Johnstownbridge ( or ''Droichead Baile Sheáin'') is a

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many ...

located in north County Kildare,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It lies in the parish of Cadamstown, in the district of Balyna, and barony of Carbury. It is located on the R402 road between

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

and

Edenderry Edenderry (; ) is a town in east County Offaly, Ireland. It is near the borders with Counties Kildare, Meath and Westmeath. The Grand Canal runs along the south of Edenderry, through the Bog of Allen, and there is a short spur to the town ...

just off the M4 motorway. As of the 2016 census, Johnstownbridge had a population of 683 people, up from 211 in the 2002 census.

History

The bridge was the scene of a battle in the

1798 rebellion The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a Irish republicanism, ...

between Michael Aylmer's rebel forces and British colonial forces. Johnstownbridge had a patent granted in the 17th century for holding a weekly market on Monday, but Lewis's Topography noted in 1837 that "this privilege has not been enjoyed for many years: fairs are held on March 31st, May 29th, Oct. 13th, and Dec. 21st." Lewis also noted "a curious old cross, the only relic to mark the site of an abbey that formerly existed here.". A constabulary police station was based here in the first half of the 19th century. One of

Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (I) ( ga, Dónall Ó Conaill; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilizat ...

's colleagues in Irish independence movement

Richard More O'Ferrall Richard More O'Ferrall (10 April 1797 – 27 October 1880) was an Irish politician, a high level British government official and a Governor of Malta. Born to a noble Irish Catholic family at Balyna, he was the eldest son and heir of Ambrose M ...

(1797–1880), MP for Kildare 1839-57 and 1859–65, lived in Balyna house.

Amenities

The town is served by Saint Patrick's National School. The town's Gothic-style Catholic church dates to c.1830, and is also dedicated to Saint Patrick.

Johnstownbridge GAA Johnstownbridge is a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in County Kildare, Ireland, Winner of three county senior football championships and Kildare club of the year in 1983. Football Johnstownbridge field a number of teams at all levels. ...

, the local

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include t ...

club, has won the Kildare football championship three times.

References

{{Reflist Towns and villages in County Kildare