Athy ( ; ) is a market town at the meeting of the

River Barrow The Barrow () is a river in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters (Ireland), The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest of the three rivers and, at 192 km (12 ...

and the Grand Canal in south-west

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

, Ireland, 72 kilometres southwest of

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. A population of 11,035 (as of the 2022 census) made it the sixth largest town in Kildare and the 45th largest in the Republic of Ireland, a growth of 82% since the 2002 census.

Name

Athy or is named after a 2nd-century

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

chieftain, Ae, who is said to have been killed on the river crossing, thus giving the town its name "the town of Ae's ford". The ''Letters of the Ordnance Survey'' (1837) note that "The town is now called by the few old people who speak Irish there and in the Queen's County /nowiki>Laois">Laois.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Laois">/nowiki>Laois/nowiki>, , pronounced Blahéé", where ''éé'' stands for English 'ee' [i:] as clarified by a note written in pencil in Irish as ''Blá thí''.

History

According to Elizabethan historian William Camden, Ptolemy's map of Ireland circa 150 AD names the Rheban district along the

as Ῥαίβα. Modern

cartography Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...

, however, dismisses the claim by using

triangulation In trigonometry and geometry, triangulation is the process of determining the location of a point by forming triangles to the point from known points. Applications In surveying Specifically in surveying, triangulation involves only angle m ...

and flocking algorithms. This method establishes that Ptolemy's Ῥαίβα was actually located at

Rathcroghan Rathcroghan () is a complex of archaeological sites near Tulsk in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is identified as the site of Cruachan, the traditional capital of the Connachta, the prehistoric and early historic rulers of the western territory ...

, the traditional capital of the

Connachta The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasty, dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King of Ireland, High King Conn of the Hundred Battles, Conn Cétchathach (Conn of the Hundred Battles). The modern western Provinces of ...

. A castle existed at Rheban from the Norman period onward. The town at Athy developed from a 12th-century Anglo-Norman settlement to an important stronghold on the local estates of the FitzGerald

earls of Kildare Duke of Leinster (; ) is a title and the premier dukedom in the Peerage of Ireland. The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Leinster are: Marquess of Kildare (1761), Earl of Kildare (1316), Earl of Offaly (1761), Viscount Leinster, of Taplow in th ...

, who built and owned the town for centuries.

Athy Priory Athy Priory is a former friary of the Dominican Order located in Athy, Ireland. Location Athy Priory is located in the south of the town, on the east bank of the River Barrow. History Athy Priory was founded by the Boiseles (Boysel) and Hoga ...

, a Dominican monastery, was founded in 1253. The Confederate Wars of the 1640s were played out in many arenas throughout Ireland, and Athy—for a period of eight years—was one of the centres of war involving the Royalists, Parliamentarians and the Confederates. The town was bombarded by cannon fire many times and the Dominican Monastery, the local castles and the town's bridge (dating from 1417) all succumbed to the destructive forces of the cannonball. The current bridge, the Crom-a-Boo Bridge, was built in 1796, with the foundation stone laid by the

Duke of Leinster Duke of Leinster (; ) is a title and the premier dukedom in the Peerage of Ireland. The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Leinster are: Marquess of Kildare (1761), Earl of Kildare (1316), Earl of Offaly (1761), Viscount Leinster, of Taplow in th ...

. The first town charter dates from 1515 and

Athy Town Hall Athy Town Hall () is a municipal building in Emily Street, Athy, County Kildare, Ireland. The building accommodated the offices of Athy Urban District Council until 1985, but is now used as a heritage centre. History The building was commissi ...

was constructed in around 1745. The completion of the Grand Canal in 1791, linking here with the River Barrow, and the arrival of the railway in 1846, illustrate the importance of the town as a commercial centre. From early on in its history Athy was a garrison town loyal to the Crown. English garrisons stayed in the barracks in Barrack Lane after the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

and contributed greatly to the town's commerce. Home for centuries to English soldiers, Athy gave more volunteer soldiers to the Great War of 1914–18 than any other town of similar size in Ireland.

Centre of Hiberno-English

Athy has evolved as a centre for

Hiberno-English Hiberno-English or Irish English (IrE), also formerly sometimes called Anglo-Irish, is the set of dialects of English native to the island of Ireland. In both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, English is the first language in e ...

, the mix of the Irish and English language traditions. A dialect starting with

old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic (, Ogham, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ; ; or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic languages, Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive written texts. It was used from 600 to 900. The ...

beginnings, evolved through Norman and English influences, dominated by a church whose first language was

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

and educated through Irish. Athy in particular was a mixing pot of languages that led to modern Hiberno-English. Positioned at the edge of

the Pale The Pale ( Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast s ...

, sandwiched between the Irish and English speaking partitions, Athy traded language between the landed gentry, the middle class merchants, the English working class garrison soldiers and the local peasantry. Many locals words borrow from the Irish tradition, such as "bokety", "fooster" or "sleeveen", while words like "kip", "cop-on" or even "grinds" have their origins in Old or

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

. This tradition of spoken word led to a lyrical approach to composition and perhaps explains the disproportionate number of writers Athy has produced. Athy becomes subject and object of creative endeavours – the traditional folk song, "

Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" ( Roud 3137), also known as "Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye" or "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya", is a popular traditional song, sung to the same tune as " When Johnny Comes Marching Home". First published in London in 1867 and wr ...

", is a prime example. Other songs in this tradition include "

Lanigan's Ball "Lanigan's Ball" (sometimes "Lannigan's Ball") is a popular Irish folk song which has been played throughout the world since at least the 1860s and possibly much longer. Typically performed in a minor key, it generally is played in an upbeat s ...

" and "Maid of Athy". Another song of note from the area is called "The

Curragh The Curragh ( ; ) is a flat open plain in County Kildare, Ireland. This area is well known for horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is on the edge of Kildare town, beside the Japanese Gardens. Pollardstown Fen, the larges ...

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare Cathedral, historically the site of an important abbey said to have been founded by Saint ...

", the first song collected by

Robbie Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets wh ...

. Athy is also the surname of a minor character in

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

's ''

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ''A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'' is the second book and first novel of Irish writer James Joyce, published in 1916. A ''Künstlerroman'' written in a modernist style, it traces the religious and intellectual awakening of young Step ...

'', who tells

Stephen Dedalus Stephen Dedalus is James Joyce's literary alter ego, appearing as the protagonist and antihero of his first, semi-autobiographic novel of artistic existence, ''A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'' (1916), and as a major character in his 19 ...

, the protagonist, that they both have strange surnames and makes a joke about County Kildare being like a pair of breeches because it has Athy in it.

Patrick Kavanagh Patrick Kavanagh (21 October 1904 – 30 November 1967) was an Irish poet and novelist. His best-known works include the novel ''Tarry Flynn'', and the poems "On Raglan Road" and "The Great Hunger". He is known for his accounts of Irish life th ...

alludes to Athy in his poem ''Lines Written on a Seat on the Grand Canal, Dublin'': "And look! a barge comes bringing from Athy / And other far-flung towns mythologies."

Birth of motor racing

On 2 July 1903, the Gordon Bennett Cup race routed through Athy. It was the first international motor race to be held in Britain or Ireland. The Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland wanted the race to be hosted in the British Isles, and Ireland was suggested as the venue because racing was illegal on British public roads. After some lobbying and changes to local laws, County Kildare was chosen, partly because the straightness of the roads would be a safety benefit. As a compliment to Ireland the British team chose to race in Shamrock green which thus became known as

British racing green British racing green, or BRG, is a colour similar to '' Brunswick green'', '' hunter green'', '' forest green'' or '' moss green'' ( RAL 6005). It takes its name from the green international motor racing colour of the United Kingdom. This origin ...

. The route consisted of several loops of a circuit that passed-through

Kilcullen Kilcullen (), formally Kilcullen Bridge, is a small town on the River Liffey in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Its population of 3,815 at the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census made it the 13th largest settlement in County Kilda ...

The Curragh The Curragh ( ; ) is a flat open plain in County Kildare, Ireland. This area is well known for horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is on the edge of Kildare town, beside the Irish National Stud#The Japanese Gardens, Japane ...

Monasterevin Monasterevin (), sometimes Monasterevan, is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. It lies on the River Barrow and the Barrowline, a canal branch of the Grand Canal. In the 20 years between the 2002 and 2022 censuses, the population more than dou ...

Stradbally Stradbally () is a town in County Laois, Ireland. Overview It is located in the midlands of Ireland along the N80 road, about from Portlaoise and from Dublin. It is a townland, a civil parish, and historic barony. It is known for its annu ...

and Athy, followed by another loop through

Castledermot Castledermot () is an inland town in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland in County Kildare, about from Dublin, and from the town of Carlow. The N9 road (Ireland), N9 road from Dublin to Waterford previously passed through the villa ...

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...

and Athy again. The race was won by the Belgian racer

Camille Jenatzy Camille Jenatzy (1868, Schaerbeek – 8 December 1913, Habay la Neuve) was a Belgian race car driver. He is known for breaking the land speed record three times and being the first man to break the 100 km/h barrier. He was nicknamed ''Le ...

, driving a Mercedes.

Places of interest

Athy Courthouse Athy Courthouse is a judicial building in Emily Square, Athy, County Kildare, Ireland. The structure, which was previously used as a corn exchange, is listed on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. History The building was commiss ...

: Athy's courthouse was designed by Frederick Darley and built in the 1850s; it was originally the town's corn exchange. *O'Brien's Bar: One of the town's pubs, Frank O'Brien's Bar, is considered a tourist attraction and was voted one of the top ten Irish bars in the ''

Sunday Tribune The ''Sunday Tribune'' was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to ta ...

'' in 1999. Hardware merchants Griffin Hawe now occupy the town's 6 ft. wide and 12 ft. high 18th-century

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, on the front part of an aircraft, spacecraft, or submersible, from which a pilot controls the vehicle. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the controls th ...

. *Kilkea Castle:

Kilkea Castle Kilkea Castle is located northwest of Castledermot, County Kildare, Ireland near the village of Kilkea on the R418 regional road from Athy to Tullow. It was a medieval stronghold, for over 700 years, of the Fitzgeralds, earls of Kildare. H ...

is located just 5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of

, near the village of

Kilkea Kilkea () is a village and civil parish in County Kildare, Ireland, about from Dublin, and from the town of Carlow. The R418 regional road from Athy to Tullow passes through the village. History Formerly the land of the Ó Tuathails ( ...

. It was a medieval stronghold of the FitzGeralds,

Earls of Kildare Duke of Leinster (; ) is a title and the premier dukedom in the Peerage of Ireland. The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Leinster are: Marquess of Kildare (1761), Earl of Kildare (1316), Earl of Offaly (1761), Viscount Leinster, of Taplow in th ...

. * Woodstock Castle: built in the early 13th century to protect the north end of the ford and its western approach. A stone cuboid. Athy White Castle 2013 09 03

White's Castle White's Castle is a 16th-century tower house in Athy, County Kildare, Ireland. Built on the site of an earlier 15th-century castle, White's Castle was built to guard the main river crossing in Athy () and was extended over successive centuries. ...

: White's Castle was built in 1417 by Sir John Talbot,

Viceroy of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...

, to protect the bridge over the Barrow and the inhabitants of the Pale. Built into the wall on either side of the original entrance doorway are two sculptured slabs. On the right of the former doorway is the Earl of Kildare's coat of arms, signifying the earl's ownership of the castle in former days. The slab on the left bears the date 1573, and the name Richard Cossen, Sovereign of Athy. *The Moat of Ardscull: The Moat of Ardscull is the focal point of local legend about "little people". Assumed to have been built in the late 12th or 13th century, the first clear reference to the moat is in 1654 when the "Book of General Orders" noted a request from the inhabitants of County Kildare for the State to contribute £30 "towards the finishing of a Fort that they have built at the Moate of Ardscull". *Athy Workhouse: St Vincent's Hospital was formerly the Athy Workhouse. The Athy Poor Law Union was formally declared on 16 January 1841 and covered an area of . The new Athy Union workhouse was erected in 1842–43 on a site half a mile (800 m) north-west of Athy. Designed by the Poor Law Commissioners' architect George Wilkinson, the building was based on one of his standard plans to accommodate 600 inmates. *St Michael's Church: Originally built in the 14th century. Some of the vestry and side walls have disappeared, but there is still some of the original church remaining. A small cross lies within the church grounds and it is said that a cross or font is buried in a grave, within the ruins. There was at one time an arch that stood in front of St. Michael's but during some renovations many years ago, this was taken down. *Quaker Meeting House: Built in 1780 and standing on Meeting Lane. The first Quakers in Athy may have been Thomas Weston and his wife who in 1657 "received the truth" from Thomas Loe, an English preacher, who was visiting some friends in

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county located in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region of Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Carlow is the List of Irish counties by area, second smallest and t ...

(and who later influenced

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

). They were soon joined by the Bonnett family, the first Quaker family to settle in Carlow. A Quaker meeting was settled in Athy by 1671, the year in which Athy was included in the list of towns where the Leinster Province Meeting was held. The local Quakers met for worship once a week on Wednesdays, and every month a district meeting was held in Carlow to transact church business. Athy, as part of the Carlow district, also sent delegates to the Province's quarterly meetings. *The Dominican Church: The Dominicans arrived in Athy in 1253 or 1257. They settled on the eastern bank of the Barrow, first in thatched huts of wood and clay, later in a stone priory and church dedicated to St Peter Martyr, one of the earliest saints of the Order. Today, it is the opposite bank of the river that is dominated by the Dominican Church. In November 2015 the Dominicans finally left Athy due to a lack of friars, and the church and lands have been bought by Kildare County Council. It now operates as the town's local library. *Shackleton Museum (formerly Athy Heritage Centre): Athy contains the only permanent exhibition on

Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarcti ...

, who was born at

Kilkea House Kilkea () is a village and civil parish in County Kildare, Ireland, about from Dublin, and from the town of Carlow. The R418 regional road from Athy to Tullow passes through the village. History Formerly the land of the Ó Tuathails ( ...

. The museum has a collection of artefacts from Athy's past as well as artefacts from Shackleton's expeditions. Among the most impressive is a scale model of the ''

Endurance Endurance (also related to sufferance, forbearance, resilience, constitution, fortitude, persistence, tenacity, steadfastness, perseverance, stamina, and hardiness) is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a ...

''. Each year the museum arranges and hosts the Shackleton Autumn School, with speakers from around the world discoursing on different aspects of

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

and Shackleton's life. In December 2022, the museum closed temporarily for upgrade works. * Aontas Ogra

Aontas Ógra: The local youth club in Athy which was set up, originally, as an Irish-speaking revival in 1956. It soon developed into a youth club and was the first boy-girl youth club in Ireland. It is still well-established to this day as an independent youth club in Kildare and is located now, beside ARCH on the Ballylinan road. *1798 Rebellion Memorial: This landmark is located in Emily Square and is dedicated to Athy's role in the 1798 Rebellion, as well as a memorial to local people who died during the famine years.

Population

Athy was the largest town in Kildare from the first official records in 1813 (population 3,192) until 1891 (population 4,886), and again between 1926 and 1946 and between 1951 and 1961. In 1837 the population was 4,494. The 2022 census established the population of Athy at 11,035.

Transport

Road

The town is located on the N78

national secondary road A national secondary road () is a category of road in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. These roads form an important part of the national route network but are secondary to the main arterial routes which are classified as national primary roads. Nat ...

where it crosses the R417 regional road. In 2010 the N78 was re-aligned so that it no longer heads from Athy towards Kilcullen and Dublin via Ardscull, but now connects with the M9 motorway near Mullamast. The old Athy-Kilcullen section of the road previously known as the N78 is now the R418. As in December 2021, the N78 Athy Southern Distributor Road (Bypass) has been awarded tender, and is about to go to construction. This should be open to traffic by the end of 2023, and will take up to 8000 vehicles a day out of the town centre.

Rail

Athy is connected to the Irish rail network via the

–

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

main line.

Athy railway station Athy railway station serves the town of Athy in County Kildare, Ireland. It is a station on the Dublin to Waterford intercity route. Description The single track north and south of the station splits to provide two platforms. Platform 1, next ...

opened on 4 August 1846 and closed for goods traffic on 6 September 1976. There is a disused siding to the Tegral Slate factory (formerly Asbestos Cement factory). This is all that is left of the former branch to Wolfhill colliery. This side line was built by the United Kingdom government in 1918 due to wartime shortage of coal in Ireland. The concrete bridge over the River Barrow on this branch is one of the earliest concrete railway under-bridges in Ireland.

Bus

JJ Kavanagh's route 717 and

Go-Ahead Ireland Go-Ahead Transport Services (Dublin) Limited, trading as Go-Ahead Ireland, is a bus operator in Dublin that commenced trading in September 2018. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. History With the aim of improving efficiency, in 2015 t ...

's route 130 and 130a serves the town frequently. South Kildare Community Transport also operates two routes from the town serving outlying villages and rural areas. Line '897' ''Kilkenny – Castlecomer – Carlow – Athy'' connects the town with Kilkenny.

Sport

Athy GAA Athy GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in Athy, County Kildare, Ireland. The club has won seven Kildare Senior Football Championship titles. Gaelic football Athy has won several Kildare Senior Football Championship titles. The 2 ...

was formed in 1887, and its playing pitches in the early days changed several times until 1905. In 1905 the club rented a field at the Dublin road from the South Kildare Agricultural Society—the present day

Geraldine Park Geraldine Park is a GAA stadium in Athy, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the main ground of Athy GAA's Gaelic football and hurling teams and has also hosted inter-county fixtures. History First rented from the Kildare Agricultural Society in 19 ...

. The club had the initiative in those early days to erect a paling around the pitch and was the first club in Leinster to do so. This initiative and the club's effort were rewarded when the All-Ireland finals were played in Athy in 1906.

Athy Rugby Club Athy Rugby Football Club is a community-based rugby club fielding three senior men's teams, a senior ladies' team and underage teams from U7 to U19. Athy RFC was founded in 1880 and plays its home games at The Showgrounds, Athy, County Kildare. ...

was founded in 1880 and is a five-time winner of the

Leinster Towns Cup The Provincial Towns Cup was established in 1888 and is one of the oldest trophies in existence in Irish rugby union. The trophy itself was purchased in 1892 for £25 from Wests in Dublin and bears the title of Leinster Junior Challenge Cup. In ...

. Athy Golf Club was formed in 1906 as a nine-hole course and was extended to 18 holes in 1993. The course had a par of 71 and it extended to 6,400 yards from the medal tees. It is situated at Geraldine, a mile from town on the Kildare Road. Among the longer-standing sports clubs in the area is

Athy Cricket Club Athy Cricket Club was founded in 1872 and was one of the first cricket clubs in Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare ...

, which was founded in 1872 and was one of the first cricket clubs in Kildare. Tri-Athy is a

triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the ...

event held in Athy on the June Bank Holiday weekend. Other sports clubs serving the area include Athy Tennis Club, and Athy Town AFC. the club was formed in 1948 and is the main association football club in the town, it has now over 450 members with teams ranging from u4s to two senior adult teams, the junior teams play in the Kildare and District underage league with the senior teams playing in the leinster senior league and the carlow District football league respectively. The club celebrated its 75th birthday in 2023 making it one of the oldest soccer teams in leinster. The club play their games in Aldridge park which is situated in the showgrounds with Athy GAA and Athy Rugby club.

Twinning

In 2004, the town was twinned with the French town of Grandvilliers in the

Oise Oise ( ; ; ) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,419 in 2019.< ...

-Picardy '. The French twinning committee is named "La Balad'Irlandaise", and official visits take place every two years, while musical and student exchanges take place more regularly.

Notable people

Joseph Bermingham Joseph Bermingham (9 May 1919 – 11 August 1995) was an Irish Labour Party politician. Bermingham was born in Castlemitchell, County Kildare. He was educated at the Christian Brothers school in Athy and the O'Brien Institute in Dublin. Be ...

, politician *

Walter Borrowes Sir Walter Dixon Borrowes, 4th Baronet (1691 – 9 June 1741) was an Irish politician. He was the eldest son of Sir Kildare Borrowes, 3rd Baronet and his wife Elizabeth Dixon, daughter of Sir Richard Dixon and his wife Mary Eustace of Calverstown ...

, MP * Thomas Burgh, MP *

Walter Hussey Burgh Walter Hussey Burgh SL (; ; 1742 – 1783) was an Irish statesman, barrister and judge who sat in the Irish House of Commons, served as Prime Serjeant (1777–79, 1782) and Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer (1782–83). He was considered to ...

, MP *

Joey Carbery Joseph Carbery (born 1 November 1995) is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Top 14 club Union Bordeaux Bègles. Born in New Zealand, he represents Ireland at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds. Ear ...

, international rugby player *

Seamus Clandillon Seamus Clandillon (6 June 1878 – 21 April 1944) was an Irish musician, civil servant, and first director of radio broadcasting at 2RN. Early life and education Seamus Clandillon was born near Gort, County Galway on 6 June 1878. His father wa ...

, Irish musician, civil servant, and first director of radio broadcasting at 2RN *

Thomas Condon Thomas Condon (1822–1907) was an Irish Congregational church, Congregational minister, geologist, and paleontology, paleontologist who gained recognition for his work in the U.S. state of Oregon. Life and career Condon arrived in New York Cit ...

, senator *

Sister Consilio Sr Consilio 'Eileen' Fitzgerald (born 9 January 1937) is an Irish nun who set up Cuan Mhuire, a charitable drug, alcohol and gambling rehabilitation organisation in Ireland.Dál Cormaic Dál Cormaic (also Clann Cormaic, Uí Cormaic Lagen, Moccu Corbmaic) were a Gaelic dynasty located in South Kildare (UK Parliament constituency), South Kildare. People Abbán moccu Corbmaic Abbán, St. Abbán had six brothers: Daman Uí Chorma ...

, Gaelic dynasty located in South Kildare *

Francis Cosby Francis Cosby (1510–1580) was an English soldier and settler in Ireland. He has been implicated in the Massacre of Mullaghmast. Life He was the second son of John Cosby of Great Leake, Nottingham. He settled in Ireland in the reign of Henry VIII ...

, English soldier and settler in Ireland; implicated in the Massacre of Mullaghmast *

Philip Crosthwaite Philip Crosthwaite (December 27, 1825 – February 19, 1903) was an early settler of San Diego, California, and Rosarito, Baja California. Early life Philip Crosthwaite was born 1825, in Athy, County Kildare, Ireland, to Edward and Rachel Crosthw ...

, businessman and politician * Paul Cullen,

Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin () is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: ...

and the first Irish

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

Des Dalton Des Dalton is an Irish political activist. He was the president of Republican Sinn Féin (RSF) from 2009 until 2018.Connla YoungFormer president of Republican Sinn Féin Des Dalton has resigned from the party, ''The Irish News'' (11 March 2021 ...

, politician *

The Danzigers Edward J. Danziger (1909–1999) and Harry Lee Danziger (1913–2005) were American-born brothers who produced many British films and TV shows in the 1950s and 1960s. According to one profile "throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, their second fe ...

, American film producers who lived in Bert House *

Cecil Day-Lewis Cecil Day-Lewis (or Day Lewis; 27 April 1904 – 22 May 1972), often written as C. Day-Lewis, was an Anglo-Irish poet and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1968 until his death in 1972. He also wrote mystery stories under the pseudony ...

, poet laureate *

William de Burgh William de Burgh ( , ; ; –winter 1205/06) was the founder of the House of Burgh (later surnamed Burke or Bourke) in Ireland and elder brother of Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent and Geoffrey de Burgh, Bishop of Ely. William is often given ...

, MP, anti-slavery campaigner and colleague of

William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 – 29 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the Atlantic slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780 ...

* Robert Digby, courtier * Robert Dillon *

Eric Donovan Eric Donovan (born 26 July 1985) is an Irish professional boxer. As an amateur he was a five-time Irish national champion and won bronze medals at the 2009 European Union Championships and the 2010 European Championships. Amateur career Dono ...

, Irish boxer and European championships bronze medal winner * Patrick Dooley, politician *

Johnny Doran Johnny Doran (1908 – 19 January 1950)Sleeve notes compiled by Jackie Small and published with ''The Bunch of Keys'' audio tape, Comhairle Bhéaloideas Éireann (CBÉ 001), 1988 was an Irish uilleann piper. Life and family Johnny Doran was b ...

, musician *

Charles John Engledow Charles John Engledow (30 September 1860 – 18 December 1932) was a British military officer and an Irish nationalist politician and Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom for the North Kildare, where he sat as a ...

* Maurice Eustace (d. 1665), previously MP for Athy and County Kildare * Helen Evans, ground-breaking academic, activist and member of the

Edinburgh seven The Edinburgh Seven were the first group of matriculated undergraduate female students at any British university. They began studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1869 and, although the Court of Session ruled that they should neve ...

Rory Feely Rory Michael Feely (born 3 January 1997) is an Irish professional footballer who plays for League of Ireland Premier Division club Cork City. He previous clubs are St Patrick's Athletic where he started his professional career, Waterford, Bohem ...

, footballer *

Lesley Fennell Lesley Fennell is an Irish Postwar and Contemporary portrait artist. Biography Lesley Fennell is the daughter of botanical artist Wendy Walsh. She was born in England c. 1942, her father, Longford man Lt. Col. John Walsh, worked in the Briti ...

, Irish postwar and contemporary portrait artist * Frederick Falkiner, MP *

Lord Edward FitzGerald Lord Edward FitzGerald (15 October 1763 – 4 June 1798) was an Irish aristocrat and revolutionary proponent of Irish independence from Britain. He abandoned his prospects as a distinguished veteran of British service in the American War of Ind ...

, politician and revolutionary *

Lord Henry FitzGerald Lord Henry FitzGerald PC (Ire) (30 July 1761 – 9 July 1829) was the fourth son of the 1st Duke of Leinster and the Duchess of Leinster (née Lady Emily Lennox). A younger brother was the revolutionary Lord Edward FitzGerald. Life Fitzgeral ...

James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster Lieutenant-General James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, PC (Ire) (29 May 1722 – 19 November 1773), styled Lord Offaly until 1743 and known as The Earl of Kildare between 1743 and 1761 and as The Marquess of Kildare between 1761 and 17 ...

William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster William Robert FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster, KP, PC (Ire) (12/13 March 1749 – 20 October 1804) was an Irish liberal politician and landowner. He was born in London. Career FitzGerald made his Grand Tour between 1768 and 1769. During t ...

* James H. Flack * Michael Foley, Kildare footballer *

Lydia Foy Lydia Annice Foy is an Irish trans woman notable for leading legal challenges regarding gender recognition in Ireland. In 1992, Foy had sex reassignment surgery, and began a 20-year battle to have her birth certificate reflect her gender ident ...

, Irish trans activist *

William Russell Grace William Russell Grace (May 10, 1832 – March 21, 1904) was an American politician, the first Roman Catholic mayor of New York City, and the founder of W. R. Grace and Company. Early life Grace was born in Ireland in Riverstown near the Cove ...

, businessman and politician *

Thomas Colley Grattan Thomas Colley Grattan (1792 – 4 July 1864) was an Irish novelist, poet, dramatist, travel writer, historian and diplomat. Born in Dublin, he was educated for the law, but did not practise. He wrote a few novels, including '' The Heiress of ...

* John Nassau Greene, politician *

William Hare, 1st Earl of Listowel William Hare, 1st Earl of Listowel (September 1751 – 13 July 1837), known as Lord Ennismore from 1800 to 1816 and as the Viscount Ennismore and Listowel from 1816 to 1822, was an Irish peer and politician. Life He was the second son of Richar ...

John Vincent Holland Major (United Kingdom), Major John Vincent Holland Victoria Cross, VC (19 July 1889 – 27 February 1975), was World War I Irish soldier, and the recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can b ...

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

recipient *

Mark Hughes Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player who is the head coach of club Carlisle United F.C., Carlisle United. During his playing career he usually operated as a Forward (asso ...

, footballer *

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 28 January 2017) was an English actor. Regarded as one of the finest actors of his time and known for the "most distinctive voice in Cinema of the United Kingdom, Britain", he was described by David Ly ...

, British actor who settled in Ballintubbert House * John S. Jackson, Irish geologist and environmentalist, believed to be the first environmental consultant in Ireland * Arthur Johnston, priest * Thomas Kelly, hymn-writer *

Mary Leadbeater Mary Leadbeater (; December 1758 – 27 June 1826) was an Irish Quaker author and diarist who lived most of her life in the planned Quaker settlement of Ballitore, County Kildare. She wrote and published extensively on both secular and religiou ...

, author and diarist * Thomas Lee, soldier and assassin * Jeremy Loughman, rugby player * Jack Lukeman, musician and record producer *

George Lyttleton-Rogers George Lyttleton Rogers (10 July 1906 – 19 November 1962) was an Irish tennis player, promoter and coach. He won the Irish Championships title three times, (1926, 1936–1937). He was the Canadian and Argentine champion as well. He was a thr ...

, tennis player and coach *

John MacKenna John MacKenna (born 1952, Castledermot, Co Kildare) is an Irish playwright and novelist. He has produced multiple radio series, authored novels, and acted in theatre productions. MacKenna won the 1989 Jacob's award in the Radio category for ...

, playwright and novelist * John Maher, car specialist and former drummer of The

Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band that singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto formed in Manchester in 1976. During their career, the band combined elements of punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. The ...

Mani Mani may refer to: People * Mani (name), (), a given name and surname (including a list of people with the name) ** Mani (prophet) (c. 216–274), a 3rd century Iranian prophet who founded Manichaeism ** Mani (musician) (born 1962), an English ...

(Gary Mounfield), Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist/musician *

Johnny Marr John Martin Marr (Birth name#Maiden and married names, né Maher; born 31 October 1963) is a musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has sinc ...

, musician, member of The Smiths *John Barnhill Smith McGinley * Richard Meredith, bishop *

Meredyth family The Meredyth family (sometimes spelled Meredith) were an Anglo-Irish family descending from Richard Meredith, a Welsh clergyman who went to Ireland in 1584 and became Bishop of Leighlin The Lord Bishop of Leighlin was a separate episcopal title ...

* Bobby Miller, Gaelic footballer * Matthew Minch, politician * John Minihan, photographer *

Christopher Neil Christopher Neil (born 1948) is a British record producer, songwriter, singer, and actor. Neil has produced records for A-ha, Amazulu, Bonnie Tyler, Celine Dion, Cher, Dollar, Edyta Górniak, Gerry Rafferty, Jennifer Rush, José Carreras, Le ...

, musician, actor and producer * Alexander Nevill, priest *

Liam O'Flynn Liam O'Flynn, Óg Flynn (, 15 September 1945 – 14 March 2018) was an Irish people, Irish Uilleann pipes, uilleann piper and Folk music of Ireland, Irish traditional musician. In addition to a solo career and as a member of Planxty, O'Flynn re ...

, uilleann piper * Padraig O'Neill, footballer * Picture This, band *

Eliane Plewman Éliane Sophie Plewman (6 December 1917 – 13 September 1944) was a British agent of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and a member of the French Resistance working as a courier for the "MONK circuit" in occupied France during World War II ...

, agent of

Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...

(SOE) executed in

Dachau Dachau (, ; , ; ) was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany and the longest-running one, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents, which consisted of communists, s ...

concentration camp in 1945 * Frank Power, basketball coach *

Una Power Una Power (1943 – 1 June 2023) was an English-born Irish card reader and author, notable for her appearance on ''The Psychic Zone'' on Dublin's 98 and occasional guest slots on TV3's ''Ireland AM'' series. She had previously worked with the B ...

, medium and broadcaster * Paddy Prendergast, racehorse trainer * James Quinn, bishop *

William Henry Rattigan Sir William Henry Rattigan, KC (4 September 1842 – 4 July 1904) was a British lawyer, judge, legal writer, and Liberal Unionist MP for North East Lanarkshire. Life and career Rattigan was born in Delhi, India, in September 1842, the son of Bar ...

* Brendan Ryan, Cork politician *Sir

, explorer *

Christopher St Lawrence, 10th Baron Howth Christopher St Lawrence, 10th Baron Howth (c. 1568–1619) was an Anglo-Irish statesman and soldier of the Elizabethan and Jacobean era. His personal charm made him a favourite of two successive English monarchs, and he was also a soldier of gre ...

Joe Stynes Joseph Andrew Stynes (15 January 1903 – 29 January 1991)Jim Stynes 1995, p.18 was an Irish Republican and a sportsman, excelling in particular at Gaelic football and soccer. In Dublin Stynes was born in Newbridge, County Kildare, and attend ...

, Irish republican and sportsman *

Robert Stearne Tighe Robert Stearne Tighe (1760–1835) was an Irish writer and Fellow of the Royal Society. Life He was the son of Richard Stearne Tighe (died December 1761), Member of the Irish House of Commons for Athy, and his wife Arabella, daughter of Sir John ...

, Irish writer and Fellow of the Royal Society * Jack Wall, politician * Wendy F. Walsh, artist *

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (; 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British Army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during t ...

* Zoltan Zinn-Collis, Slovak survivor of the Holocaust, author of ''Final Witness''; one of only five living survivors of the Holocaust in Ireland; died in his Athy home in Ireland on 10 December 2012

References

External links

Athy, Kildare County Council

"Eye On The Past" column by local historian Frank Taaffe
{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Kildare Former urban districts in the Republic of Ireland Former boroughs in the Republic of Ireland