Leixlip Trip Overview
Take a historic and leisurely relaxed stroll through the Main Street and the Rye River Walkway, Leixlip, Co Kildare.
This tour brings to life the events that shaped the town we know today.
From Viking raids to the Norman invasion to Modern day Leixlip, this tour will surprise you and open your mind and you will soon realise how historic Leixlip actually is.
Learn about the founding of Leixlip when the Viking settelers once called this place home all those years ago.
Discover how the Anglo-Normans then took over and built such huge structures like Leixlip Castle and St Marys Church, and find out the connections with Maynooth Castle and Confey Castle
Grave robbing
Visit the home town of Guinness and discover how it all began for Arthur Guinness here in this little village.
The Rye River and how it powered a booming Rye River Whiskey Distillery
And much more hidden secrets and gems.
The walk typically takes 90 minutes and can be tailored to the interests of the group.
Additional Info
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Starts: Leixlip, Ireland
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Leixlip Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Leixlip, County Kildare, Ireland
Take a historic and leisurely relaxed stroll through the Main Street and the Rye River Walkway, Leixlip, Co Kildare.
This tour brings to life the events that shaped the town we know today.
From Viking raids to the Norman invasion to Modern day Leixlip, this tour will surprise you and open your mind and you will soon realise how historic Leixlip actually is.
Learn about the founding of Leixlip when the Viking settelers once called this place home all those years ago.
Discover how the Anglo-Normans then took over and built such huge structures like Leixlip Castle and St Marys Church, and find out the connections with Maynooth Castle and Confey Castle
Grave robbing
Visit the home town of Guinness and discover how it all began for Arthur Guinness here in this little village.
The Rye River and how it powered a booming Rye River Whiskey Distillery
And much more hidden secrets and gems.
The walk typically takes 90 minutes and can be tailored to the interests of the group.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Discover Leixlip Walking Tours, leixlip, Leixlip W23 VF67 Ireland
The Vikings. Raiders and settelrs that once called Leixlip Home.
The Normans, Leixlip Castle and St. Marys Church
The Boat House and confluence of the Rye and River Liffey.
The Home of Guinness, Arthur Guinness and the Brewery.
Leixlip WW1 Memorial / Private Eoin McCauley.
William Roantree and the Fenians.
Captains Hill and Leixlip House
1916 Ester Rising Memoiral
The Penal Church
Rye River walk
Rye River Old Whiskey Distillery
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Leixlip Castle, Castlecourt Main Street, Leixlip Ireland
Built on a rock at the confluence of the River Liffey and the Rye Water, the central part of the castle dates from 1172, just after the Norman Invasion of 1169 / 70 and is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited buildings in Ireland, pre-dating Dublin Castle by 30 years and Maynooth Castle by 32 years. .
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: St Mary’s Church of Ireland, Saint Mary’s Church Main Street, Leixlip Ireland
Located in the heart of Leixlip village. Built at the confluence of the rivers Liffey and Rye, the site has been a place of Christian worship for at least eight hundred years.
Destroyed by the forces of Robert Bruce in 1317.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Rye River, Leixlip Ireland
The Rye runs north of Kilcock and Maynooth. Maynooth Castle is built between the Lyreen and its tributary the Joan Slade River. The Lyreen and Rye meet to the east of Maynooth and flow on through the estate of Carton House. In the estate, the river was widened to form an ornamental lake within the Georgian parklands, further enhanced by an ornamental bridge and boathouse.
The Rye then flows under the Royal Canal, which is carried in the Leixlip aqueduct almost 100 feet (30m) above. The aqueduct is in fact an earth embankment, which took six years to build in the 1790s.
The Rye then descends into the heart of Leixlip. Here the river was harnessed by mills. Later the Rye Vale distillery was built, producing more than 20,000 gallons of whiskey annually in 1837. The distillery closed for good in the 1890s and the distillery has since been converted into apartments. The Rye then flows under the Rye Bridge to the confluence with the Liffey near the existing Boat House of Leixlip demesne.
Duration: 10 minutes