Allenwood () is a small Irish village in

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

situated on the Grand Canal. Allenwood is located about from

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

and halfway between Rathangan and

Clane Clane (; ) is a town in County Kildare, Ireland, from Dublin. With a population of 8,152 in 2022, it is the ninth largest town in Kildare and the 66th largest in Ireland. The town is on the River Liffey. Clane gives its name to the associate ...

in north County Kildare. According to the CSO, Allenwood had a total population of 1,685 inhabitants in the 2022 census, an increase 71.8% from the 2016 census. It is one of the fastest growing urban areas in the country. The main road through Allenwood is the R403 and the village is within of both the M4 (to the north) and M7 (to the south) motorways. Businesses in the area are centred on the crossroads, and consist of several shops, including a Spar, a

costcutter Costcutter is a convenience shop symbol group operating as two separate entities with different ownerships in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It previously had stores in Poland. The shops are independently owned and join the gro ...

, a barbers and a public house. There are two primary schools that were amalgamated into one in 2017, Allenwood G.N.S built in 1957 and Allenwood B.N.S built in 1929. The school is located next to the church which was built in 1954. There is also a business park at the location of the old power station. The Grand Canal is traversed by means of a noteworthy bridge, known locally as the Shee Bridge.

History

Allenwood was developed in the nineteenth century as a coaching post along the Edenderry Road. Later residential development primarily occurred on local roads to the east of the village, typically as single plot developments. Allenwood is the location of a former electricity power station which was fueled by

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

from the surrounding

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...

lands. The station was built in 1952 by the

Electricity Supply Board The Electricity Supply Board (ESB; ) is a state owned (95%; the rest are owned by employees) electricity company based in Ireland with operations worldwide. While historically a monopoly, the ESB now operates as a commercial semi-state concer ...

(ESB). The

cooling tower A cooling tower is a device that rejects waste heat to the atmosphere through the cooling of a coolant stream, usually a water stream, to a lower temperature. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove heat and cool the ...

which could be seen from over , was demolished three years after the station was retired in 1994.

Bord na Móna Bord na Móna (; English: "The Peat Board") is a semi-state company in Ireland, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946. The company began developing the peatlands of Ireland with the aim to provide economic benefit for Irish Midland co ...

which processed peat on the local

lands, established a camp for its workers at Allenwood Cross and the Roadstone quarry in

Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univ ...

is also nearby. The industrial park located to the north-west of the village has grown around the location of the former ESB power plant.

Recent developments

Allenwood has undergone expansion in the early 21st century, with a four-fold population increase (from 481 to 1,685 inhabitants) between the 2002 and 2022 censuses. Several larger homes have been built in the area as well as a number of housing estates and apartments. As of Spring 2019, there were three housing estates under development. Traffic lights were also added in late 2016 at the towns major crossroads. There is now provision for a new playground and the proposed Grand Canal Greenway would be a local amenity.

Sport and recreation

The close proximity to the Grand Canal makes Allenwood a destination for fishing and walking. The local football club

Allenwood G.F.C. Allenwood G.F.C. is a Gaelic football club based in Allenwood, County Kildare, Ireland. Because it is located in County Kildare, the club competes in the County Kildare GAA board league and cup system. Allenwood was the winner of the Kildare ...

is situated on the Station Road and offers its premises for a variety of other sports and recreations including kick boxing, dancing, scouting and annual school sports days. The local soccer club, Allenwood Celtic, is located outside the village on the Edenderry Road. There were several golf courses within a range of the village, but the nearest ones are now closed.

Media

In 2024, former President of Ireland

Mary McAleese Mary Patricia McAleese ( ; ; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer, academic, author, and former politician who served as the president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. McAleese was first elected as president in 1997, ...

joined forces with broadcaster

Mary Kennedy Mary Kennedy (; born 4 October 1954) is an Irish television personality and former newscaster, and writer. She presented the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 from the Point Theatre in Dublin. She has also presented her own Saturday night chat show c ...

to host the "Changing Times - The Allenwood Conversations" podcast. The podcast is produced by local producer Enda Grace at the Dundara Television and Media studio in Allenwood, County Kildare.

Notable people

* Johnny Doyle, Kildare Senior Footballer and All Star.

References

External links

Allenwood Community Development AssociationAllenwood G.F.C.Allenwood Celtic A.F.C.
{{County Kildare Towns and villages in County Kildare