Waterways Ireland Leaflet

EXPLORE Take a break from Technology

LEIGH LIN BRIDGE

LEIGHLINBRIDGE The village of Leighlinbridge lays claimto at least two unrivalled historical greats, the oldest functioning bridge in Ireland and one of the earliest Norman castles in Europe unfortunately now gone.

Although spelled ‘Leighlin” it is pronounced “loughlin’.

The pronounciation has always baffled outside commentators.

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Leighlin, a place where ancient road converged resulted in the first stone bridge being built over the River Barrow in 1320. The place was still being called ‘Leighlin’ in 1573, when Drudy informed the Privy Council of having met ‘Granie ny Maille’ at Leighlin. The word bridge was subjoined nearer to the present day giving us the name of Leighlinbridge.

OBJECTIVES Explore

Collect

Create

1. The Vivaldi Garden 2. Black Castle 3. Jakis Bridge 4. The Millenium Garden 5. St. Laserian’s Church 6. The Parish Centre 7. The Sculpture Garden 8. Garden of Remembrance Walk the River Barrow and collect leaves, grass and flowers along Well done! You collected everything. Go to the Garden of Remembrance and start making rubbings for your own character.

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EXPLORE (GARDENS) ▼

The Vivaldi Garden

The garden is based on possibly the best known of Vivaldi concerti programmatic works collectively entitled ‘The Four Seasons’. The layout contains four gardens. Each garden is bounded

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The Millenium Garden

The Millennium Garden consists of seven small individual gardens, each with its own theme, represented by trees, shrubs and stones to symbolise aspects of our life from birth to death.

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Garden of Remembrance

The garden was named ‘The Garden of Remembrance’ when a plaque was erected and a tree was planted to commemorate the visit to his ancestral home of the then Canadian Prime Minister, Brian Martin Mulroney, in 1991.

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The Sculpture Garden The garden salutes three of Leighlin’s most famous sons, Cardinal Patrick Moran, Myles Walter Keogh and John Tydall. Both the Garden of Remembrance and the Sculpture Garden greatly enhance Milford Street.

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EXPLORE ▼

Black Castle

Sir Peter Carew of Devon owned it in 1567 . This castle was built to protect a strategic crossing point over the Barrow.

Jakis Bridge Not only is it the oldest bridge crossing the Barrow but it is reputed to be the oldest functioning bridge in Ireland.

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St. Laserian’s Church

The church is dedicated to St. Lazerian, a patron Saint of the Kildare & Leighlin diocese.

The Parish Centre In 2006 the center won a ‘National Pride of Place’ award. The building of the centre was financed entirely from parish funds.

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COLLECT Walking along the River Barrow? Take items from nature: Leaves, grass and flower. Anything you can get your hands on that will help you with the creation of your character.

The Barrow Way allows for sightings of a rich variety of river life swans, mallard, heron, kingfisher and hen pheasant are regularly to be seen.

Spend time away from digital devices, and share the moment with the people who are close to you.

Remember the memory of being in Leighlinbridge.

It is the second longest river after the River Shannon.

The full length of the Barrow Way, from Lowtown to St. Mullins is 113 kilometres (70 miles).

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Create Collected everything?

Head on over to The Garden of Remembrance!

Have a bit of fun, and spend time making rubbings of your found treasures, and then draw characters in the way you want them to be.

The Parish is our main comminty building. Here its address: Leighlin Parish, St. Lazerian’s Street, Ballyknockan, Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow.

In 2002, a War Memorial to commemorate Carlovians who were killed in the Great War 1914-1918 was erected. Failte Ireland plaques erected to local F.R.Ss., John Tyndall and Nicholas Vigors as part of an all Ireland tourist trail of famous people can be seen.