Leighlinbridge (/ˈlɔːxlɪn.brɪdʒ/; Irish: Leithghlinn an Droichid, meaning ''half-glen' or 'grey glen' of the bridge')[9] is a small town on the River BarrowinCounty Carlow, Ireland. It is 11 km south of Carlow town, on the R705 road. The N9 national primary route once passed through the village, but was by-passed in the 1980s.
Leighlinbridge
Irish: Leithghlinn an Droichid
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Town
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The Black Castle on the River Barrow in Leighlinbridge
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  Leighlinbridge Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 52°44′11″N 6°58′21″W / 52.7364°N 6.9725°W / 52.7364; -6.9725 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Carlow |
| Elevation | 41 m (135 ft) |
| Population | 959 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-1 (IST (WEST)) |
| Irish Grid Reference | S694654 |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1831 | 2,035 | — |
| 1841 | 1,748 | −14.1% |
| 1851 | 1,292 | −26.1% |
| 1861 | 1,245 | −3.6% |
| 1871 | 1,066 | −14.4% |
| 1881 | 835 | −21.7% |
| 1891 | 744 | −10.9% |
| 1901 | 646 | −13.2% |
| 1911 | 544 | −15.8% |
| 1926 | 406 | −25.4% |
| 1936 | 425 | +4.7% |
| 1946 | 394 | −7.3% |
| 1951 | 326 | −17.3% |
| 1956 | 375 | +15.0% |
| 1961 | 457 | +21.9% |
| 1966 | 444 | −2.8% |
| 1971 | 379 | −14.6% |
| 1981 | 515 | +35.9% |
| 1986 | 540 | +4.9% |
| 1991 | 510 | −5.6% |
| 1996 | 508 | −0.4% |
| 2002 | 646 | +27.2% |
| 2006 | 674 | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 828 | +22.8% |
| 2016 | 914 | +10.4% |
| 2022 | 959 | +4.9% |
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It covers the townlands of Leighlin (east bank of the river) and Ballyknockan (west bank). The village features narrow winding streets, grey limestone malthouses and castle ruins overlooking a 14th-century bridge across the River Barrow. Leighlinbridge has won the National Tidy Towns Competition, has come first in the Barrow Awards, been an overall national winner in Ireland's Green Town 2000, and represented Ireland in the European "Entente Florale" competition in 2001.[10]
Leighlinbridge Castle, also called Black Castle, was one of Ireland's earliest Norman castles. A 50 ft tall broken castle tower and bawn wall are all that can be seen today.[11] The Arboretum Garden Centre is a located a kilometre east of the village at the Leighlinbridge Cross with the N9.
On the night of 28 November 1999, a loud detonation and bright fireball was observed over Carlow for several seconds. An elderly lady in Leighlinbridge recovered a fusion crusted individual meteoritic rock on 12 December 1999, and later two more specimens were found. It is now officially called the "Leighlinbridge" by the International Meteorite Nomenclature Committee.[12][13] The meteorites, totalled 271.4 grams in weight.[12][14]
In Leighlinbridge there are three GAA clubs, Naomh Bríd, Leighlinbridge and Micheal Davitts. Naomh Bríd are a hurling club who compete in both the Carlow Senior Hurling Championship and the Carlow Intermediate Hurling Championship and all underage hurling competitions. Leighlinbridge are a football club who compete in the Carlow Junior Football Championship. Micheal Davitts are a football club who compete at underage level in Carlow. Players from neighbouring villages Old Leighlin and Ballinabranna combine with Leighlinbridge to play for Micheal Davits.[citation needed]
Vale Wanderers is the local soccer club in Leighlinbridge. They are represented at both underage and senior levels.
The local primary school is Leighlinbridge N.S.[15] The most recent report by Department of Education inspectors noted the "welcoming, supportive and inclusive school atmosphere", and the "high quality teaching, as well as the openness and reflectivity that exists amongst the teaching staff".[citation needed]
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