Leixlip
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| Leixlip Léim an Bhradáin |
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| Léim ar Aghaidh "Leap Ahead" |
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| Location | ||
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| Irish Grid Reference O003360 |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Leinster | |
| County: | County Kildare | |
| Elevation: | 46 m | |
| Population (2002) - Town: - Rural: |
15,016 15,154 |
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| Website: kildare.ie/leixlip/ | ||
Leixlip (Léim an Bhradáin in Irish) is a town in north-east County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, east of the midlands of Ireland. It is situated on the confluence of the River Liffey and the River Rye, on the border of the ancient kingdoms of Leinster and Brega. The town has a growing population of about 20,000, hosting both local workers, and those commuting to Dublin, which is around 15km distant. The placename comes from the Viking Lax Hlaup, which means "leap of the salmon". The name in Irish is also a direct reflection of this. Leixlip is home to facilities of Intel and Hewlett-Packard. It is also home of Arthur Guinness's first brewery where he brewed ales until he moved to St. James's Gate Brewery, Dublin in 1759 where he first brewed Guinness. Historically, it is the site of a famous battle (Battle of Confey), in which the Viking King Sigtrygg Caech of Dublin defeated the Irish King of Leinster around the year 917.
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[edit] Politics
Leixlip is governed by a nine member Town Council, headed by a Cathaoirleach (chairperson). This has control over many local matters, although it is limited in that it is not also a planning authority. It also elects four councilors to Kildare County Council in a combined ward with Maynooth.
[edit] Industry
Leixlip's two main industries are operated by Intel, who own a complex consisting of Fabs (fabrication plant) 10, 14, 24, and 24-2 of Intel's manufacturing operations. Hewlett-Packard is the other main local employer. Most other employment in Leixlip is in retail and the licence trade (see below for details).
[edit] Local attractions
Leixlip Castle. Built on a rock at the confluence of the River Liffey and the Rye Water, the castle dates from the Norman Invasion of 1171. Various tenants have included Archbishop Stone, the Protestant Primate; Viceroy Lord Townshend; Lord Waterpark; and Baron de Roebuck. In 1945 the castle was sold to William Kavanagh prior to the purchase in 1958 by The Hon. Desmond Guinness.
Castletown House & The Wonderful Barn. Castletown House is the first grand Palladian House in Ireland - the design of the building led to the construction of Leinster House and from thence to the White House in Washington, D.C. Begun in 1722 by Speaker William Conolly (1662-1729), Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, the lands and the house itself lie in Celbridge however there is also an entrance from Leixlip hence there are two modern estates bearing the Castletown name, one in each town. To mark the eastern vista of Castletown a conical shaped building - The Wonderful Barn - went up in 1743 with the stairs ascending upwards around the exterior of the building. Also of note is Leixlip Spa, which is a spa found by workmen working on the construction of the Royal Canal ,which runs through Leixlip.
[edit] Schools and Public Library
As with religion and sport, education in Leixlip is divided by the two Catholic parishes of Leixlip (Our Lady's Nativity) and Confey (St. Charles Borromeo).
The Leixlip parish contains five schools -one community school and four primary schools. The community school, Coláiste Chiaráin has approximately 600 pupils, is mixed gender and multi-denominational. It is currently administered by Mr Sweeney (School Principal) and (School Vice Principal). The other four schools in the Leixlip area are Scoil Uí Dhálaigh (a Gaelscoil), Scoil Mhuire, Scoil Eoin Phoil and Scoil Bhríde (all national schools).
The respective schools in the Confey district are Confey Community College (a community school), Scoil San Carlo (Junior), and San Carlo Senior School (both national schools). The community school of Confey College has approximately 600 pupils in total, and similarly to Colaiste Chiarain is mixed gender and non-denominational. At the moment it is administered by a Mr Travers as school principal, while the position of vice principal is held by a Mr Hare. 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 actual Irish translation (which would be "Naomh Cathal").
A brand new modern public library opened in Leixlip in May 2006. It is situated in Confey beside the Town Council Office. It is also near both Scoil San Carlo and Confey Train Station. It is open fifty one hours a week, with Sunday being the only day that it is closed. Among the material library members may borrow from the library include books, dvds, cds, and language packs. The library also offers free Internet access to library members. Library membership is free to anyone under 18 years of age, while a small annual membership charge applies to adults.
[edit] Religion
Leixlip is divided into two Roman Catholic Church parishes, Leixlip (Our Lady's Nativity) and Confey (St. Charles Borromeo), each with its own parish church. The Church of Ireland parish of St Mary's also has a church in Leixlip, located in Main Street.
The division of Leixlip into two separate parishes has had an impact, in that, as is often the case, a degree of rivalry exists between the two. However essentially the inhabitants of the town still share a common identity. This is supported by the fact that, although Leixlip Utd. FC is based in St. Mary's parish, many Confey football players join it rather than their local club Confey FC.
People in Leixlip identify themselves by the parish to which they belong. The two parts of the town, namely the Confey parish and Our Lady's Nativity parish are also separated by the River Rye. The Confey parish is located up the Captain's Hill and people from Confey are colloquially known as 'Hillers' whilst the people from Our Lady's Nativity parish are known as 'Far-Enders'. There is a healthy rivalry between both parts of the town. Although Leixlip is a large town it still has a tight-knit community where 'everybody knows everybody'. This is strongly influenced by the two Gaelic associations. Overall Leixlipians have a strong sense of identity with the town.
[edit] Sports
Leixlip has two GAA clubs, Leixlip GAA and Confey GAA.
There are also three amateur football clubs, Confey FC, Leixlip United FC and Leixlip Town FC. Confey FC and Leixlip United FC both participate in Dublin District leagues (or in the case of both clubs' senior teams the Leinster Senior Football League). Leixlip Town FC on the other hand participates in the Kildare county leagues.
Barnhall Rugby Football Club, a rugby union club, which competes in the All-Ireland League is also located on the outskirts of the town in close proximity to the Wonderful Barn. The Le Cheile Athletics Club trains at its grounds based at the Amenities Centre and the members compete in indoor, outdoor track & field events and cross country competition at county,provincial and national level.
Liffey Celtics is the local based girls Basketball Club catering for the age groups 8-16 years. There are 5 underage basketball teams competing in the Dublin Area Board League and Cup competition. Training and home matches take place at the Amenities Centre and Confey GAA hall.
Leixlip has been the host to many coarse fishing competitions thanks to the permanently pegged stretch of the royal canal. The Leixlip stretch consists of 62 marked pegs and there is also the Confey stretch consisting of sixty pegs. These swims as well as the large fish stocks have created a unique fishery. Conditions are suited to both the pleasure and match angler.
A sports centre, Leixlip Amenities Centre, is located in the town with various facilities, including a children's playground.
[edit] Shopping
The town is not a major retail centre, but there are three supermarkets - a SuperValu, Eurospar, and Lidl. As well as Eurospar, there are also three Spar convenience stores in Leixlip as well as two branches of Xtravision. The Liffey Valley Shopping Centre is a short drive down the N4, and Leixlip is also within easy reach of Dublin city centre's wide variety of shops, as well as the Blanchardstown shopping centre.
It has been agreed [1] to develop a shopping centre in the Collinstown area of Leixlip (opposite Intel) which will be along the same lines as the Liffey Valley and Blanchardstown centres. This new development is designed to serve the needs of the North-East Kildare area, comprising Leixlip as well as the towns of Celbridge, Maynooth and Kilcock, all located within the Dublin Metropolitan Area. This proposal, currently known as the Collinstown Town Centre, is undergoing planning. The developers of the scheme intend to proceed with planning applications in late 2006, with a view to completion in 2010 [2].
[edit] Access
Leixlip is located just off the M4 motorway, on the R113 (reclassified from N4) road with nearby Lucan located further towards Dublin along the same route. The R113 continues from Leixlip to Maynooth, while the R404 links Leixlip to Celbridge. Leixlip is connected to the Irish railway network on the Dublin–Sligo line, with two stations, Leixlip (Louisa Bridge) and Leixlip (Confey) located at either end of the town. While InterCity services to Sligo do not serve the town, the Maynooth Commuter service does, the frequency of the trains peaking in the mornings and evenings. Some of these services continue outbound to Mullingar and Longford.
[edit] Hotels, pubs, restaurants and nightlife
[edit] Hotels
- Springfield Hotel on the Lucan Road. This is the largest hotel in the town, and was featured in the RTÉ television series Fergus' Wedding.
- Leixlip House Hotel on Captain's Hill
- Liffey Valley House Hotel located off Mill Lane.
- River Forest Hotel, located at the River Forest Shopping Centre in the Confey parish. While a hotel, this is better known as a large pub with two bars.
- Becketts off the Lucan Road.
- The Court Yard Hotel opened in June 2005 on Main Street, this newly-opened hotel features a number of bars including a piano bar.
[edit] Pubs
- Ryevale Tavern - incorporating The Loft and Darkie Moore's Following extensive renovations in recent years, the Ryevale Tavern has been divided into two distinct pub areas. The Loft is a sports bar, with plush seating, large flatscreen televisions and a louder, younger atmosphere. For quieter surroundings, and a more sedate pace, Darkie Moore's provides an alternative.
- The Salmon Leap - often quoted as having the best pint and most expensive Guinness in Leixlip, the Salmon Leap is located on the outskirts of the town, actually lying partly in the county of Dublin, whereas the rest of Leixlip is in Kildare.
- The Three Sisters / O'Neill's Tavern - both formerly known as The Captain's Inn, and still occasionally referred to by that name also. The Three Sisters is located in the centre of the village, and is one of the venues for Banana Laughs Comedy Club[3] which runs on the last Thursday of every month in Leixlip.
- The Middle Shop - located on Main Street.
- The Court Yard Hotel - brings a new attraction to Leixlip with its two restaurants and four bars with live bands five nights a week.
Leixlip is unusual in that a single company, Hannigan Holdings Limited, dominates the licence trade in the town, owning the Springfield Hotel, Ryevale Tavern and the O-Zone nightclub.
[edit] Restaurants
- Da Vinci's A simple Italian pizza and pasta restaurant in the village.
- Alvito's Meditterranean cuisine
- Miss Wong's High quality Chinese restaurant
- Amber Regent Another Chinese, located in the centre of the village.
- A Taste of India Indian restaurant.
- Highway 66 US-style diner, similar to Eddie Rockets
- Hill Restaurant
There are also other several fast-food take-aways, among them The Red House, Sam's, Wok IN, Subway, Canton House and 'Macari's"
[edit] Festival
The Leixlip Festival (previously known as the Salmon Festival) has taken place every year since 1990 on the June bank holiday weekend. It offers live entertainment in pubs, a number of open-air concerts, and also a street carnival. Most notably, in 1995 a replica Viking ship was burnt. A fireworks display takes place on the Sunday night. Leixlip Salmon Festival Limited also provides a youth training scheme in association with Foras Áiseanna Saothair.
[edit] Celebrities
- Rock musician Mick Jagger, a close friend of Leixlip Castle owner Desmond Guinness, occasionally visits the town.
- The rock group U2 played at Leixlip Castle on July 27, 1980, during what was titled "The Dublin Festival, 1980", which also featured The Police.[4] The concert was headlined by the Police, preceded by Squeeze and with U2 in the third slot.
- In March 1980 the Castle was also the venue for a concert by the Boomtown Rats, who had been barred from holding a concert in Dublin (even an out-of-door concert) by the government.
[edit] See also
- List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
- Leixlip Town Council
- Guinness family
[edit] External links
- Leixlip Town Council
- Town Homepage
- Leixlip Festival
- [5]
- Leixlip GAA Club
- Bananalaughs Comedy Club Website
- Leixlip, on the Open Directory Project.
