Send flowers to Leixlip, County Kildare

Leixlip is a town in north-east County Kildare, about 16 km west of Dublin city centre, where the River Liffey meets the Rye Water. The name comes from the Old Norse lax hlaup, meaning salmon leap, and the Irish name Léim an Bhradáin says the same. At the 2022 census the town had 16,733 people, which makes it the fifth largest town in Kildare. Parts of its outskirts lie in County Dublin, so the postal address is not always a guide to the county.

A frontier town

Leixlip has always sat on a border: between the ancient kingdoms of Leinster and Brega, at the edge of the Pale, and today between Kildare and Dublin. The first settlement was a Viking outpost at the point where longships could travel no further up the Liffey. Leixlip Castle, built on a rock above the confluence, dates in its central part from 1172 and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited buildings in Ireland. In 1756 Arthur Guinness brewed his first ales in the town, before moving to St James's Gate in 1759.

Castletown House, the first grand Palladian house in Ireland, is across the boundary in Celbridge but has an entrance from Leixlip, and the Wonderful Barn nearby was built in 1743 with its stairs spiralling around the outside. The Salmon Leap waterfall on the Liffey was flooded by the hydroelectric dam completed in 1945. These landmarks are useful if you need to describe a location to a florist.

Two stations, two ends

Leixlip is the only town in the Republic of Ireland with two working railway stations: Louisa Bridge, opened in 1848, and Confey, opened in 1990, one at each end of the town. The Maynooth and Longford commuter trains call at both. That helps to explain the town's character, with many residents commuting to Dublin, and it is a useful guide when ordering. Confey is the newer, western end with its own parish, St Charles Borromeo, while the older Louisa Bridge side belongs to Our Lady's Nativity parish, and each has its own sense of identity.

When you place an order, give the full Eircode and the estate name, because the two halves of the town contain many similar road names. Intel owns a fabrication plant in the town, and some people receive flowers at work there. If the delivery is to a large employer, ask the recipient for the building, the department and a contact phone number, and choose a day when they will be on site.

Marking occasions

The Leixlip Festival, previously the Salmon Festival, has been held every year since 1990 on the June bank holiday weekend, with live music, a street carnival and fireworks. A bouquet for an organiser, a performer or a family celebrating at home that weekend is a thoughtful touch. Birthdays, anniversaries, new babies and graduations are the other main occasions. Roses suit an anniversary, mixed seasonal flowers a birthday, and a small posy in soft colours a new arrival.

Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent, and it is wise to choose the date as early as you can. St Brigid's Day on 1 February is another date, and the first Monday of February is a holiday.

Funerals and sympathy

In Kildare as everywhere in Ireland, funerals tend to be held two or three days after a death. The removal is usually the evening before, and some families wake at home. Death notices on rip.ie give the details and may ask for family flowers only, or for donations. If so, send a card or a Mass card. Where flowers are welcome, white or cream arrangements are traditional. The three Leixlip parishes, Our Lady's Nativity, Confey and the Church of Ireland parish of St Mary's, each have their own churches, so check which one the service is in before choosing an address.

A few ordering tips

Add the recipient's full name, the Eircode and a mobile number. Choose a delivery date that avoids days when the family is likely to be out, such as the festival weekend or a school holiday. If the bouquet is a surprise, name a neighbour who can accept it, and keep the message short and warm.

Did you know? Leixlip is the only town in the Republic of Ireland with two operational railway stations, Louisa Bridge and Confey.