Leixlip Spa

The Leixlip Spa (Irish: Spá Léim an Bhradáin) situated close to the Royal Canal, Ireland at Louisa Bridge was discovered in 1793 by a group of workmen excavating for the canal. William Conolly, who acquired Leixlip Castle in 1732, planned to develop the spa into a classical thermal spa, but to no avail.[1]

Leixlip Spa
Spá Léim an Bhradáin
Leixlip Spa in December 2011
LocationLeixlip, Ireland
Coordinates53.371855°N 6.505840°W / 53.371855; -6.505840
Site notes
Discovered1793

The spa waters bubble from the ground at a constant 23.9 degrees Celsius (75 degrees F) and drain into the Rye River below. The spa was widely used over the years but since the 1960s it has fallen into disrepair. To preserve the spa, a committee was set up from members of Leixlip Town Council, Kildare County Council, An Taisce, Duchas and the Irish National History Museum.[1][2]

History
Waterfall at Leixlip Spa

The Royal Canal was built to compete with the Grand Canal and was conceived by a disgruntled member of the Grand Canal Board. The Royal Canal was to be 146 kilometres long and construction began in 1790.[3]

The area around Leixlip where the spa was built saw one of the most expensive civil engineering tasks ever undertaken in Ireland as the canal (built alongside the newly discovered spa) had to cross the Rye Water valley, 26 metres (85 ft) below the level of the canal - because of this feat it is considered that this area is one of the most important in terms of engineering and industrial archaeology. The engineering effort took 6 years to complete and cost more than €200 million by today’s standards, it still remains today a local attraction of Leixlip.[3]

In recent years, the level of the spa was dropped by 0.6 metres (two feet) by a pump to reveal the capstones surrounding the spa. The site was thick in sludge, although the water was quite clear. Domestic rubbish including the usual refrigerators, shoes, and jackets were removed. It is now the responsibility of the Kildare County Council and Leixlip Town Council to continue with the work to restore the spa which is part of Ireland's National Heritage and an important feature in the Kildare area.[3]

References
  1. Hynes, Siobhan (2003). "The Royal Canal at Leixlip and the Leixlip Spa" (PDF). Inland Waterways News. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2005.
  2. "Leixlip Spa Committee". Leixlip Town Council. 4 April 2003. Archived from the original on 14 March 2005.
  3. "Leixlip Spa". IWAI Kildare. Archived from the original on 19 December 2005.
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