Leixlip ( or ; , IPA: �lʲeːmʲənˠˈwɾˠad̪ˠaːnʲ is a town in north-east

County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the 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 authority for the county, ...

, Ireland. Its location on the confluence of the River Liffey and the Rye Water has marked it as a frontier town historically: on the border between the ancient kingdoms of

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

and

Brega Brega , also known as ''Mersa Brega'' or ''Marsa al-Brega'' ( ar, مرسى البريقة , i.e. "Brega Seaport"), is a complex of several smaller towns, industry installations and education establishments situated in Libya on the Gulf of Sidra, ...

, as an outpost of

The Pale The Pale (Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast st ...

, and on Kildare's border with

County Dublin "Action to match our speech" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg , map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...

. Leixlip was also a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the ancient

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

Salt North Salt North () is a barony in County Kildare, Ireland. Etymology Salt North derives its name from the Latin name of Leixlip: ''Saltus salmonis'' (literally "salmon leap"; the English name is derived from Old Norse ''Lax-hlaup''). This makes Salt ...

. As of 2016, the population of the town was 15,504. It is the fourth largest town in Kildare, and the 29th largest in Ireland.

Name

The placename comes from the

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

''lax hlaup'' (

Younger Futhark The Younger Futhark, also called Scandinavian runes, is a runic alphabet and a reduced form of the Elder Futhark, with only 16 characters, in use from about the 9th century, after a "transitional period" during the 7th and 8th centuries. The r ...

: ᛚᛅᚼᛋ ᚼᛚᛅᚢᛒ; ) which means "

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...

leap". The name in the

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

(''Léim an Bhradáin'') is a direct translation of this, and was first adopted in the 1890s. In

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, it is ''Saltus salmonis'', from which comes the names of the

baronies Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

of North Salt and

South Salt South Salt () is a barony in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland. Etymology South Salt derives its name from the Latin name of Leixlip: ''Saltus salmonis'' (literally "salmon leap"; the English name is derived from Old Norse ''Lax-hlaup''). T ...

History

Leixlip was a possible site of the

Battle of Confey The Battle of Confey or Cenn Fuait was a battle fought in Ireland in 917 between the Vikings of Dublin and the Irish King of Leinster, Augaire mac Ailella. It led to the recapture of Dublin by the Norse dynasty that had been expelled from the ci ...

, in which the

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

King Sigtrygg Caech of Dublin defeated the Irish King of

around the year

917 __NOTOC__ Year 917 ( CMXVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * August 20 – Battle of Achelous: A Byzantine expeditionary fo ...

. The first settlement at Leixlip was an outpost of Early Scandinavian Dublin, built at the furthest point where

longship Longships were a type of specialised Scandinavian warships that have a long history in Scandinavia, with their existence being archaeologically proven and documented from at least the fourth century BC. Originally invented and used by the Nors ...

s could be rowed up the Liffey. Its status as an outpost of Dublin continued for centuries, marking a border of

. The town was home to

Arthur Guinness Arthur Guinness ( 172523 January 1803) was an Irish brewer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. The inventor of Guinness beer, he founded the Guinness Brewery at St. James's Gate in 1759. Born in Celbridge, County Kildare around 1725, Guinness ...

's first brewery in 1756, where he brewed ales until he moved on to

St. James's Gate Brewery St. James's Gate Brewery is a brewery founded in 1759 in Dublin, Ireland, by Arthur Guinness. The company is now a part of Diageo, a company formed from the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan in 1997. The main product of the brewery is ...

, Dublin in 1759. The first history of the town was published in 2005.

Politics

Leixlip is part of the Kildare North constituency, which elects four members to

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

. Leixlip, with

Celbridge Celbridge (; ) is a town and townland on the River Liffey in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is west of Dublin. Both a local centre and a commuter town within the Greater Dublin Area, it is located at the intersection of the ...

, comprises the Celbridge-Leixlip electoral area, which elects seven members to Kildare County Council. Two of those members are based in Leixlip. Between 1988 and 2014 Leixlip had a nine-member

Town Council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second ti ...

(formerly ''Leixlip Town Commissioners''), headed by a Cathaoirleach (chairperson). In 1990, the town's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

was presented by minister

Pádraig Flynn Pádraig Flynn (born 9 May 1939) is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as European Commissioner for Social Affairs from 1993 to 1999, Minister for Industry and Commerce and Minister for Justice from 1992 to 1993, Minister for th ...

. The Local Government Reform Act 2014 abolished town councils, including Leixlip's, in 2014.

Transport

Bus

Dublin Bus Dublin Bus ( ga, Bus Átha Cliath) is a State-owned bus operator providing services in Dublin. By far the largest bus operator in the city, it carried 138 million passengers in 2019. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. ...

, 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 to

and

Clondalkin Clondalkin ( ; ) is a suburban town situated 10 km south-west of Dublin city centre, Ireland, under the administrative jurisdiction of South Dublin. It features an 8th-century round tower that acts as a focal point for the area. Clondalk ...

. JJ Kavanagh provide the regional 139 service, which links Leixlip with Naas and Blanchardstown.

Rail

Leixlip is connected to the Irish railway network on the Dublin-Sligo railway line, running from Dublin Connolly to

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

, with two stations, Leixlip (Louisa Bridge), opened on 1 September 1848, and Leixlip (Confey), opened on 2 July 1990, located at either end of the town. While

InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...

services to Sligo do not serve the town, the Maynooth/

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

Commuter 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. Leixlip, County Kildare, Ireland

Air

Weston Airport is a publicly licensed airport. Its traffic is primarily private and commercial training. Dublin Airport is 20 minutes away from Leixlip via the M50 motorway.

Local attractions

Leixlip Castle

Built on a rock at the confluence of the River Liffey and the Rye Water, the central part of the castle dates from 1172, just after the

Norman Invasion The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...

of 1171 and is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited buildings in Ireland, pre-dating

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin. Until 1922 it was the se ...

by 30 years. It was used as a hunting base by

King John King John may refer to: Rulers * John, King of England (1166–1216) * John I of Jerusalem (c. 1170–1237) * John Balliol, King of Scotland (c. 1249–1314) * John I of France (15–20 November 1316) * John II of France (1319–1364) * John I o ...

when

Lord of Ireland The Lordship of Ireland ( ga, Tiarnas na hÉireann), sometimes referred to retroactively as Norman Ireland, was the part of Ireland ruled by the King of England (styled as "Lord of Ireland") and controlled by loyal Anglo-Norman lords between ...

in 1185. It was not of major military importance but withstood a 4-day siege by the army of

Edward Bruce Edward Bruce, Earl of Carrick ( Norman French: ; mga, Edubard a Briuis; Modern Scottish Gaelic: gd, Eideard or ; – 14 October 1318), was a younger brother of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. He supported his brother in the 1306–1314 st ...

in 1316. Leixlip and 809 acres around it (excluding the castle) were bought by William Conolly of nearby Castletown House for approximately £12,000 in 1728. The castle was bought by Conolly's nephew and heir, William James Conolly, in 1731. His family sold it in 1914. Various famous tenants of the Conollys in the castle included Archbishop Stone, the Protestant Primate (1750s), the Viceroy

Lord Townshend Marquess Townshend is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain held by the Townshend family of Raynham Hall in Norfolk. The title was created in 1787 for George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, George Townshend, 4th Viscount Townshend. Histor ...

(1770s), Lord Waterpark, and

Baron de Robeck Baron de Robeck is a title of the head of the Irish Fock family which has its origins in Sweden. Jakob Constantin Fock, a Swedish landowner, had bought the Räbäck estate in the parish of Medelplana, Skaraborg County in the province of Västerg� ...

(who drowned at the Salmon Leap). In the 1920s it was the residence of the first French ambassador to the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between th ...

. In 1945 the castle was sold to William Kavanagh, prior to the purchase in 1958 by The Hon.

Desmond Guinness Desmond Walter Guinness (8 September 1931 – 20 August 2020) was an Irish author writing on Georgian art and architecture, a conservationist and the co-founder of the Irish Georgian Society. He was the second son of the author and brewer Brya ...

Castletown House & The Wonderful Barn

Located off the main street of nearby

, Castletown House is the first grand

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

House in Ireland – the design of the building led to the construction of

Leinster House Leinster House ( ga, Teach Laighean) is the seat of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Ireland. Originally, it was the ducal palace of the Dukes of Leinster. Since 1922, it is a complex of buildings, of which the former ducal palace is the core, ...

and from thence to the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

in Washington, D.C. Begun in 1722 for 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 housing estates bearing the Castletown name, one in each town. To mark the eastern vista of Castletown a conical shaped building –

The Wonderful Barn The Wonderful Barn is a corkscrew-shaped building on the edge of Castletown House Estate, formerly of the Conolly family, in Celbridge, County Kildare, Ireland. The barn itself is formally in neighbouring Leixlip. Structure Flanked by two small ...

– was constructed in 1743 with the stairs ascending around the exterior of the building.

St. Catherine's Priory

St. Catherine's Priory was acquired by judge Nicholas White, and was an important monastery in the Middle Ages. Leixlip Spa

Confey Castle

British publisher and cartographer Samuel Lewis mentions Confey Castle in the first volume of his 1837 work ''A 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.

Leixlip Spa

Leixlip Spa The Leixlip Spa () (also known as Louisa Bridge Spa) is an archaeological and hydrogeological complex at Louisa Bridge, Leixlip, near Dublin, Ireland, situated close to the Royal Canal. It was a popular health spa in the late 18th and early 19th ...

was found in 1793 by workmen working on the construction of the

Royal Canal The Royal Canal ( ga, An Chanáil Ríoga) is a canal originally built for freight and passenger transportation from Dublin to Longford in Ireland. It is one of two canals from Dublin to the River Shannon and was built in direct competition ...

, which runs through Leixlip.

Salmon Leap

Leixlip's main attraction in the past was the Salmon Leap, from which the town is named, a 5-metre waterfall on the Liffey just upstream from the then village. A hydroelectric dam was completed in 1945, and its lake flooded the waterfall. The dam generates 4

Megawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units, International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), ...

Religion

Leixlip is divided into two

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

parishes, Leixlip (Our Lady's Nativity) and Confey (St. Charles Borromeo), each with its own parish church. The

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

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'. There is the usual local rivalry associated with two different parishes which is particularly evident during sporting events.

Education and library

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). The respective schools in the Confey district are Confey Community College (a community school), Scoil San Carlo (Junior), and Scoil San Carlo Senior School (both national schools). The community school of

Confey College Confey College is a co-educational interdenominational vocational school in Leixlip, County Kildare, Republic of Ireland. The school opened to 36 students in September 1986 and has approximately 900 students at present and about 80 staff members ...

has approximately 750 pupils in total, and similarly to

Coláiste Chiaráin Coláiste Chiaráin (in English: the College of St. Kieran), also known as Leixlip Community School, is a co-educational community school in Leixlip established in 1980 under the trusteeship of the Presentation Sisters, the Archbishop of Dublin ...

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 actual Irish 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. A 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. Leixlip Library hosts a variety of events and activities as well as free Internet access to library members.

Shopping and local businesses

The town has four supermarkets – a SuperValu,

Eurospar SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...

Aldi Aldi (stylised as ALDI) is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 10,000 stores in 20 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946, when t ...

, and Lidl. As well as Eurospar, there are also three Spar convenience stores, Mace and a Tuthill's in Leixlip. The Liffey Valley Shopping Centre is a short drive down the N4, and Leixlip is also within reach of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

's shopping areas, including Blanchardstown Shopping Centre. In addition to local supermarkets and convenience stores, there are several other local businesses. This includes businesses in the professional services sectors, such as solicitors, architects and insurance firms.

Festival

The Leixlip Festival (previously known as the Salmon Festival) has taken place every year since 1990 on the June

bank holiday A bank holiday is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Crown Dependencies. The term refers to all public holidays in the United Kingdom, be they set out in statute, declared by royal proclamation or held ...

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 with

Foras Áiseanna Saothair An Foras Áiseanna Saothair (), referred to in English as the Training and Employment Authority and commonly known as FÁS (), was a state agency in Ireland with responsibility for assisting those seeking employment. It was established in Janua ...

. The festival has played host to bands such as

The Coronas The Coronas are an Irish rock band that originated in Dublin. They release their music by their own independent record label, 3ú Records, and are based between Dublin and London. They have released seven studio albums, '' Heroes or Ghosts'' ...

, Aslan in 2011, The Blizzards in 2017,

The Hothouse Flowers Hothouse Flowers are an Irish rock band that combine traditional music of Ireland, Irish music with influences from soul, Gospel music, gospel, and rock. Formed in 1985 in Dublin, they started as street performers. Their first album, ''People ...

Republic of Loose Republic of Loose were an Irish funk rock band from Dublin. Formed in 2001, the band formerly consisted of lead vocalist Mick Pyro, bass guitarist and vocalist Benjamin Loose, keyboardist Deco, guitarists and vocalists Dave Pyro and Brez and d ...

Delorentos Delorentos are a Dublin-based Irish alternative rock band, formed in 2005. They consist of Rónan Yourell (vocals, guitar, piano), Kieran McGuinness (vocals, guitar), Níal Conlan (bass, backing vocals) and Ross McCormick (drums, backing vocals). ...

in 2015 and

The Riptide Movement The Riptide Movement are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin, Ireland in 2006 by songwriter and vocalist Malachy Tuohy, guitarist John Dalton, bassist and harmonica player Gerry McGarry and drummer Gar Byrne. Members * Malachy Tuohy - Songwri ...

in 2011, 2015 and 2019. Solo artists have also performed including

Damien Dempsey Damien Dempsey (born 9 June 1975) is an Irish singer and songwriter who mixes traditional Irish folk contemporary lyrics that deliver social and political commentaries on Irish society. Damien sings in his native, working class accent in the Eng ...

and

Niall Breslin Niall Breslin (born 22 October 1980), known as Bressie, is an Irish musician, former Westmeath GAA, Westmeath Gaelic footballer and Leinster Rugby player. Breslin found success as the lead singer, guitarist, songwriter with pop band The Blizz ...

Industry

Local Leixlip employers include

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...

, who own a complex consisting of Fabs (fabrication plant) 10 & 14 (IFO), 24, and 24-2 of Intel's manufacturing operations.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise The Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE) is an American multinational information technology company based in Spring, Texas, United States. HPE was founded on November 1, 2015, in Palo Alto, California, as part of the splitting of the H ...

was also a local employer, from 1995 until the closure of the facility in 2017. Most other employment in Leixlip is in retail businesses.

Notable people

* Lily Allen, English recording artist, actress and fashion designer lived in Leixlip as a child and attended school there. *

Trevor Brennan Trevor Brennan (born 29 September 1973) is an Irish former rugby union player. He played for Barnhall, Bective Rangers, St Marys College RFC, Leinster, Stade Toulousain and Ireland, being capped 13 times. He played either in the second row o ...

, Irish international rugby player * Emma Byrne, Republic of Ireland women's national football team and

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

goalkeeper *

Jake Carroll Jake Carroll (born 11 August 1991) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Scottish Premiership club Motherwell. He previously played for League of Ireland side St Patrick's Athletic, English sides Huddersfield Town, Bu ...

, professional footballer, attended secondary school at

in Leixlip. *

Nathan Collins Nathan Michael Collins (born 30 April 2001) is an Irish professional association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Republic of Ireland national f ...

, professional footballer * Thomas Conolly, MP of both the

Parliament of Great Britain The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in May 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. The Acts ratified the treaty of Union which created a new unified Kingdo ...

(1759-1780) and

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland ( ga, Parlaimint na hÉireann) was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chamb ...

(1761-1800), was born in Leixlip *

David Geraghty David Geraghty (born 30 September 1975) is an Irish multi-instrumentalist, composer and songwriter. He is a founding member of Bell X1, and since 2014 has been performing under the moniker Join Me in the Pines. In 1994 he joined the group Jun ...

, musician and member of

Bell X1 The Bell X-1 (Bell Model 44) is a rocket engine–powered aircraft, designated originally as the XS-1, and was a joint National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics–U.S. Army Air Forces–U.S. Air Force supersonic research project built by Bel ...

Matt Goff Matt Goff (born Matthew Gough in Leixlip, County Kildare, 5 July 1901, died 19 March 1956) was a Gaelic footballer on the Kildare, Leinster and Irish Tailteann Games teams and one of a group of players who helped establish Gaelic Athletic Asso ...

, soldier during the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...

and full-back for Kildare in six All-Ireland finals * Steven Gray, former professional footballer in the League of Ireland and in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. *

, co-owner with his brother Richard of the brewery business in Leixlip. Richard lived on the town's Main Street, and was the landlord of the Salmon Leap Inn. * Ana Kriégel, schoolgirl murdered in May 2018; the murderers were the youngest people convicted of murder in Ireland. *Fiachra Lennon, Irish international tennis player * David Matthews, athlete and holder of the Irish 800 metres record * Catherine Murphy (politician), politician, member of Dáil Éireann and co-leader/co-founder of the

Social Democrats (Ireland) The Social Democrats () are a centre-left, social-democratic political party in Ireland. The party was launched on 15 July 2015 by three independent Teachtaí Dála, Catherine Murphy, and Róisín Shortall, and Stephen Donnelly, and is led ...

Enda Murphy Enda Murphy is a Kildare Gaelic football goalkeeper.BIG MATCH STATISTICS.
Europe Intellige ...

, former

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cen ...

Gaelic football captain, and has represented Ireland in the International Rules Series * Gerard Nash, former professional footballer with

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...

and current manager with

Reserves. *

Clíona Ní Chiosáin Clíona Ní Chiosáin (born 12 April 1990) is an Irish actress, television presenter, and teacher, known as the star of TG4's ''Aifric'' 2006–2008, and as a presenter of RTÉ's ''Home School Hub'' from March 2020 to March 2021. ''Aifric'' has ...

, actress, television presenter, and teacher, known as the star of TG4's

Aifric ''Aifric'' () is an Irish-language TV series aimed at young adults, co-created and written by Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin and co-created and directed by Paul Mercier. The show has won multiple IFTA awards for "Best Children's/Youth Program". The fir ...

who attended Scoil Chearbhaill Uí Dhálaigh (primary school). *

Andrew Omobamidele Andrew Abiola Omobamidele (born 23 June 2002) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Nottingham Forest and the Republic of Ireland national team. Early life Omobamidele was born in Leixlip, County Kildare, to an ...

, professional footballer with Norwich City grew up in Leixlip and played for Leixlip United originally. * Jack O'Shea,

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

Gaelic footballer *

Arthur Price Arthur Price is a Sheffield-based manufacturer of cutlery and silverware, originally established in Birmingham, England in 1902, and later moving to Sheffield. It opened a subsidiary plant again in Birmingham and by the 1950s was the biggest ...

, Archbishop of Cashel, and benefactor of

Guinness Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ove ...

is buried beneath the aisle of St Mary's Church, Leixlip * Olamide Shodipo, professional footballer with Queens Park Rangers. * Eoghan Stokes, professional footballer

Sports

Athletics

Le Chéile Athletic Club was founded in 2003 to offer the youth of Leixlip, and trains at their facility at the Leixlip Amenities Centre.

Canoeing

Salmon Leap Canoe Club founded in 1961 is located on the banks of Leixlip Lake. The club won the Ribadesella trophy in 2017. One inspiration for the club was the international Liffey Descent canoe race from Straffan to

, which passes through Leixlip and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009.

Gaelic games

Leixlip has two

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

clubs,

Leixlip GAA Leixlip GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in Leixlip, County Kildare, Ireland. They were senior football finalists in 1986, club of the year 1979, and home club of Matt Goff who featured on the Kildare millennium football team at ...

founded in 1887 and

Confey GAA Confey GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club based in Leixlip, County Kildare, Ireland and won Kildare's Club of the Year award in 2004. History On 19 January 1989, a meeting was held in the home of Michael Divilly for those who were ...

founded recently in 1989.

Soccer

There are currently three amateur

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

clubs, Confey FC, St. Catherine's Park, Leixlip United F.C. Leixlip Amenities Centre, Liffeybank FC St.Catherine's Park. Confey FC play in the Leinster Senior League (men) and the Amateur League (over 35's). Leixlip United FC 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 FC (called Leixlip Town 1995–2017) on the other hand participate in the Athletic Union League (men), Eastern Women's Football League (women), Metropolitan Girls League (girls) and the North Dublin Football League (boys). Defunct football clubs in the town include Ormeau FC, Liffey Athletic, Barnhall Rovers, Liffey Park Hibernians (amalgamated with Leixlip Town 1999), Confey Celtic.

Rugby

Barnhall Rugby Football Club History Barnhall Rugby Club was founded on 16 May 1969 by employees of Irish Meat Packers, Barnhall, Parsinstown, Leixlip, County Kildare. The first full season was 1969/70 when Barnhall played in the J5 O’Connor Cup. At the s ...

, a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

club, which competes in the All-Ireland League is also located on the outskirts of the town in Parsonstown.

Basketball

Liffey Celtics Basketball Club is the local basketball club for girls aged 7–18, and boys aged 7–18. Liffey Celtics' underage basketball teams compete in the Dublin Area Board League and Cup competitions. Training and home matches take place at the Leixlip Amenities Centre, Confey GAA hall, and Colaiste Cois Life (Lucan). The club has a senior women's team competing in the Basketball Ireland Premier League.

Fishing

Leixlip has been the host to coarse fishing competitions due to the permanently pegged stretch of the

. The Leixlip stretch consists of 62 marked pegs and there is also the Confey stretch consisting of sixty pegs. The Rye river runs through Carton Demesne and through the Intel Ireland site. The Leixlip stretch is controlled by the Leixlip and District Angling Association.

Golf, Pitch & Putt

Golfing facilities are available at Elm Hall Golf Club on the Loughlinstown Road as well as two 18 hole pitch & putt courses.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Leixlip is twinned with the following towns: *

Bressuire Bressuire (; la, Berceorium; Poitevin dialect, Poitevin: ''Beurseure'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Deux-Sèvres, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The town is situated on an eminence overlooki ...

, France *

Niles, Illinois Niles is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located in the townships of Maine and Niles, directly neighboring the City of Chicago's far northwest border. Per the 2020 census, the population was 30,912. The current mayor of Niles ...

, United States

References

External links

Town Homepage
* {{Authority control Towns and villages in County Kildare Civil parishes of Newcastle, County Dublin Civil parishes of County Kildare