Leixlip (Léim an Bhradáin in Irish) is a town in north-east County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, east of the midlands of Ireland. It is situated on the confluence of the River Liffey and and the River Rye , on the border of the ancient kingdoms of Leinster and Brega . The town has a growing population of more than 20,000, hosting both local workers, and those commuting to Dublin, which is around 17km distant. The placename comes from the Viking Lax Hlaup, which means "leap of the salmon". The name in Irish is also a direct reflection of this. Leixlip is home to facilities of Intel and Hewlett-Packard, as well as being the birthplace of Guinness. Historically, it is the site of a famous battle, in which the Viking King Sitric defeated the Irish King of Leinster in 917.

Politics

Leixlip is governed by a nine member Town Council, headed by a Cathaoirleach (chairperson). This has control over many local matters, although it is limited, in that it is not also a planning authority. It also elects four councilors to Kildare County Council.

Local attractions

• Leixlip Castle. Built on a rock at the confluence of the River Liffey and the Rye Water, the castle dates from the Norman Invasion of 1171. Various tenants have included Archbishop Stone, the Protestant Primate; Viceroy Lord Townshend; Lord Waterpark; and Baron de Roebuck. In 1945 the castle was sold to William Kavanagh prior to the purchase in 1958 by The Hon. Desmond Guinness .

• Castletown House & the Wonderful Barn. Castletown House is the first grand Palladian House in Ireland - the design of the building led to the construction of Leinster House and from thence to the White House in Washington, D.C. Begun in 1722 by Speaker William Connolly (1662-1729), Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, the lands of the estate lie between Leixlip and Celbridge, hence there are two modern estates bearing the Castletown name, one in each town. To mark the eastern vista of Castletown a conical shaped building - The Wonderful Barn - went up in 1743 with the stairs ascending upwards around the exterior of the building.

Schools and education

As with religion and sport, education in Leixlip is divided by the two Catholic parishes of Leixlip (Our Lady's Nativity) and Confey (St. Charles Buromeo).

The Leixlip parish contains five schools -one community school and four primary schools. The community school, Colaiste Chiarain has approximately 1000 pupils, is mixed gender and non-denominational. It is currently administered by a Mr Sweeney (School Principal) and Ms Maher (School Vice Principal), the latter who is affectionately known as 'Granny Maher'. A full list of teachers and their respective 'teacher ratings' can be found at [1]. The other four schools in the Leixlip area are Scoil Ui Dhalaigh (a Gaelscoil), Scoil Mhuire, Scoil Eoin Phoil and Scoil Bhride (all national schools).

The respective schools in the Confey parish are Confey Community College (a community school), Scoil San Carlo (Junior), and San Carlo Senior School (both national schools). The name "San Carlo", while used as the Irish names of the national schools in the St Charles Buromeo parish, is actually the Spanish rather than actual Irish translation (which would be Naomh Cathal).

Religion

Leixlip is divided into two Roman Catholic Church parishes, Leixlip (St Mary's) and Confey (St. Charles Burromeo), each with its own parish church. The Church of Ireland parish of St Mary's also has a church in Leixlip, located in Main Street.

The division of Leixlip into two separate parishes has had an impact, in that the Confey parish has a somewhat separate identity from the rest of the town, with a separate GAA club, schools, and bus service.

Sports

Leixlip has two GAA clubs, Leixlip GAA and Confey GAA. There is also a amatuer football club, Leixlip United FC. A sports centre, Leixlip Amenities Centre, is located in the town with various facilities. There is also a golf club.

Shopping

The town is not a major retail centre, but there does exist three supermarkets - a SuperValu, Eurospar, and Lidl. The Liffey Valley Shopping Centre is a short drive down the N4, and Leixlip is also within easy reach of Dublin city centre's wide variety of shops, as well as the Blanchardstown shopping centre.

Access

Leixlip is located just off the M4 motorway, on the R113 (reclassified from N4) road with nearby Lucan located further towards Dublin along the same route. As well as a regular bus service, with four variations of the number 66 Dublin Bus route passing through, plus a late-night bus service from the city centre, Leixlip is connected to the Irish railway network on the Dublin–Sligo line, with two stations, Leixlip (Louisa Bridge) and Leixlip (Confey) located at either end of the town. While InterCity services to Sligo do not serve the town, the Maynooth Commuter service does, the frequency of the trains peaking in the mornings and evenings. Some of these services continue outbound to Mullingar and Longford.

Hotels, pubs, restaurants and nightlife

Hotels

• Springfield Hotel on the Lucan Road. This is the largest hotel in the town, and was featured in the RTÉ television series Fergus' Wedding .
• Leixlip House Hotel on Captain's Hill
• Liffey Valley House Hotel located off Mill Lane.
• River Forest Hotel, located at the River Forest Shopping Centre in the Confey parish. While a hotel, this is more well known as a large pub, with two bars.
• Becketts off the Lucan Road.

Pubs

• Ryevale Tavern - incorporating The Loft and Darkie Moore's Following extensive renovations in recent years, the Ryevale Tavern has been divided into two distinct pub areas. The Loft is a sports bar, with plush seating, large flatscreen televisions and a louder, younger atmosphere. For quieter surroundings, and a more sedate pace, Darkie Moore's provides an alternative.
• The Salmon Leap - often quoted as having the best pint of Guinness in Leixlip, the Salmon Leap is located on the outskirts of the town, actually lying partly in the county of Dublin, whereas the rest of Leixlip is in Kildare.
• The Three Sisters / O'Neill's Tavern - both formally known as The Captain's Inn, and still occassionally referred to by that name - located in the centre of the village.
• The Middle Shop - located on Main Street.

Leixlip is unusual in that a single company, Hannigan Holdings Limited, dominates the licence trade in the town, owning the Springfield Hotel, Ryevale Tavern, and O-Zone among others.

Restaurants

• Da Vinci's A simple Italian pizza and pasta restaurant in the village.
• Alvito's Meditterranean cuisine
• Miss Wong's Nice quality Chinese restaurant
• Amber Regent Another Chinese, located in the centre of the village.
• Taste of India Indian restaurant.
• Highway 66 US-style diner, similar to Eddie Rocket's .

There are also three fast-food take-aways, Sam's, The Hill Resturaunt, and Macaris.

Nightclubs

• O-Zone Nightclub Quite large nightclub, adjacent to the Ryevale Tavern, is the only after-hours club in the town. Owned and run by the successful, Leixlip based businessman, Paddy Hannigan. Mr Hannigan owns several premises around Leixlip, including the Springfield Hotel and the Middle Shop pub.

See also

• List of towns in the Republic of Ireland

External links

• Leixlip Town Council
• Town Homepage