Celbridge Chronology
Key Dates in the history of Celbridge
c450 St Patrick in Ardrass.
c570 St Mochua baptises converts at well on site of Mill near Liffey.
c1150 Stone church at ancient monastic site of Donaghcumper.
1176 First mention of church of Stacumny.
1202 Abbey at St Wolstan’s founded for Adam de Hereford.
1308 John Le Decer’s bridge constructed at Salmon Leap. When it was removed for a hydro electric scheme in 1939 it was the oldest surviving bridge in Ireland.
1314 Mention of village of Kildrought in Naas court case.
c1350 Kildrought church built.
1257 Thomas Fitzgerald takes possession of Kildrought.
1536 Abbey at St Wolstan’s becomes first monastery in Ireland to be dissolved by Henry VIII (September).
1537 John Alen takes possession of Kildrought.
1647 Eoghan Rua Ó Néill and Thomas Preston pitch their joint camp in Celbridge, preparing for an attack on Dublin which never took place.
1654 Population of Kildrought recorded at 102 by Down Survey.
1552 Gerald Sutton takes possession of Kildrought.
1557 David Sutton takes possession of Kildrought.
1581 David Sutton executed.
1583 Humphrey Warren takes possession of Kildrought.
1587 John Dongan takes possession of Kildrought.
1592 Walter Dongan takes possession of Kildrought.
1627 John Dongan takes possession of Kildrought.
1661 William Dongan takes possession of Kildrought on death of his brother, created Earl of Limerick 1685, d1715.
1703 Celbridge Abbey constructed by Bartholomew Van Homrigh.
1709 William Conolly purchases Kildrought from Thomas Dongan.
1714 Year in which Cell-bridge rather than Kildrought became the name of the town, it is quickly shortened to Celbridge.
1720 William Conolly lays down conditions for development of Main Street, including a requirement for chimneys and gables. Redevelopment begins with construction of Kildrought House for Robert Baillie.
1720 Visit of Jonathan Swift to Esther Vanhomrigh (Vanessa) at Celbridge Abbey, Celbridge’s most famous love affair.
1722 Construction of Castletown House commences.
1722 Richard Guinness, father of Arthur, opens brewery for Arthur Price on present site of Holy Faith convent.
1724 Oakley Park built to a design by Thomas Burgh for Arthur Price, newly appointed Bishop of Meath.
1729 Death of William Conolly, William Conolly (nephew) inherits land, his widow Katherine Conyngham Conolly is willed the right to live in Castletown house for life and lived on until 1752.
1732 Collegiate School is built as a charity school to design by Thomas Burgh.
1739 Celbridge Obelisk is built as famine relief scheme.
1750 Jassamine Lodge, later Mulligan’s house, is built at corner of Main St and Maynooth Road.
1754 Tom Conolly inherits Castletown, he marries Louisa Lennox in 1758.
1755 Lord Lieutenant William Cavendish, later Prime Minister of England, uses Castletown house as his summer base.
1765 First factory in Ireland opened by John Wynn Baker in Elm Hall, manufacturing agricultural implements. It was destroyed by fire in 1767.
1798 Rebellion leads to burning of several houses and old church on Tea Lane.
1802 Celbridge bridge destroyed by flood.
1803 Death of Thomas Conolly, Lady Louisa Lennox Conolly lives on in Castletown House until 1821.
1805 Celbridge “Manor” Mills opened by Laurence Atkinson.
1813 First Church of Ireland built at Castletown Gates. Celbridge Mills closes and reopens when Jeremiah Houghton joins Atkinson as partner.
1815 Daniel O’Connell challenged by Robert Peel to duel at Celbridge which never takes place.
1821 Edward Pakenham inherits Castletown, changes name to Conolly.
1839 Construction of Celbridge workhouse commences.
1846 Hazelhatch railway station opens.
1848 Thomas Conolly II inherits Castletown.
1849 Abbey National School opened.
1876 Thomas Conolly III inherits Castletown.
1900 Edward Conolly inherits Castletown after his brother is killed at Uitval.
1921 Celbridge bridge badly damaged during War of Independence.
1923 Celbridge born Anthony O’Reilly executed following his capture after battle of Pike’s Bridge.
1923 Tower bus service commences linking Celbridge to Dublin city centre.
1931 Weston Aerodrome established by Darby Kennedy.
1933 Union paint factory opens on site of Celbridge workhouse.
1934 The 67 bus service commences.
1939 Celbridge Garda station opens.
1947 Hazelhatch railway station closes.
1956 Bill Carew inherits Castletown.
1957 St Wolstan’s secondary school for girls opened by Holy Faith Sisters.
1965 Castletown House and estate sold to Rhatigans.
1966 Celbridge born Aidan Higgins wins James Tait Black Memorial Prize for literature.
1967 Celbridge rezoned for rapid growth under the Kildare Development Plan.
1967 Desmond Guinness purchases Castletown House to save it from development and establishes headquarters of the Irish Georgian Society there.
1969 Permission was granted for the first development of 400 houses within Castletown Gates.
1973 Collegiate school closes. Pupils are transferred to Kilkenny College.
1977 French electrical group Telemecanique group open factory on Maynooth road (closed by Schnieder MGTE group 2003).
1979 The Castletown Foundation takes over Castletown House, it eventually passes to Dúchas and the OPW.
1981 Salesian secondary school for boys.
1982 Celbridge Mills closes for final time.
1986 Census lists Celbridge as the fastest growing town in Ireland with a growth rate of 54.9pc.
1994 Hazelhatch station reopens to passengers.
2002 St Wolstan’s girls’ school moves to Ballymakealy.