Little town on the river
by Malcolm Rogers
What’s in the name?
Leighlinbridge (Leithghleann an Droichid) translates as the Half-valley of the Bridge.
Where in the world?
It’s in Co. Carlow, about an hour from Dublin Airport, the same from Rosslare Harbour. Eight miles from Carlow Town, and about 15 from Kilkenny City.
So it’s fairly central?
Very, but still manages to keep its medieval charm.
So it’s been around for quite a while?
Certainly has. The remains of the Anglo Norman castle that dominate the town date back to 1181. It’s called the Black Castle, and is one of the earliest Norman castles in Ireland.
The first Carmelite priory in Ireland was founded here in 1270, and the Cathedral is of a similar vintage. Old Leighlin, just two miles away, has a famous Celtic monastery, founded in the seventh century. The Cathedral of St. Laserian was the ancient seat of the bishops of the diocese. St. Laserian, who died in 639, was the apostolic delegate to Ireland.
But it’s not all castles and cathedrals, is it?
Oh no. The village lies astride the River Barrow — and that means beautiful walks down the riverside, or for the slightly less energetic, fishing or boating. There’s a small marina just beside the bridge.
Any journey, however, along the gentle Barrow transports you to a tranquil, almost bygone, age. Fringed with reeds, willows and hazel, the River Barrow carries boats and barges along 68 kilometres of navigable waterways, under medieval bridges and Victorian locks.
Any other reasons I might want to go there?
Flowers. There’s thousands of them there. In fact, Leighlinbridge was a Gold Medal winner in the 2001 Entente Floral competition — and is strongly tipped to regain the prestigious European award.
There are four local collections that you can wander around: The Millennium Garden, The Garden of Remembrance, The Sculpture Garden and the Vivaldi Garden.
And if that’s not enough horticulture for you, within a few miles radius you can visit the verdant arboretums of Altamont Gardens Tullow, or stroll through the yew tree avenues of Huntingdon Castle in Clonegal. Trees, shrubs and flowers grow in profusion here. You see, the funny thing is although Ireland is the least wooded country in the EU, it’s probably the best place in the world for growing trees. It’s wet, warm in the winter, with no extremes of temperature. Once upon a time it was covered in trees and bushes, and you can still get glimpses of that woody past in the surroundings of Leighlinbridge.
Any place you could recommend for a night’s lodging?
A more comfortable night in the entire midlands region of Ireland could hardly be had than one at the Lord Bagenal Inn. On the very banks of the River Barrow, this is a truly relaxed, friendly, family-run hotel. It has en suite bedrooms, and the hotel is very child-friendly — they’ve even got a fully equipped playroom with child-minding services available, and crêche.
The restaurant boasts open fires, piano player and top-notch nosh — and recommendations from Les Routiers (recently gaining a Plat d’Or), the Irish Times and Egon Ronay.
And the food?
I thought you’d never ask. Everything from chunky soups (home-made on the premises) to weighty puds such as apple pies and cheesecakes, alongside substantial main dishes, including roasts and fresh fish from the Barrow.
For lunch on the run, however, there are sandwiches, wheaten bread and soda breads filled with all manner of goodies from the adjoining bar, which was itself recently voted Carlow’s Black & White Pub of The Year.
Dinner, bed and breakfast will cost you E85 per person at the weekend, and E5 for dinner, bed and breakfast mid-week.
So, any famous inhabitants?
Scientist John Tyndall was born here in 1820 — and he did a lot of blue sky thinking.
Come again?
He worked out why the sky is blue. It’s to do with scattering of the molecules, apparently. Seems to be the same reason we have blue lights on emergency vehicles, because blue light can be seen further away than any other light. But Tyndall didn’t just see the light — he was the first person who managed to measure the pollution in London’s atmosphere (there was none in Leighlinbridge for him to measure).
One of Leighlinbridge’s most famous sons then?
You could say that — he became one of the great scientists of the 19th century, numbering amongst his friends Louis Pasteur, Michael Faraday, Charles Lister, Thomas Huxley, Thomas Carlyle and Lord Tennyson — some of whom he persuaded to visit Co. Carlow. And do you know, not one of them was disappointed!
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