Athy ( ; ) is a market town at the meeting of the

River Barrow The Barrow ( ga, An Bhearú) is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest of the three rivers, and at 192 km (120 mi), the second-longest ri ...

and the Grand Canal in south-west

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 count ...

, Ireland, 72 kilometres southwest of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

. A population of 9,677 (as of the 2016 census) makes it the sixth largest town in Kildare and the 50th largest in the Republic of Ireland, with a growth rate of approximately 60 per cent since the 2002 census.

Name

Athy or ''Baile Átha Í'' is named after a 2nd-century

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...

chieftain, Ae, who is said to have been killed on the river crossing, thus giving the town its name "the town of Ae's ford". The ''Letters of the Ordnance Survey'' (1837) note that "The town is now called by the few old people who speak Irish there and in the Queen's County /nowiki>Laois.html" ;"title="Laois.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Laois">/nowiki>Laois">Laois.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Laois">/nowiki>Laois/nowiki>, ''"baile átha Aoi"'', pronounced Blahéé", where ''éé'' stands for English 'ee' [i:] as clarified by a note written in pencil in Irish as ''Blá thí''.

History

According to Elizabethan historian William Camden, Ptolemy's map of Ireland circa 150 AD names the Rheban district along the

as Ῥαίβα. Modern

cartography Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an i ...

, however, dismisses the claim by using

triangulation In trigonometry and geometry, triangulation is the process of determining the location of a point by forming triangles to the point from known points. Applications In surveying Specifically in surveying, triangulation involves only angle me ...

and flocking algorithms. This method establishes that Ptolemy's Ῥαίβα was actually located at

Rathcroghan Rathcroghan () is a complex of archaeological sites near Tulsk in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is identified as the site of Cruachan, the traditional capital of the Connachta, the prehistoric and early historic rulers of the western territory ...

, the traditional capital of the

Connachta The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King Conn Cétchathach (Conn of the Hundred Battles). The modern western province of Connacht ( Irish ''Cúige Chonnacht'', province, literally ...

. A castle existed at Rheban from the Norman period onward. The town at Athy developed from a 12th-century

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 *Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature *Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 1066 ...

settlement to an important stronghold on the local estates of the FitzGerald

earls of Kildare Duke of Leinster (; ) is a title in the Peerage of Ireland and the premier dukedom in that peerage. The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Leinster are: Marquess of Kildare (1761), Earl of Kildare (1316), Earl of Offaly (1761), Viscount Leinster, ...

, who built and owned the town for centuries. Athy Priory, a Dominican monastery, was founded in 1253. The Confederate Wars of the 1640s were played out in many arenas throughout Ireland, and Athy—for a period of eight years—was one of the centres of war involving the Royalists, Parliamentarians and the Confederates. The town was bombarded by cannon fire many times and the Dominican Monastery, the local castles and the town's bridge (dating from 1417) all succumbed to the destructive forces of the cannonball. The current bridge, the Crom-a-Boo Bridge, was built in 1796, with the foundation stone laid by the

Duke of Leinster Duke of Leinster (; ) is a title in the Peerage of Ireland and the premier dukedom in that peerage. The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Leinster are: Marquess of Kildare (1761), Earl of Kildare (1316), Earl of Offaly (1761), Viscount Leinster, ...

. The first town charter dates from 1515 and the town hall was constructed in the early 18th century. The completion of the Grand Canal in 1791, linking here with the River Barrow, and the arrival of the railway in 1846, illustrate the importance of the town as a commercial centre. From early on in its history Athy was a garrison town loyal to the Crown. English garrisons stayed in the barracks in Barrack Lane after the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

and contributed greatly to the town's commerce. Home for centuries to English soldiers, Athy gave more volunteer soldiers to the Great War of 1914–18 than any other town of similar size in Ireland.

Centre of Hiberno-English

Athy has evolved as a centre for

Hiberno-English Hiberno-English (from Latin '' Hibernia'': "Ireland"), and in ga, Béarla na hÉireann. or Irish English, also formerly Anglo-Irish, is the set of English dialects native to the island of Ireland (including both the Republic of Ireland ...

, the mix of the Irish and English language traditions. A dialect starting with

old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writte ...

beginnings, evolved through Norman and English influences, dominated by a church whose first language was

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, 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 ...

and educated through Irish. Athy in particular was a mixing pot of languages that led to modern Hiberno-English. Positioned at the edge 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 ...

, sandwiched between the Irish and English speaking partitions, Athy traded language between the landed gentry, the middle class merchants, the English working class garrison soldiers and the local peasantry. Many locals words borrow from the Irish tradition, such as "bokety", "fooster" or "sleeveen", while words like "kip", "cop-on" or even "grinds" have their origins in

Old Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old Englis ...

. This tradition of spoken word led to a lyrical approach to composition and perhaps explains the disproportionate number of writers Athy has produced. Athy becomes subject and object of creative endeavours – the traditional folk song, "

Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" ( Roud 3137), also known as "Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye" or "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya", is a popular traditional song, sung to the same tune as "When Johnny Comes Marching Home". First published in London in 1867 and writt ...

", is a prime example. Other songs in this tradition include " Lanigan's Ball" and "Maid of Athy". Another song of note from the area is called "The

Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside th ...

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 ce ...

", the first song collected by

Robbie Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

. Athy is also the surname of a minor character in

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the Modernism, modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important ...

's '' Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'', who tells Stephen Dedalus, the protagonist, that they both have strange surnames and makes a joke about County Kildare being like a pair of breeches because it has Athy in it.

Patrick Kavanagh Patrick Kavanagh (21 October 1904 – 30 November 1967) was an Irish poet and novelist. His best-known works include the novel ''Tarry Flynn'', and the poems "On Raglan Road" and "The Great Hunger". He is known for his accounts of Irish life th ...

alludes to Athy in his poem ''Lines Written on a Seat on the Grand Canal, Dublin'': "And look! a barge comes bringing from Athy / And other far-flung towns mythologies."

Birth of motor racing

On 2 July 1903, the Gordon Bennett Cup race routed through Athy. It was the first international motor race to be held in Britain or Ireland. The Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland wanted the race to be hosted in the British Isles, and Ireland was suggested as the venue because racing was illegal on British public roads. After some lobbying and changes to local laws, County Kildare was chosen, partly because the straightness of the roads would be a safety benefit. As a compliment to Ireland the British team chose to race in

Shamrock green Spring green is a color that was traditionally considered to be on the yellow side of green, but in modern computer systems based on the RGB color model is halfway between cyan and green on the color wheel. The modern spring green, when plott ...

which thus became known as

British racing green British racing green, or BRG, is a colour similar to ''Brunswick green'', ''hunter green'', ''forest green'' or '' moss green'' ( RAL 6005). It takes its name from the green international motor racing colour of the United Kingdom. This origina ...

. The route consisted of several loops of a circuit that passed-through

Kilcullen Kilcullen (), formally Kilcullen Bridge, is a small town on the River Liffey in County Kildare, Ireland. Its population of 3,473 at the 2011 census made it the 12th largest settlement in County Kildare and the fastest growing in the county, hav ...

The Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...

Monasterevin Monasterevin (), also Monasterevan, and Mevin is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. The town lies on the River Barrow and the Barrowline, a canal branch of the Grand Canal. The population was 4,246 at the 2016 Census. Location and Access Si ...

, Stradbally and Athy, followed by another loop through

Castledermot Castledermot () is an inland village in the south-east of Ireland in County Kildare, about from Dublin, and from the town of Carlow. The N9 road from Dublin to Waterford previously passed through the village but upon completion of a motorway ...

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272. The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic boundar ...

and Athy again. The race was won by the Belgian racer

Camille Jenatzy Camille Jenatzy (1868, Schaerbeek – 8 December 1913, Habay la Neuve) was a Belgian race car driver. He is known for breaking the land speed record three times and being the first man to break the 100 km/h barrier. He was nicknamed ''Le ...

, driving a Mercedes.

Places of interest

Athy's courthouse was designed by Frederick Darley and built in the 1850s; it was originally the town's corn exchange. *O'Brien's Bar: One of the town's pubs, Frank O'Brien's Bar, is considered a tourist attraction and was voted one of the top ten Irish bars in the ''

Sunday Tribune The ''Sunday Tribune'' was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to ta ...

'' in 1999. Hardware merchants Griffin Hawe now occupy the town's 6 ft. wide and 12 ft. high 18th-century

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the controls that e ...

. *Kilkea Castle:

Kilkea Castle Kilkea Castle is located northwest of Castledermot, County Kildare, Ireland near the village of Kilkea on the R418 regional road from Athy to Tullow. It was a medieval stronghold, for over 700 years, of the Fitzgeralds, earls of Kildare. ...

is located just 5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of

, near the village of

Kilkea Kilkea () is a village in County Kildare, Ireland, about from Dublin, and from the town of Carlow. The R418 regional road from Athy to Tullow passes through the village. History Formerly the land of the Ó Tuathails (O'Toole), after th ...

. It was a medieval stronghold of the FitzGeralds,

Earls of Kildare Duke of Leinster (; ) is a title in the Peerage of Ireland and the premier dukedom in that peerage. The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Leinster are: Marquess of Kildare (1761), Earl of Kildare (1316), Earl of Offaly (1761), Viscount Leinster, ...

. * Woodstock Castle: built in the early 13th century to protect the north end of the ford and its western approach. A stone cuboid. Athy White Castle 2013 09 03

* White's Castle: White's Castle was built in 1417 by Sir John Talbot, Viceroy of Ireland, to protect the bridge over the Barrow and the inhabitants of the Pale. Built into the wall on either side of the original entrance doorway are two sculptured slabs. On the right of the former doorway is the Earl of Kildare's coat of arms, signifying the earl's ownership of the castle in former days. The slab on the left bears the date 1573, and the name Richard Cossen, Sovereign of Athy. *The Moat of Ardscull: The Moat of Ardscull is the focal point of local legend about "little people". Assumed to have been built in the late 12th or 13th century, the first clear reference to the moat is in 1654 when the "Book of General Orders" noted a request from the inhabitants of County Kildare for the State to contribute £30 "towards the finishing of a Fort that they have built at the Moate of Ardscull". *Athy Workhouse: St Vincent's Hospital was formally the Athy Workhouse. The Athy Poor Law Union was formally declared on 16 January 1841 and covered an area of . The new Athy Union workhouse was erected in 1842–43 on a site half a mile (800 m) north-west of Athy. Designed by the Poor Law Commissioners' architect George Wilkinson, the building was based on one of his standard plans to accommodate 600 inmates. Roman Catholic Church of St

*St Michael's Church: Originally built in the 14th century. Some of the vestry and side walls have disappeared, but there is still some of the original church remaining. A small cross lies within the church grounds and it is said that a cross or font is buried in a grave, within the ruins. There was at one time an arch that stood in front of St. Michael's but during some renovations many years ago, this was taken down. *Quaker Meeting House: Built in 1780 and standing on Meeting Lane. The first Quakers in Athy may have been Thomas Weston and his wife who in 1657 "received the truth" from Thomas Loe, an English preacher, who was visiting some friends in

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a Counties of Ireland, county located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region of Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Carlow is the List of Irish counties by ...

(and who later influenced

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

). They were soon joined by the Bonnett family, the first Quaker family to settle in Carlow. A Quaker meeting was settled in Athy by 1671, the year in which Athy was included in the list of towns where the Leinster Province Meeting was held. The local Quakers met for worship once a week on Wednesdays, and every month a district meeting was held in Carlow to transact church business. Athy, as part of the Carlow district, also sent delegates to the Province's quarterly meetings. *The Dominican Church: The Dominicans arrived in Athy in 1253 or 1257. They settled on the eastern bank of the Barrow, first in thatched huts of wood and clay, later in a stone priory and church dedicated to St Peter Martyr, one of the earliest saints of the Order. Today, it is the opposite bank of the river that is dominated by the Dominican Church. In November 2015 the Dominicans finally left Athy due to a lack of friars, and the church and lands have been bought by Kildare County Council. It now operates as the town's local library. *Athy Heritage Centre: Athy contains the only permanent exhibition on

Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age o ...

, who was born at Kilkea House. The exhibit is housed in the heritage centre, which has a collection of artefacts from Athy's past as well as artefacts from Shackleton's expeditions. Among the most impressive is a scale model of the ''

Endurance Endurance (also related to sufferance, resilience, constitution, fortitude, and hardiness) is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from an ...

''. Each year the Centre arranges and hosts the Shackleton Autumn School, with speakers from around the world discoursing on different aspects of

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

and Shackleton's life. * Aontas Ogra

Aontas Ógra: The local youth club in Athy which was set up, originally, as an Irish-speaking revival in 1956. It soon developed into a youth club and was the first boy-girl youth club in Ireland. It is still well-established to this day as an independent youth club in Kildare and is located now, beside ARCH on the Ballylinan road. *1798 Rebellion Memorial: This landmark is located in Emily Square and is dedicated to Athy's role in the 1798 Rebellion, as well as a memorial to local people who died during the famine years.

Population

From the first official records in 1813 (population 3,192) until 1891 (population 4,886) and again in 1926–46 and 1951–61 Athy was the largest town in Kildare. In 1837 the population was 4,494. The 2016 census established the population of Athy at 9,677.

Transport

Road

The town is located on the N78

national secondary road A national secondary road ( ga, Bóthar Náisiúnta den Dara Grád) is a category of road in Ireland. These roads form an important part of the national route network but are secondary to the main arterial routes which are classified as national ...

where it crosses the R417 regional road. In 2010 the N78 was re-aligned so that it no longer heads from Athy towards Kilcullen and Dublin via Ardscull, but now connects with the M9 motorway near Mullamast. The old Athy-Kilcullen section of the road previously known as the N78 is now the R418. As in December 2021, the N78 Athy Southern Distributor Road (Bypass) has been awarded tender, and is about to go to construction. This should be open to traffic by the end of 2023, and will take up to 8000 vehicles a day out of the town centre.

Rail

Athy is connected to the Irish rail network via the

–

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

main line.

Athy railway station Athy railway station serves the town of Athy in County Kildare, Ireland. It is a station on the Dublin to Waterford intercity route. Description The single track north and south of the station splits to provide two platforms. Platform 1, next t ...

opened on 4 August 1846 and closed for goods traffic on 6 September 1976. There is a disused siding to the Tegral Slate factory (formerly Asbestos Cement factory). This is all that is left of the former branch to Wolfhill colliery. This side line was built by the United Kingdom government in 1918 due to wartime shortage of coal in Ireland. The concrete bridge over the River Barrow on this branch is one of the earliest concrete railway under-bridges in Ireland.

Bus

Bus Éireann Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Ireland, with the exception of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidi ...

route 7 and JJ Kavanagh's route 717 also provide frequent services to Athy.

route 130 also serves the town but in one direction only. South Kildare Community Transport also operates two routes from the town serving outlying villages and rural areas

Sport

Among the longer-standing sports clubs in the area is

Athy Cricket Club Athy Cricket Club was founded in 1872 and was one of the first cricket clubs in 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 R ...

, which was founded in 1872 and was one of the first cricket clubs in Kildare.

Athy Rugby Club Athy Rugby Football Club is a community-based rugby club fielding three senior men's teams, a senior ladies' team and underage teams from U7 to U19. Athy RFC was founded in 1880 and plays its home games at The Showgrounds, Athy, County Kildare. ...

was founded in 1880 and is a five-time winner of the

Leinster Towns Cup The Provincial Towns Cup was established in 1888 and is one of the oldest trophies in existence in Irish rugby union. The trophy itself was purchased in 1892 for £25 from Wests in Dublin and bears the title of Leinster Junior Challenge Cup. I ...

Athy GAA Athy GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in Athy, County Kildare, Ireland. The club has won seven county senior football championships. Gaelic Football On 9 October 2011 in St Conleths Park Newbridge Michael Foley captained a you ...

was formed in 1887, and its playing pitches in the early days changed several times until 1905. In 1905 the club rented a field at the Dublin road from the South Kildare Agricultural Society—the present day

Geraldine Park Geraldine Park is a GAA stadium in Athy, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the main ground of Athy GAA's Gaelic football and hurling teams and has also hosted inter-county fixtures. History First rented from the Kildare Agricultural Society in 19 ...

. The club had the initiative in those early days to erect a paling around the pitch and was the first club in Leinster to do so. This initiative and the club's effort were rewarded when the All-Ireland finals were played in Athy in 1906. Athy Golf Club was formed in 1906 as a nine-hole course and was extended to 18 holes in 1993. The course had a par of 71 and it extended to 6,400 yards from the medal tees. It is situated at Geraldine, a mile from town on the Kildare Road. Tri-Athy is a

triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the ...

event held in Athy on the June Bank Holiday weekend. Other sports clubs serving the area include Athy Tennis Club, Athy Town AFC, St Michael's Boxing Club, and Athy Rowing Club.

Twinning

In 2004, the town was twinned with the French town of Grandvilliers in the

Oise Oise ( ; ; pcd, Oése) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,41 ...

-Picardy '. The French twinning committee is named "La Balad'Irlandaise", and official visits take place every two years, while musical and student exchanges take place more regularly.

Notable people

Joseph Bermingham Joseph Bermingham (9 May 1919 – 11 August 1995) was an Irish Labour Party politician. Bermingham was born in Castlemitchell, County Kildare. He was educated at the Christian Brothers school in Athy and the O'Brien Institute in Dublin. Ber ...

, politician *

Walter Borrowes Sir Walter Dixon Borrowes, 4th Baronet (1691 – 9 June 1741) was an Irish politician. He was the eldest son of Sir Kildare Borrowes, 3rd Baronet and his wife Elizabeth Dixon, daughter of Sir Richard Dixon and his wife Mary Eustace of Calverstown. ...

, MP * Thomas Burgh, MP * Walter Hussey Burgh, MP * Joey Carbery, international rugby player * Seamus Clandillon, Irish musician, civil servant, and first director of radio broadcasting at 2RN *

Thomas Condon Thomas Condon (1822–1907) was an Irish Congregational minister, geologist, and paleontologist who gained recognition for his work in the U.S. state of Oregon. Life and career Condon arrived in New York City from Ireland in 1833 and graduated ...

, senator *

Sister Consilio Sr Consilio 'Eileen' Fitzgerald (born 9 January 1937) is an Irish nun who set up Cuan Mhuire, a charitable drug, alcohol and gambling rehabilitation organisation in Ireland.Dál Cormaic, Gaelic dynasty located in South Kildare *

Francis Cosby Francis Cosby (1510–1580) was an English soldier and settler in Ireland. He has been implicated in the Massacre of Mullaghmast. Life He was the second son of John Cosby of Great Leake, Nottingham. He settled in Ireland in the reign of Henry VII ...

, English soldier and settler in Ireland; implicated in the Massacre of Mullaghmast *

Philip Crosthwaite Philip Crosthwaite (December 27, 1825 – February 19, 1903) was an early settler of San Diego, California, and Rosarito, Baja California. Early life Philip Crosthwaite was born 1825, in Athy, County Kildare, Ireland, to Edward and Rachel Crosth ...

, businessman and politician * Paul Cullen,

Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Ireland ...

and the first Irish

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...

Des Dalton Des Dalton is an Irish political activist. He was the president of Republican Sinn Féin (RSF) from 2009 until 2018.Connla YoungFormer president of Republican Sinn Féin Des Dalton has resigned from the party, ''The Irish News'' (11 March 2021). ...

, politician * The Danzigers, American film producers who lived in Bert House *

Cecil Day-Lewis Cecil Day-Lewis (or Day Lewis; 27 April 1904 – 22 May 1972), often written as C. Day-Lewis, was an Irish-born British poet and Poet Laureate from 1968 until his death in 1972. He also wrote mystery stories under the pseudonym of Nicholas Bla ...

, poet laureate *

William de Burgh William de Burgh (; ; ; la, de Burgo; c.1160–winter 1205/06) was the founder of the House of Burgh (later surnamed Burke or Bourke) in Ireland and elder brother of Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent and Geoffrey de Burgh, Bishop of Ely. I ...

, MP, anti-slavery campaigner and colleague of

William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 175929 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist and leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becom ...

* Robert Digby, courtier * Robert Dillon *

Eric Donovan Eric Donovan (born 26 July 1985) is an Irish professional boxer. As an amateur he was a five-time Irish national champion and won bronze medals at the 2009 European Union Championships and the 2010 European Championships. His new website has ...

, Irish boxer and European championships bronze medal winner * Patrick Dooley, politician *

Johnny Doran Johnny Doran (1908 – 19 January 1950)Sleeve notes compiled by Jackie Small and published with ''The Bunch of Keys'' audio tape, Comhairle Bhéaloideas Éireann (CBÉ 001), 1988 was an Irish uilleann piper. Life and family Johnny Doran was bo ...

, musician *

Charles John Engledow Charles John Engledow (30 September 1860 – 18 December 1932) was a British military officer and an Irish nationalist politician and Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom for the North Kildare, where he sat as ...

* Maurice Eustace (d. 1665), previously MP for Athy and County Kildare * Helen Evans, ground-breaking academic, activist and member of the

Edinburgh seven The Edinburgh Seven were the first group of matriculated undergraduate female students at any British university. They began studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1869 and, although the Court of Session ruled that they should neve ...

* Rory Feely, footballer * Lesley Fennell, Irish postwar and contemporary portrait artist * Frederick Falkiner, MP *

Lord Edward FitzGerald Lord Edward FitzGerald (15 October 1763 – 4 June 1798) was an Irish aristocrat who abandoned his prospects as a distinguished veteran of British service in the American War of Independence, and as an Irish Parliamentarian, to embrace the caus ...

, politician and revolutionary *

Lord Henry FitzGerald Lord Henry FitzGerald PC (Ire) (30 July 1761 – 9 July 1829) was the fourth son of the 1st Duke of Leinster and the Duchess of Leinster (née Lady Emily Lennox). A younger brother was the revolutionary Lord Edward FitzGerald. Life Fitzgerald ...

James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster Lieutenant-General James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, PC (Ire) (29 May 1722 – 19 November 1773), styled Lord Offaly until 1743 and known as The Earl of Kildare between 1743 and 1761 and as The Marquess of Kildare between 1761 and 176 ...

William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster William Robert FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster, KP, PC (Ire) (12/13 March 1749 – 20 October 1804) was an Irish liberal politician and landowner. He was born in London. Career FitzGerald made his Grand Tour between 1768 and 1769. During th ...

* James H. Flack * Michael Foley, Kildare footballer * Lydia Foy, Irish trans activist *

William Russell Grace William Russell Grace (May 10, 1832 – March 21, 1904) was an Irish-American politician, the first Roman Catholic mayor of New York City, and the founder of W. R. Grace and Company. Early life Grace was born in Ireland in Riverstown near the ...

, businessman and politician *

Thomas Colley Grattan Thomas Colley Grattan (1792 – 4 July 1864) was an Irish novelist, poet, historian and diplomat. Born in Dublin, he was educated for the law, but did not practise. He wrote a few novels, including '' The Heiress of Bruges'' (4 volumes, ...

John Nassau Greene John Nassau Greene (8 March 1890 – 11 February 1973) was an Irish politician. A farmer from Athy, he was elected to Kildare County Council in the 1925 local elections, standing for the Farmers' Party in the Athy local electoral area. He was ...

, politician *

William Hare, 1st Earl of Listowel William Hare, 1st Earl of Listowel (September 1751 – 13 July 1837), known as Lord Ennismore from 1800 to 1816 and as the Viscount Ennismore and Listowel from 1816 to 1822, was an Irish peer and Member of Parliament. Life He was the second son ...

John Vincent Holland John Vincent Holland VC (19 July 1889 – 27 February 1975), was World War I Irish soldier, and the recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces ...

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

recipient *

Mark Hughes Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh football coach and former player who is the manager of Bradford City. During his playing career he usually operated as a forward or midfielder. He had two spells at Manchester United, an ...

, footballer *

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...

, British actor who settled in Ballintubbert House *

John S. Jackson John S. Jackson (21 February 1920 – 19 November 1991) was an Irish geologist and environmentalist, and is believed to be the first environmental consultant in Ireland. Life John Semple Jackson was born 21 February 1920 in Dublin, the fifth c ...

, Irish geologist and environmentalist, believed to be the first environmental consultant in Ireland * Arthur Johnston, priest * Thomas Kelly, hymn-writer *

Mary Leadbeater Mary Leadbeater (; December 1758 – 27 June 1826) was an Irish author and diarist. Early years and education Leadbeater was born in Ballitore, Athy, County Kildare, Ireland. She was the daughter of Richard Shackleton (1726–1792) by his second ...

, author and diarist * Thomas Lee, soldier and assassin *

Jeremy Loughman Jeremy Loughman (born 22 July 1995) is an Irish rugby union player for United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup side Munster. Internationally, Loughman made his senior debut for Ireland in 2022. He plays as a prop. Early life ...

, rugby player *

Jack Lukeman Jack Lukeman (born Seán Loughman 11 February 1973), usually simply known as Jack L, is an Irish songwriter, musician, record producer, vocal artist and broadcaster. History A native of Athy Co. Kildare Ireland, Jack Lukeman attended a youth cl ...

, musician and record producer *

George Lyttleton-Rogers George Lyttleton Rogers (10 July 1906 – 19 November 1962) was an Irish tennis player, promoter and coach. He won the Irish Championships title three times, (1926, 1936–1937). He was the Canadian and Argentine champion as well. He was a three ...

, tennis player and coach *

John MacKenna John MacKenna (born 1952 in Castledermot, Co Kildare) is an Irish playwright and novelist. MacKenna taught for a number of years before working as a producer at RTÉ Radio in 1980. Between then and 2002, when he left the station to spend more ...

, playwright and novelist * John Maher, car specialist and former drummer of The

Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the indepen ...

Mani Mani may refer to: Geography * Maní, Casanare, a town and municipality in Casanare Department, Colombia * Mani, Chad, a town and sub-prefecture in Chad * Mani, Evros, a village in northeastern Greece * Mani, Karnataka, a village in Dakshina ...

(Gary Mounfield), Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist/musician *

Johnny Marr Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher, 31 October 1963) is an English musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has since performed with numerou ...

, musician, member of The Smiths * John Barnhill Smith McGinley * Richard Meredith, bishop *

Meredyth family The Meredyth family (sometimes spelled Meredith) were an Anglo-Irish family descending from Richard Meredith, a Welsh clergyman who went to Ireland in 1584 and became Bishop of Leighlin The Lord Bishop of Leighlin was a separate episcopal title ...

* Bobby Miller, Gaelic footballer *

Matthew Minch Matthew Joseph Minch (1857 – 5 June 1921) was an brewer and Irish nationalist politician from County Kildare who sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom House of Commons as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), member ...

, politician * John Minihan, photographer *

Christopher Neil Christopher Neil (born 1948) is an Irish-born British record producer, songwriter, singer, and actor. He has produced records for A-ha, Amazulu, Bonnie Tyler, Celine Dion, Cher, Dollar, Edyta Górniak, Gerry Rafferty, Jennifer Rush, José C ...

, musician, actor and producer * Alexander Nevill, priest * Liam O'Flynn, uilleann piper * Padraig O'Neill, footballer * Picture This, band * Eliane Plewman, agent of

Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its p ...

(SOE) executed in

Dachau Dachau () was the first concentration camp built by Nazi Germany, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents which consisted of: communists, social democrats, and other dissidents. It is lo ...

concentration camp in 1945 * Frank Power, basketball coach *

Una Power Una Power is an English-born Irish card reader and author, notable for her appearance on ''The Psychic Zone'' on Dublin's 98 and occasional guest slots on TV3's ''Ireland AM'' series. She has previously worked with the BBC, as well as KFM, a l ...

, medium and broadcaster * Paddy Prendergast, racehorse trainer * James Quinn, bishop * William Henry Rattigan * Brendan Ryan, Cork politician *Sir

, explorer *

Christopher St Lawrence, 10th Baron Howth Christopher St Lawrence, 10th Baron Howth (c. 1568–1619) was an Anglo-Irish statesman and soldier of the Elizabethan and Jacobean era. His personal charm made him a favourite of two successive English monarchs, and he was also a soldier of gre ...

Joe Stynes Joseph Andrew Stynes (15 January 1903 – 29 January 1991)Jim Stynes 1995, p.18 was an Irish Republican and a sportsman, excelling in particular at Gaelic football and soccer. In Dublin Stynes was born in Newbridge, County Kildare, and attend ...

, Irish republican and sportsman * Robert Stearne Tighe, Irish writer and Fellow of the Royal Society * Jack Wall, politician * Wendy F. Walsh, artist *

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

* Zoltan Zinn-Collis, Slovak survivor of the Holocaust, author of ''Final Witness''; one of only five living survivors of the Holocaust in Ireland; died in his Athy home in Ireland on 10 December 2012

References

External links

Athy, Kildare County Council

"Eye On The Past" column by local historian Frank Taaffe
{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Kildare