Robertstown () is a village situated on the banks of the Grand Canal in

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 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 grew in importance on the arrival of the canal, at the highest level ( above sea level) of which it lies, in 1784.

History

Robertstown was a planned village, set along the canal featuring a prominent hotel and bridge with a small row of cottages and a shop.

Grand Canal Hotel

In 1801 the ''Grand Canal Hotel'' was opened to cater for the passenger traffic along the canal and an extension was added in 1804. For a time business was good, with the canal carrying 100,000 passengers per year, but revenues began to fall and gradually the 72 windows and 62 hearths were closed up to avoid paying tax. It ceased being a hotel in 1849, was used as a barracks for the Irish Constabulary between 1869 and 1905 and was later used as a community centre. As of 2002, the building was in use as a museum/gallery.

Modern times

There are three public houses in the village and two supermarkets. Developments include a set of canal-side cottages, and ''Lowtown Marina'', with boats for sale and other services. The town caters for tourism with canal walks, fishing and an annual vintage fair which takes place in June every year. A local group, Robertstown Community Amenities Association (RTG Ltd.) was formed in 2008 with the aim to build a community centre on lands promised, with an added grant of €500,000, to the community by Failte Ireland when the hotel was sold to a private buyer. A canal barge, 52M Eustace, was also to be transferred.

Wildlife

Ducks, swans and herons, fish such as pike, barracuda, bream, tench, roach and stickleback, and mammals such as pygmy shrew, stoat, and brown rat, are all observed locally.

Demographics

The population of Robertstown more than tripled (from 206 to 707 inhabitants) in the 20 years between the 1996 and 2016 census. As of the 2002 census, Robertstown had a population of 375, growing (by 65.6%) to 621 in 2006, and to 669 by the time of the 2011 census. The 2016 census recorded a population of 707.

Sport

Robertstown GAA Robertstown is a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in Robertstown, County Kildare, Ireland, affiliated to Kildare GAA. Gaelic football Tom Donoghue, a boat-man from Robertstown, played for Kildare in the 1926 All Ireland final. Frank ...

is based in Brockagh Park in Robertstown. There is also a soccer team, Bridgewood FC, 3-time winners of the Lumsums Cup.

References

External links

Kildare Tourism
{{County Kildare Towns and villages in County Kildare Planned communities in the Republic of Ireland