Leixlip (/ˈliːkslɪp/ or /ˈliːslɪp/; Irish: Léim an Bhradáin) is a town in north-east County Kildare, Ireland
Leixlip (/ˈliːkslɪp/ or /ˈliːslɪp/; Irish: Léim an Bhradáin) is a town in north-east County Kildare, 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 and Brega, as an outpost of The Pale, and today on Kildare's border with Dublin.
As of 2016, the population of the town was 15,504.[1] It is the fourth largest town in Kildare, and the 29th largest in Ireland.
Name
The placename comes from the Old Norse lax hlaup (Younger Futhark: ᛚᛅᚼᛋ ᚼᛚᛅᚢᛒ; pronounced [laks l̥ɔup]) which means ""salmon leap"". The name in Irish (Léim an Bhradáin) is a direct translation of this, and was first adopted in the 1890s.[3] In Latin, it is Saltus salmonis, from which comes the names of the baronies of North Salt and South Salt.[4]
History
Leixlip was the site of the famous Battle of Confey, in which the Viking King Sigtrygg Caech of Dublin defeated the Irish King of Leinster around the year 917. The first settlement at Leixlip was an outpost of Early Scandinavian Dublin, built at the furthest point where longships could be rowed up the Liffey. Its status as an outpost of Dublin continued for centuries, marking a border of The Pale.
The town was home to Arthur Guinness's first brewery in 1755, where he brewed ales until he moved on to St. James's Gate Brewery, Dublin in 1759.[5]
The first history of the town was published in 2005.[6]
Festival
The Leixlip Festival (previously known as the Salmon Festival) has taken place every year since 1990 on the June bank holiday weekend. It offers live entertainment in pubs, a number of open-air concerts, and also a street carnival.
Most notably, in 1995 the Festival Committee decided to include 'The Arrival of the Vikings' as a theme for the festival. It was decided to invite Viking Re-Enactment groups from the UK to participate in the weekends festivities in full Viking dress and to stage mock battles.
The committee, in conjunction with FAS who at the time provided resources to organise and stage the festival, decided to build a Viking replica ship which would be burnt in a battle re-enactment on the banks of the Liffey on the festival closing night with a fireworks display. Three members of the organising team, with the aid of two FAS carpenters spent 5–6 weeks constructing the to-scale replica ship at the Wonderful Barn site in Leixlip. For the festival, the boat was transferred to the banks of the Liffey in the centre of Leixlip village, where as planned it was ceremoniously burnt on the Festival Sunday night.
The fireworks display continues to take place on the Sunday night since 1995.
Leixlip Salmon Festival Limited also provides a youth training scheme in association with Foras Áiseanna Saothair. In recent years the festival has played host to bands such as The Coronas, Aslan, The Blizzards, The Hothouse Flowers, Republic of Loose, Delorentos and The Riptide Movement. Solo artists have also performed including Damien Dempsey and Niall Breslin. The festival also gives local talent the opportunity to showcase their music.
Parking Details in Leixlip:
Monday – Friday
- Parking is FREE up to 10am and after 4pm
- Between 10am to 4pm you must display a valid ticket.
- There is a 3 hour maximum stay.
- Tickets can be obtained from the parking meters.
Saturday and Sunday
- Parking is FREE all day on Saturday and Sunday. If attending a class please use one of the all day FREE car parks.