Leixlip Spa
Leixlip Spa is located beside the Royal Canal, Intel and the Rye River at Louisa Bridge. The site is 4 Ha in size. Access to the site is beside Louisa Bridge Train Station along the canal towpath. The sites origin can be traced back to the construction of the Royal Canal. In 1793 while work was being carried out on the canal construction at Louisa Bridge a warm spring was discovered. The spring was diverted to the far side of the embankment and a hexagonal well was constructed into the embankment to house the Spring. This is still present today. The well allowed passengers travelling along the towpath to draw a bucket of the water from the well without alighting from their carriage. The warm spring water is rich in minerals particularly Iron. At the time that the spring was discovered an established practise of taking the ‘cure’ from mineral waters was popular. This was due to the fact that mineral water was considered to have health properties. Consequently the site became popular for this reason particularly with the poor and it rivalled Lucan Spa in popularity. Water from the well was directed by means of a pipe to the Roman bath present on the site where people would bathe in the warm waters. Thomas Connolly descendant of Speaker Connolly who lived in Castletown Demenese and owned the land the Spa was located on had plans to develop a hotel at the site. However he died before these plans were realised. In the early 1800’s the use of the site as a spa declined in popularity and the features associated with its use as a Spa, The hexagonal well and Roman Bath became derelict.
From the late 1800’s to today the value of the site as a nature habitat has become of primary importance both locally, nationally and within Europe due to the type of habitat and the rarity of plants and animals within it. This has culminated in the site being designated a candidate Special Area of Conservation. This designation as an SAC means the site is legally protected under European Regulations. This designation is due to the presence and rarity of cold petrifying springs which occur through the site and the habitat they create. These springs are lime rich. The lime is deposited where the Springs emerge from underground. These deposits are know as tufa which support sensitive plant habitats.
The mineral rich warm spring water emerges at the Well. This is considered rare due to the minerals contained within it. The site also contains a number of other rare and legally protected species of fish, animals, plants and two semi aquatic snails species. It also has good examples of dry grassland vegetation which is in decline in Ireland. On the perimeter of the site there is plentiful tree and scrub cover which gives rise to an important habitat for birds.
Kildare County Council has been responsible for the site since 1979. In the early 1980’s Leixlip Spa Committee was established to oversee the management and conservation of the site. The committee comprises a number of Government and non Government bodies who have an interest in the site. These include Kildare County Council, Leixlip Town Council, Intel, National Parks & Wildlife Services, Inland Waterways, Dublin Naturalists Field Club and Leixlip Tidy Town Association. In the last five years work has been ongoing in the conservation of the site and its various features of interest. This work has included commissioning studies into understanding the hydrology and ecology of the site. In addition studies have also been done of the architectural features such as the Roman Bath and Toll Collectors House. Resulting from these a Conservation Management Plan has been developed for the site which aims to provide a coordinated approach to the conservation of the various aspects of interest on the site. This will inform the works proposed for the site over the next few years.