Newbridge, County Kildare

Newbridge, also known by its Irish name Droichead Nua, is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. The area around Newbridge has a long history, with the Great Connell Priory nearby dating back to the 13th century. However, the town itself began to grow in the 18th century and became more important when a military barracks opened in the early 19th century.

Over time, Newbridge took on its current name and grew to support both local people and those traveling to work in Dublin. The town grew very quickly, with its population doubling between 1991 and 2011. By 2022, Newbridge had around 24,366 people, making it the second largest town in County Kildare and the sixteenth-largest town in all of Ireland.

Name

The official name of Newbridge is "An Droichead Nua" in the Irish language, which means "The New Bridge". This name was introduced in the 1930s. An old map from 1752 shows a place called "The New Bridge" near another area named 'Old Connel'. Some names from that same map, like Ballymany and Morristown Biller, are still used today for streets and housing areas in Newbridge.

History

Settlement in the area began in the 13th century with the building of Great Connell Abbey. The town of Newbridge grew from six old local areas called civil parishes.

The modern town started to form in the late 1700s. A chapel and an inn appeared, and a bridge was built and later moved to its current spot. The big change came with the building of Cavalry Barracks in the early 1800s. This brought many people and business to the town. Streets like Eyre Street and Edward Street were created, and new schools and churches opened as the town grew. Newbridge became busy and lively until the cavalry left in 1922. Since the 1960s, the town has grown again, becoming a place for shopping and for people who travel to work in Dublin.

Location

Map of Newbridge

The town sits along the River Liffey. Up the river from Newbridge are places like Athgarvan, Kilcullen, and Blessington. Down the river are Caragh, Clane, and Celbridge.

Newbridge is bordered by the Curragh Plains to the west, Pollardstown Fen, the Bog of Allen, and Moulds Bog to the northwest. Many stud farms are nearby, especially around the Curragh and to the east. The motorway marks the town's southern edge.

Economy

Newbridge has a rich history of making things, like ropes and carpets, though some of these factories are now closed. Today, the town is known for crafting silverware at the Newbridge Silverware plant and for hosting big companies like Oral-B and Pfizer. Chocolate maker Lily O'Brien's and Bord na Móna have offices in Newbridge, and the Department of Defence has a base there as well.

People in Newbridge also enjoy shopping at places like Marks & Spencer and Zara in the town's shopping centre. The Whitewater Shopping Centre features a cinema run by Odeon Cinemas, along with stores like Penneys and TK Maxx. Many people from Newbridge travel to Dublin for work.

Transport

Rail

Newbridge is located on the main Dublin–Cork railway line, which links the town to cities like Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford, and Westport. There is a regular train service that runs between Newbridge and Dublin. The Newbridge railway station opened on August 4, 1846, and stopped handling goods traffic on September 6, 1976.

Road

The M7 motorway passes near the town, and the R445 road connects Newbridge to the motorway at Junctions 10 and 12. The M9 motorway, which goes to Kilcullen, Carlow, Kilkenny, and Waterford, branches off the M7 west of Naas at Junction 11.

Religion

Newbridge has many places of worship for different faiths. In the Roman Catholic community, the town is part of St. Conleth's Parish in the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin. This parish includes three churches: St Conleth's Parish Church (built in 1852), Cill Mhuire (built in 1983), and Dominican St. Eustace's Church (built in 1966). There is also a Church of Ireland church from 1828 in the Moorefield area, which belongs to St. Patrick's Anglican Parish.

St Conleth's Parish Church in Newbridge

Other faith groups in Newbridge include a group called "The Kingdom of Heavenly Water, Fire and Mountains" that meets at Newbridge Sports Centre, and a Kingdom Hall for Jehovah's Witnesses located near Milltown. Additionally, Open Arms Church is found in the Newbridge Industrial Estate, and Newbridge Bible Fellowship Church is in the Roseberry part of town.

Education

Newbridge has many schools for children to learn. There are several primary schools, including Scoil Mhuire, Gaelscoil Chill Dara which teaches in the Irish language, The Patrician Primary School, and others nearby.

Newbridge College

For older students, there are secondary schools such as the Patrician Secondary School, the Holy Family Secondary School, St. Conleth's Community College, and Newbridge College, which is run by a religious group. There is also a special school that teaches only in Irish, called Gaelcholáiste Chill Dara. Some adult students can take classes at the Kildare VTOS adult education centre in the town.

Sport and recreation

Newbridge Town Hall

Newbridge has many places for fun and games. It is home to the main grounds for Gaelic Athletic Association sports and two local teams, Sarsfield's GAA and Moorefield GAA. There are also association football clubs like Newbridge Town F.C and Newbridge Colts Football Club. The town has a rugby club called Newbridge RFC, which was formed in 1996.

The town has a public library and an arts centre named the Riverbank Arts Centre. There is a big park called the Liffey Linear Park next to the River Liffey, with space for walking and playing. Newbridge also has sports centres, gyms, swimming pools, and playgrounds. There are golf courses, places for fishing, and a racecourse nearby.

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland

Newbridge has special friendships with three places in other countries. It is twinned with Bad Lippspringe in Germany, Ocala in Florida, United States (since 2008), and Argentré-du-Plessis in France (since 2017). These friendships help the towns learn from each other and work together.