Newbridge An Droichead Nua
Location
Coordinates: 53°10′36″N 6°48′07″W / 53.1767°N 6.8019°W / 53.1767; -6.8019
Irish grid reference N801152
Statistics
Province:	Leinster
County:	County Kildare
Elevation:	90 m
Population (2006)  - Town:  - Environs:	17,042   1,478
Website: www.newbridge.ie

Newbridge (Irish: Droichead Nua) is a town in County Kildare, Ireland, near the Irish midlands. Its population of 18,520 (2006 Census^[1]) makes it the second largest town in Kildare and the 17th largest in the Republic of Ireland.

Contents 1 Name 2 History 2.1 Early local settlement 2.2 Beginning of the modern town 3 Location 4 Industry 5 Transport 6 Shopping 7 Churches 8 Education 8.1 Primary 8.2 Secondary 8.3 Adult education 9 People 10 Sport and recreation 10.1 Clubs and societies 10.2 Amenities 11 International relations 11.1 Twin towns — Sister cities 12 See also 13 References 14 External links

[edit] Name

The Irish language name of the town is the official name, "An Droichead Nua", and was introduced in the 1930s. Noble and Keenan's map of Kildare 1752, drawn before the town was started, marks 'The New Bridge'.

[edit] History

[edit] Early local settlement

Settlement in the area dates from the 13th century (with the foundation of Great Connell Abbey in 1202) and the current town is made up of six ancient parishes and portions of others. The parishes are Ballymany, Great Connell, Killashee, Morristown Billar, Old Connell, and Carnalway.

Great Connell Priory was an important Priory, founded in 1202 by the Augustinian Canons. This and other sites are a reminder that Newbridge has a rich history in early Christian settlement.

[edit] Beginning of the modern town

Historical populations
Year	Pop.	%±
1831	577	—
1841	792	37.3%
1851	934	17.9%
1861	2,875	207.8%
1871	3,286	14.3%
1881	3,372	2.6%
1891	3,207	−4.9%
1901	2,903	−9.5%
1911	3,400	17.1%
1926	2,249	−33.9%
1936	2,375	5.6%
1946	3,151	32.7%
1951	3,007	−4.6%
1956	4,157	38.2%
1961	4,419	6.3%
1966	5,161	16.8%
1971	6,444	24.9%
1979	5,758	−10.6%
1981	10,716	86.1%
1986	11,503	7.3%
1991	12,971	12.8%
1996	13,363	3.0%
2002	19,542	46.2%
2006	18,520	−5.2%
[2][3][4][5][6]

The origin of the modern town lies in the establishment of Cavalry Barracks in 1818 at a river crossing on the River Liffey in the townland of Great Connell. This barracks originally extended from the River Liffey to Cutlery Road, and from Main Street to Military Road, however little of the barracks remains today except the old walls and gateways which can be found on the Athgarvan Road, and to a lesser degree on Cutlery Road. The "Watering Gates" located at the entrance to the Town Park was also constructed as part of the original Barrack building.

[edit] Location

The town is located on the banks of the River Liffey, which provides a range of natural amenities. Upriver are Athgarvan, Kilcullen and Blessington, while downriver are Caragh, Clane and Celbridge.

Newbridge / An Droichead Nua is bounded by the Curragh Plains to the west, Pollardstown Fen and the Bog of Allen and Moulds Bog to the north west. Around the Curragh, and to the east are many important stud farms. To the south the motorway now forms a boundary to the town.

Today Newbridge is a thriving town with a population approaching 20,000, a major centre for industry and commerce, within the South Kildare region.

[edit] Industry

The area has a strong industrial background with industry such as rope making Irish Ropes PLC and carpet manufacturing Curragh Tintawn Carpets Ltd. dating back to the early 1930s. Cutlery and silverware is crafted at the famous Newbridge Silverware plant. Pharmaceutical companies such as Wyeth Medica and Oral-B have also based themselves in the town.

The Irish peat development authority Bord na Móna has its headquarters in the centre of Newbridge.

The Kildare/Leixlip Branch of General Workers Union SIPTU has its headquarters at Georges Street, Newbridge.

Many people living in Newbridge commute to work in major centres in nearby Naas and Dublin city.

[edit] Transport

The town has rail and road links both to Dublin and the South, and as a consequence of the investment in such infrastructure, firms such as Wyeth Medica and Oral B have opened plants in the town.

The M7 motorway bypasses the town; the R445 connects the town to the bypass (Junctions 10 and 12 on the M7) along the route previously forming part of the N7. The N9 to Kilcullen, Carlow, Kilkenny and Waterford leaves the M7 west of Naas at Junction 11.

Newbridge is connected to the railway network, on the Dublin–Cork line. Newbridge railway station opened on 4 August 1846 and was closed for goods traffic on 6 September 1976.^[7]

[edit] Shopping

There is a wide and diverse selection of shops, coffee shops, restaurants, hotels and bars in the town, including everything from the large international brands to long established local traders.

The Whitewater Shopping Centre opened on 6 April 2006, and is the largest shopping centre in Ireland outside of Dublin and the Crescent Shopping Centre in Limerick^{[citation needed]}. Major retailers such as Debenhams, Marks and Spencer, Eason and HMV along with others such as Zara, Bershka, and River Island are all tenants of the shopping centre. The Whitewater development has recently caused some local unrest due to the developers reneging on their promise to construct a cinema in the centre. Proposals had been made to construct a cinema elsewhere in the town by the developers but this had not lessened public outcry. However, a 6 screen all-digital cinema, operated by UCI, is now due to open within the original reserved space in December 2009.^[8]

[edit] Churches

There are many churches in Newbridge and the town is home to a number of denominations.

In the Roman Catholic divisions, Newbridge is situated in St. Conleth's Parish (http://www.newbridgeparish.ie/) in the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, and the parish has a total of three churches in the town: St Conleth's Parish Church (1852), Cill Mhuire (1983) and the Dominican St. Eustace's Church (1966). A Church of Ireland church (1828) is located in the Moorefield area of town, and is part of St. Patrick's Anglican Parish.

Newbridge Sports Centre hosts the African faith group "The Kingdom of Heavenly Water, Fire and Mountains" and a Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall is located just outside the town, near Milltown. Open Arms Community Church is located within Newbridge Industrial Estate.

[edit] Education

[edit] Primary

Primary schools in the town include Scoil Mhuire, Gaelscoil Chill Dara (an Irish-medium school), The Patrician Primary School, St Conleth's Infant Primary School, St Conleth's & St Mary's Primary School, St Patrick's National School, Newbridge Educate Together National School, and Scoil Bride in Athgarvan.

The large growth in the town's population has led to a shortage of places at primary school level.

[edit] Secondary

Secondary schools in the area are the Patrician Secondary School, the Holy Family Secondary School, St Conleth's Vocational School, and, near the town, – the newest – Gaelcholáiste Chill Dara. The latter is Co. Kildare's only Irish-speaking second-level school: established in 2003, it provides a full programme of study through the medium of the Irish language.

St Conleth's is also home to a branch of the National College of Ireland, which offers a small number of "level-five" courses to Leaving Certificate students.

Newbridge College is a fee-paying co-educational secondary school, run by the Dominican Order.

[edit] Adult education

• The Kildare VTOS adult education centre is located in the town centre. VTOS offers level five qualifications to mature students.

[edit] People

• Singer and musician Christy Moore.
• Musician Luka Bloom (born Barry Moore).
• Musician Dónal Lunny.
• Singer Sinéad O'Carroll
• Scientist Kathleen Lonsdale.
• Band Super Extra Bonus Party

[edit] Sport and recreation

[edit] Clubs and societies

• Newbridge is home to Kildare Gaelic Athletic Association's county grounds and sports two strong local club teams, Sarsfield's GAA and Moorefield GAA, both of which regularly win the county's club championship title.
• The town is also home to Kildare County FC, Kildare's only representative in the eircom League. Kildare County FC currently play in Division One of the eircom league.
• Ryston pitch and putt club
• The Kildare History & Family Research Centre is based at the library in Newbridge and houses an extensive local history collection as well as a genealogical research service.
• Newbridge Tidy Towns Association's main aim is to improve the living environment in the town, the Association also enter the town into the National Tidy Towns Competition.
• Newbridge RFC is the town's only Rugby Club. Founded in 1996, with the amalgamation of the Curragh RFC, Kilcullen RFC and Athgarvan RFC, Newbridge RFC compete in the J1 Division 1 Leinster League.
• Newbridge cycling club (NCC) is the towns only cycling club, founded decades ago it is now a strong club of about 25 members and even hosts FBD ras stage winner Liam Baxter.
• Newbridge Musical Society has been in operation since the 1980s, and brings yearly musical productions of the highest calibre to the stage of Newbridge College. The society has been nominated for, and indeed has won many A.I.M.S. (Association of Irish Musical Societies) awards over the past decade. Its previous acclaimed productions include "Oklahoma!", "Singin' in the Rain", "Sweet Charity", "Oliver!", "My Fair Lady", "42nd Street" amongst many others. They are currently preparing for their 2010 production of "Little Shop of Horrors" which will be directed by Newbridge native Sharon McNamara.

[edit] Amenities

• Newbridge has a library and arts centre.
• There are also a sports centre, three gyms, two swimming pools and a substantial Town Park, which runs along the banks of the River Liffey.
• There are a large number of first class golf courses in the area, with water sports, fishing and the Curragh Racecourse all within easy access.
• Newbridge hosts Kildare's only greyhound racing track.
• In recent years the Riverbank Arts Centre has provided a new venue for a wide array of live performances, adding a new dimension to the town's long established dramatic and musical traditions.
• Newbridge is a popular venue by night, as well, with plenty of bars and nightclubs serving the area.
• For young people interested in music, local bar Rose Earley's hosts an open mic night every week.

[edit] International relations

[edit] Twin towns — Sister cities

Newbridge is twinned with the town of Bad Lippspringe in Germany and the city of Ocala, Florida.

[edit] See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

[edit] References

1. ^ Census 2006 - Table 14A - Towns 10,000 population and over
2. ^ Census for post 1821 figures.
3. ^ http://www.histpop.org
4. ^ http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/census
5. ^ Lee, JJ (1981). "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses". in Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A.. Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press. 
6. ^ Mokyr, Joel; O Grada, Cormac (November), "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850", The Economic History Review Volume 37 (Issue 4): 473-488, doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x, http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120035880/abstract 
7. ^ "Newbridge station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-05. 
8. ^ http://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/Newbridge-to-have-cinema-by.5813860.jp

[edit] External links

• GaelScoil Chill Dara (Irish Speaking School)
• Kildare.ie Newbridge sub-site
• Kildare's genealogy services
• Newbridge Tidy Towns Association
• Newbridge Cycling Club
• Newbridge Rugby Club