Cellbridge

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Location: Cellbridge, Co. Kildare

Cellbridge / Cill Droichid

No small country town wanting to be recognised for its charm and character could ask for a better setting than that of Cellbridge. The River Liffey flows strongly through the village, and its gentle burble lends an air of peaceful, watery stillness.

Like Maynooth, Cellbridge was planned to complement the nearby manor house, in this case Castletown House. It’s main street runs right up to the entrance of the great estate, and from there a long avenue leads to the sweeping gravel forecourt of the house.

The gothic Revival Celbridge Abbey, in the town, was the home of Esther Vanhomrigh, Jonathan Swift’s ‘Vanessa’ (1690-1723). She was regurlarly visited by the Dean, and at the river’s edge is a seat which is said to have been their favourite retreat. The abbey is now occupied by a religious order and visits are by arrangement only.

In the town, on the river bank, is the old work house, a striking neo-Gothic structure with diamond paned windows, built in 1841. It has recently been partly restored and is now used as a factory.