Confey), opened on 2 July 1990,[13] located at either end of the town. WhileInterCity services to Sligo do not serve the town, theMaynooth/LongfordCommuter services do, the frequency of the trains peaking in the mornings and evenings. Some of these services continue outbound to Mullingar and Longford. Leixlip has the distinction of being the only town in the Republic of Ireland with two operational train stations.[14]
Weston Airport is a publicly licensed airport.[15] Its traffic is primarily private and commercial training. Dublin Airport is 20 minutes away from Leixlip via theM50 motorway.
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Built on a rock at the confluence of the River Liffey and the Rye Water, the central part of the castle dates from 1172,[16] just after theNorman Invasion of 1171 and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited buildings in Ireland, pre-datingDublin Castle by 30 years. It was used as a hunting base byKing John whenLord of Ireland in 1185.[citation needed] It was not of major military importance but withstood a 4-day siege by the army ofEdward Bruce in 1316.
Leixlip and 809 acres around it (excluding the castle) were bought byWilliam Conolly of nearbyCastletown House for approximately £12,000 in 1728. The castle was bought by Conolly's nephew and heir,William James Conolly, in 1731.[17] His family sold it in 1914. Various famous tenants of the Conollys in the castle includedArchbishop Stone, the Protestant Primate (1750s), the ViceroyLord Townshend (1770s), Lord Waterpark, andBaron de Robeck (who drowned at the Salmon Leap).[citation needed] In the 1920s it was the residence of the first French ambassador to theIrish Free State.[citation needed] In 1945 the castle was sold to William Kavanagh,[citation needed] prior to the purchase in 1958 by The Hon.Desmond Guinness.[18][19] The castle features in the 1825Gothic short storyLeixlip Castle byCharles Maturin.[20]
Located off the main street of nearbyCelbridge,Castletown House is the first grandPalladian House in Ireland – the design of the building led to the construction ofLeinster House and from thence to theWhite House in Washington, D.C.[citation needed] Begun in 1722 for SpeakerWilliam Conolly (1662–1729), Speaker of theIrish House of Commons,[21] the lands and the house itself lie in Celbridge, however, there is also an entrance from Leixlip, hence there are two modern housing estates bearing the Castletown name, one in each town. To mark the eastern vista of Castletown a conical-shaped building –The Wonderful Barn – was constructed in 1743 with the stairs ascending around the exterior of the building.[22]
St. Catherine's Priory was acquired by judgeNicholas White.[23]
British publisher and cartographerSamuel Lewis mentions Confey Castle in the first volume of his 1837 workA Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. In it, he comments that Confey's (or Confoy as he spells it) population was 165, had formerly had a town and a castle of some importance, which were noticed by Camden. Of the tower's remains were a massive five-storey structure with turrets at the north and west angles; that at the north angle containing a winding staircase opening through pointed arches into each storey. The principal entrance was under a semicircular archway. In the war of 1688 the castle is said to have been strongly garrisoned, and to have sustained an attack.[24]
Leixlip Spa was found in 1793 by workmen working on the construction of theRoyal Canal, which runs through Leixlip.[25]
Salmon Leap is a 5-metre waterfall on the Liffey just upstream from the village. A hydroelectric dam was completed in 1945,[19] and its lake flooded the waterfall. The dam generates 4Megawatts.[26]
Leixlip is divided into twoCatholic parishes, Leixlip (Our Lady's Nativity) and Confey (St. Charles Borromeo), each with its own parish church. TheChurch of Ireland parish of St Mary's also has a church in Leixlip, located in Main Street. This medieval church was restyled in the 1750s with Gothic windows, and its belltower clock dates from 1720. People from Our Lady's Nativity parish also have their own identity separate from people in the Confey parish. The Confey parish members are known as 'Hillers' and people from the Our Lady's Nativity parish are known as 'Farenders'.
As with religion and sports, education in Leixlip is divided by the two Catholic parishes of Leixlip (Our Lady's Nativity) and Confey (St. Charles Borromeo).[citation needed]
The respective schools in the Confey district are Confey Community College (acommunity school), Scoil San Carlo (Junior), and Scoil San Carlo Senior School (bothnational schools). The community school ofConfey College has approximately 750 pupils in total,[27] and similarly toColáiste Chiaráin is mixed gender and non-denominational. The name "San Carlo", while used as the Irish names of the national schools in the St Charles Borromeo parish, is actually the Italian rather than actualIrish translation (which would be "Naomh Cathal").
Leixlip also has one of the few Primary Montessori Schools in Ireland, Weston Primary Montessori School. Established in 2016 by the parents and teachers of the former Glebe School, this school provides Montessori education to children from 3–12 years and is located on the grounds of Barnhall Rugby Club.[28]
A public library opened in Leixlip in May 2006. It is situated in Confey, near both Scoil San Carlo and Confey Train Station. Leixlip Library hosts a variety of events and activities as well as free Internet access to library members.[29]
The Leixlip Festival (previously known as the Salmon Festival) has taken place every year since 1990 on the Junebank holiday weekend. It offers live entertainment in pubs, a number of open-air concerts, street carnival and fireworks display.
Leixlip Salmon Festival Limited also provides a youth training scheme in association withFÁS.
The festival has played host to bands such asThe Coronas,[citation needed]Aslan in 2011,[30]The Blizzards in 2017,[31]The Hothouse Flowers,[citation needed]Republic of Loose,[citation needed]Delorentos in 2015[32] andThe Riptide Movement in 2011, 2015 and 2019.[30][32][33] Solo artists have also performed includingDamien Dempsey andNiall Breslin.[citation needed]
Local Leixlip employers includeIntel, who own a fabrication plant in the town.Hewlett Packard Enterprise was also a local employer, from 1995 until the closure of the facility in 2017.[34]
Le Chéile Athletic Club was founded in 2003, and trains at their facility at the Leixlip Amenities Centre.[60]
Salmon Leap Canoe Club, founded in 1961, is located on the banks of Leixlip Lake.[61] The club won the Ribadesella trophy in 2017.[62]
Leixlip has twoGaelic Athletic Association clubs:Leixlip GAA, founded in 1887, andConfey GAA, founded in 1989.
There are three amateurfootball clubs: Confey F.C., St. Catherine's Park;Leixlip United F.C., Leixlip Amenities Centre; Liffeybank F.C., St. Catherine's Park. Confey F.C. play in the Leinster Senior League (men) and the Amateur League (over 35's). Leixlip United F.C. participate in Leinster Senior League (men), Amateur League (over 35's), Leinster Football League (men Under 20), Dublin & District Schoolboys/girls League (boys & girls), Eastern Women's Football League (women), Metropolitan Girls League (girls).Liffeybank F.C. (called Leixlip Town 1995–2017) participate in the Athletic Union League (men), Eastern Women's Football League (women), Metropolitan Girls League (girls) and the North Dublin Football League (boys).[citation needed]
Barnhall Rugby Football Club, arugby union club, which competes in theAll-Ireland League, is located on the outskirts of the town in Parsonstown.
Liffey Celtics Basketball Club is a local basketball club. The club's underage basketball teams compete in the Dublin Area Board League and Cup competitions.[citation needed] Training and home matches take place at the Leixlip Amenities Centre, Confey GAA hall, and Colaiste Cois Life (Lucan). The club also has a senior women's team competing in the Basketball Ireland Superleague and has won two National Cups, in 2019 and 2025.[citation needed]
Leixlip has been host to coarse fishing competitions, using a permanently pegged stretch of theRoyal Canal. The Leixlip stretch consists of 62 markedpegs and there is also the Confey stretch consisting of sixty pegs. The Leixlip stretch of the Rye River is controlled by the Leixlip and District Angling Association.[citation needed]
There are golfing facilities at Elm Hall Golf Club on the Loughlinstown Road and two 18 holepitch and putt courses in the area.[citation needed]
Leixlip istwinned with the following towns:
Bressuire, France[63]
Niles, Illinois, United States[64]{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)He lives in Dunboyne, but I lived in Leixlip for about a year and a half," she explains. "My mom was doing a film in Ireland calledHear My Song. I was really young, like six or seven at the time. Weirdly enough, he was in the same school as me in Leixlip [...]
Places adjacent to Leixlip | |
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