Newbridge, County Kildare
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| Newbridge An Droichead Nua |
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| Location | ||
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| Irish Grid Reference N801152 |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Leinster | |
| County: | County Kildare | |
| Elevation: | 90 m | |
| Population (2002) - Town: - Rural: |
15,749 990 |
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| Website: www.newbridge.ie | ||
Newbridge (Irish: Droichead Nua) is a town in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, near the midlands of Ireland. With a population approaching 20,000, it is one of the larger towns in the county.
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[edit] Name
The Irish language name of the town is the official name, "An Droichead Nua" , which was introduced in the 1930s.
[edit] History
The settlement of the area dates from the 12th century and the current town is made up of six ancient parishes and portions of others. These are Ballymany, Carnalway, Great Connell, Killashee, Morristown Billar and Old Connell.
Great Connell Priory was the site of an important Priory founded in 1202 by the Augustinian Canons. This and other sites are a reminder that Newbridge has a rich history in early Christian settlement.
The origin of the modern town lies in the establishment of a British Army cavalry barracks in 1818 at a river crossing on the River Liffey in the townland of Great Connell.
Today Newbridge is a thriving town of over 20,000, a major centre for industry and commerce, within the Greater Dublin region.
[edit] Schools
The schools of Newbridge have always had a good reputation for the quality of their education.
Perhaps the most famous secondary school in the town is Newbridge College which is run by the Dominican Order. Other major secondary schools in the area include the Patrician Secondary School, the Holy Family School and St Conleth's Vocational College. The newest secondary level school in the area is Gaelcholaiste Chill Dara, which was established in 2003, and provides a full programme through the Irish language. Despite the good schools in the area, the growing population of the town has created a shortaqge of places at primary school level.
Scoil Mhuire, St Conleth's & Mary's and St Patrick's are the main primary schools. Recent additions to the list of schools are Gaelscoil Chill Dara and a non-denominational Educate-Together school.
[edit] Industry
The area also has a strong industrial background with industry such as rope- and carpet-making dating back to the early 1930s and also silverware is crafted at the famous Newbridge Silverware plant. Pharmaceutical companies such as Wyeth Medica and Oral-B have also based themselves in the town.
The Irish peat development authority Bord na Móna has its headquarters in the centre of Newbridge.
[edit] Sport & Recreation
Newbridge is home to Kildare Gaelic Athletic Association's county grounds and sports two strong local club teams, Sarsfields and Moorefield, both of which regularly win the county's club championship title.
Newbridge also hosts Kildare's only greyhound racing track. There are a large number of first class golf courses in the area, with water sports, fishing and the Curragh Racecourse all within easy access.
The town is also home to Kildare County FC, Kildare's only representative in the eircom League. Kildare County FC currently play in Division One of the eircom league. Newbridge has a library, arts centre, sports centre, three gyms, two swimming pools and a pitch and putt club.
The Kildare History & Family Research Centre is based at the library in Newbridge and houses an extensive local history collection as well as a genealogical research service. In recent years the Riverbank Arts Centre has provided a new venue for a wide array of live performances, adding a new dimension to the town's long established dramatic and musical traditions.
Newbridge is a popular venue by night, as well, with plenty of bars and nightclubs serving the area.
For young people interested in music, local bar Rose Earley's hosts an open mic night every second week, whilst new youth club TimeOut also hosts gigs.
[edit] Shopping
There is a wide and diverse selection of shops, coffee shops, restaurants, hotels and bars in the town, including everything from the large international brands to long established local traders.
The Whitewater Shopping Centre opened on the 6th April 2006, it is the largest shopping centre in Ireland outside of Dublin. Major retailers such as Debenhams, Marks and Spencer, Eason and Virgin Megastore are tenants of the shopping centre. The Whitewater development has recently caused some local unrest due to the developers reneging on their promise to construct a cinema in the centre. Proposals have been made to construct a cinema elsewhere in the town by the developers but this has not lessened public outcry and until an official decision is reached by Kildare County Council, the space intended for cinema use lies dormant. The shareholders of the Whitewater Shopping Centre are currently making profits of 25 per cent less than expected.
[edit] Infrastructure
The town boasts excellent rail and road links both to Dublin and the South, and its infrastructure has attracted firms such as Wyeth Medica and Oral B to set up in the town.
The M7 motorway bypasses the town; the R445 connects the town to the bypass (J10 and J12 on the M7) along the route previously forming part of the N7. The N9 to Carlow, Kilkenny and Waterford leaves the M7 west of Newbridge at J11. Newbridge is connected to the railway network, on the Dublin–Cork line.
[edit] Famous people
- Singer Christy Moore.
- Scientist Kathleen Lonsdale.
- Irish rugby international Geordan Murphy.
- Musician Luka Bloom (born Barry Moore).
- Musician Dónal Lunny.
- Athlete Karen Shinkins
- Sculptor Fr Henry Flanagan
- Sculptor Annette McCormack
- Ex B*Witched Singer Sinéad O'Carroll
- Student Ronán Mc Govern who received nine A1's in the 2006 Leaving Certificate Exams.
- Filmmaker and writer Ciara Connelly.
[edit] External links
- Kildare.ie Newbridge sub-site
- [1]Kildare's genealogy services
- [2]Irish Genealogical services
