View source for Athy

{{Short description|Town in County Kildare, Ireland}}
{{Other uses}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Athy
| native_name        = {{lang|ga|Baile Átha Í}}
| native_name_lang   = ga
| settlement_type    = Town
| image_skyline      = River Barrow and WhitesCastle Athy.JPG
| image_caption      = River Barrow, Crom-a-Boo Bridge and White's Castle
| pushpin_map        = Ireland
| pushpin_label_position = right
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Ireland
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = Ireland
| subdivision_type1  = [[Provinces of Ireland|Province]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Leinster]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Counties of Ireland|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[County Kildare]]
| unit_pref          = Metric
| population_as_of   = [[2022 census of Ireland|2022]]
| population_total   = 11,035
| population_footnotes = <ref name="cso2022">{{cite web|title=Census 2022 - F1015 Population|work=Central Statistics Office Census 2022 Reports |publisher=[[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|Central Statistics Office Ireland]] |date=August 2023 |url=https://data.cso.ie/table/F1015 |access-date=16 September 2023 }}</ref>
| area_code_type     = [[Telephone numbers in the Republic of Ireland|Telephone area code]]
| area_code          = 059
| postal_code_type   = [[Eircode]]
| postal_code        = R14
| timezone           = [[Western European Time|WET]]
| utc_offset         = 0
| timezone_DST       = [[Irish Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset_DST     = +1
| coordinates        = {{coord|52.99197|-6.98698|dim:100000_region:IE|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_m        = 71
| elevation_ft       = 233
| blank_name         = Irish Grid Reference
| blank_info         = {{iem4ibx|S680939}}
| website            = {{URL|www.athy.ie}}
| footnotes          = 
}}
'''Athy''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|θ|aɪ}} {{Respell|ə|THY}};<ref name=Merriam/> {{Irish place name|Baile Átha Í|[town of the] ford of Ae}}<ref name="Field 1980 26">{{Cite book|title=Place-names of Great Britain and Ireland|last=Field|first=John|date=1980|publisher=David & Charles|isbn=0389201545|location=Newton Abbot, Devon|oclc=6964610|page=26}}</ref>) is a market town at the meeting of the [[River Barrow]] and the [[Grand Canal of Ireland|Grand Canal]] in south-west [[County Kildare]], Ireland, 72 kilometres southwest of [[Dublin]]. A population of 11,035 (as of the [[2022 census of Ireland|2022 census]]) made it the sixth largest town in Kildare and the [[List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland|45th largest in the Republic of Ireland]], a growth of 82% since the 2002 census.<ref name="cso2022"/>

==Name==
[[File:Prima Europae tabula (7537877008).jpg|thumbnail|left|Ptolemy's map]]
[[File:County Kildare - Athy Town Hall - 20180925211335.jpg|thumb|[[Athy Town Hall]]]]
Athy or {{lang|ga|Baile Átha Í}} is named after a 2nd-century [[Celts|Celtic]] chieftain, Ae, who is said to have been killed on the river crossing, thus giving the town its name "the town of Ae's ford".<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://curiousireland.ie/whites-castle-athy-co-kildare-1417/|title=White's Castle, Athy. co.Kildare 1417|work=Curious Ireland|access-date=2017-11-04|language=en-US|archive-date=2 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702050719/http://curiousireland.ie/whites-castle-athy-co-kildare-1417/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Field 1980 26"/>

The ''Letters of the Ordnance Survey'' (1837) note that "The town is now called by the few old people who speak Irish there and in the Queen's County <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Laois]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>, {{lang|ga|"baile átha Aoi"}}, pronounced Blahéé", where ''éé'' stands for English 'ee' [i:] as clarified by a note written in pencil in Irish as ''Blá thí''.<ref>''Letters of the Ordnance Survey'', 1837, vol, II, 13 (26 November).</ref>

==History==
According to [[Elizabethan]] historian [[William Camden]], [[Ptolemy]]'s map of Ireland circa 150 AD names the Rheban district along the [[River Barrow]] as Ῥαίβα.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S5ZEAQAAMAAJ&q=Ptolemy+Rheban&pg=PA161|title=Anthologia Hibernica: Or, Monthly Collections of Science, Belles-lettres, and History, for September 1793 - Volume 2|last1=Mercier|first1=Richard Edward|last2=Moore|first2=Thomas|publisher=R. E. Mercier|year=1793|location=Dublin|pages=161}}</ref> Modern [[cartography]], however, dismisses the claim by using [[triangulation]] and [[Algorithm|flocking algorithms]]. This method establishes that Ptolemy's Ῥαίβα was actually located at [[Rathcroghan]], the traditional capital of the&nbsp;[[Connachta]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/ProceedingsOfThe28thInternationalCartographicConferenceJuly2-72017|title=Proceedings of the 28th International Cartographic Conference, July 2-7, 2017, Washington, DC, USA (unofficial)|date=2017}}</ref>

A castle existed at [[Rheban Castle|Rheban]] from the Norman period onward.

The town at Athy developed from a 12th-century [[Anglo-Normans|Anglo-Norman]] settlement to an important stronghold on the local estates of the FitzGerald [[Duke of Leinster|earls of Kildare]], who built and owned the town for centuries.

[[Athy Priory]], a Dominican monastery, was founded in 1253.

The [[Irish Confederate Wars|Confederate Wars]] of the 1640s were played out in many arenas throughout Ireland, and Athy—for a period of eight years—was one of the centres of war involving the Royalists, Parliamentarians and the Confederates. The town was bombarded by cannon fire many times and the [[Dominicans in Ireland|Dominican]] Monastery, the local castles and the town's bridge (dating from 1417) all succumbed to the destructive forces of the cannonball. The current bridge, the Crom-a-Boo Bridge, was built in 1796,<ref>{{cite web |last=Taaffe |first=Frank |url=http://athyeyeonthepast.blogspot.ie/1996/05/bridge-of-athy.html |title=Athy Eye on the Past: The Bridge of Athy |publisher=Athyeyeonthepast.blogspot.ie |date=23 May 1996 |access-date=27 November 2013 |archive-date=3 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203021745/http://athyeyeonthepast.blogspot.ie/1996/05/bridge-of-athy.html |url-status=live }}</ref> with the foundation stone laid by the [[William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster|Duke of Leinster]].<ref>{{cite web |title=RESTORATION OF MARKINGS ON ATHY BRIDGE TO BE INVESTIGATED |url=https://kildare-nationalist.ie/2022/10/19/restoration-of-markings-on-athy-bridge-to-be-investigated/ |website=Kildare Nationalist |access-date=11 December 2022}}</ref>

The first town charter dates from 1515 and [[Athy Town Hall]] was constructed in around 1745.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/11505332/athy-town-hall-emily-square-athy-athy-kildare  |title=Athy Town Hall, Emily Square, Athy, County Kildare|publisher=National Inventory of Architectural Heritage|access-date=6 November 2023}}</ref> The completion of the [[Grand Canal of Ireland|Grand Canal]] in 1791, linking here with the River Barrow, and the arrival of the railway in 1846, illustrate the importance of the town as a commercial centre. From early on in its history Athy was a garrison town loyal to the Crown. English garrisons stayed in the barracks in Barrack Lane after the [[Crimean War]] and contributed greatly to the town's commerce. Home for centuries to English soldiers, Athy gave more volunteer soldiers to the Great War of 1914–18 than any other town of similar size in Ireland.

===Centre of Hiberno-English===
[[File:Athy Duke Street.jpg|thumb|left|Duke Street]]
Athy has evolved as a centre for [[Hiberno-English]], the mix of the Irish and English language traditions. A dialect starting with [[old Irish]] beginnings, evolved through Norman and English influences, dominated by a church whose first language was [[Latin]] and educated through Irish. Athy in particular was a mixing pot of languages that led to modern Hiberno-English. Positioned at the edge of [[the Pale]], sandwiched between the Irish and English speaking partitions, Athy traded language between the landed gentry, the middle class merchants, the English working class garrison soldiers and the local peasantry. Many locals words borrow from the Irish tradition, such as "bokety", "fooster" or "sleeveen", while words like "kip", "cop-on" or even "grinds" have their origins in [[Old English|Old]] or [[Middle English]].

This tradition of spoken word led to a lyrical approach to composition and perhaps explains the disproportionate number of writers Athy has produced. Athy becomes subject and object of creative endeavours – the traditional folk song, "[[Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye]]", is a prime example. Other songs in this tradition include "[[Lanigan's Ball]]" and "Maid of Athy".<ref>Christy Moore, Paddys on the Road. Mercury Records 1969, produced by Dominic Behan</ref> Another song of note from the area is called "The [[Curragh]] Of [[Kildare]]", the first song collected by [[Robbie Burns]].<ref>History Ireland http://www.historyireland.com/20th-century-contemporary-history/nicknames-a-directory-of-occupations-geographies-prejudices-and-habits/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106142732/http://www.historyireland.com/20th-century-contemporary-history/nicknames-a-directory-of-occupations-geographies-prejudices-and-habits/ |date=6 January 2014 }}</ref> Athy is also the surname of a minor character in [[James Joyce]]'s ''[[Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man]]'', who tells [[Stephen Dedalus]], the protagonist, that they both have strange surnames and makes a joke about County Kildare being like a pair of breeches because it has Athy in it. [[Patrick Kavanagh]] alludes to Athy in his poem ''Lines Written on a Seat on the [[Grand Canal (Ireland)|Grand Canal, Dublin]]'': "And look! a barge comes bringing from Athy / And other far-flung towns mythologies."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tcd.ie/English/patrickkavanagh/lineswrittenonaseat.html |title=Patrick Kavanagh, Lines Written on a Seat on the Grand Canal, Dublin |publisher=Tcd.ie |access-date=29 January 2014 |archive-date=3 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003164539/http://www.tcd.ie/English/patrickkavanagh/lineswrittenonaseat.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Birth of motor racing===
[[File:1903 Gordon Bennett Trophy. Athy, Ireland. Alexander Winton in the Winton Bullet 2.jpg|thumb|right|1903 Gordon Bennett Trophy. Athy. [[Alexander Winton]] in the ''Winton Bullet 2'']]
{{main|1903 Gordon Bennett Cup}}
On 2 July 1903, the [[Gordon Bennett Cup in auto racing|Gordon Bennett Cup race]] routed through Athy. It was the first international motor race to be held in Britain or Ireland. The [[Royal Automobile Club|Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland]] wanted the race to be hosted in the British Isles, and Ireland was suggested as the venue because racing was illegal on British public roads. After some lobbying and changes to local laws, County Kildare was chosen, partly because the straightness of the roads would be a safety benefit. As a compliment to Ireland the British team chose to race in [[Variations of green#Shamrock green|Shamrock green]] which thus became known as [[British racing green]].<ref name=Leinster/><ref name=Champanellois/><ref name="Forix GBT 1903"/><ref name="Forix Gordon B"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kildare.ie/heritage/Gordon-Bennett-Race/Leinster-Leader-11-04-1903-2.asp |title=Leinster Leader April 1903 – Review of the coming Gordon Bennett Race |publisher=Kildare.ie |date=11 April 1903 |access-date=14 January 2010 |archive-date=6 January 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170106115721/http://www.kildare.ie/heritage/Gordon-Bennett-Race/Leinster-Leader-11-04-1903-2.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> The route consisted of several loops of a circuit that passed-through [[Kilcullen]], [[Curragh|The Curragh]], [[Kildare]], [[Monasterevin]], [[Stradbally]] and Athy, followed by another loop through [[Castledermot]], [[Carlow]] and Athy again. The {{convert|328|mi|km|0|adj=on}} race was won by the Belgian racer [[Camille Jenatzy]], driving a Mercedes.<ref name=Leinster/><ref name=Bleacher/>

==Places of interest==
{{Further|Kilkea Castle}}
[[File:Athy Court House 020512.jpg|thumb|right|[[Athy Courthouse]]]]
*'''[[Athy Courthouse]]''': Athy's courthouse was designed by Frederick Darley and built in the 1850s; it was originally the town's corn exchange.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.courts.ie/Courts.ie/Library3.nsf/0/F289C30271956D9A80256FBF003C6A31?OpenDocument |title=Athy Courthouse : HERITAGE : Courts Service of Ireland |publisher=Courts.ie |date=21 June 2001 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201192544/http://www.courts.ie/Courts.ie/Library3.nsf/0/F289C30271956D9A80256FBF003C6A31?OpenDocument |archive-date=1 February 2014 }}</ref> 
*'''O'Brien's Bar''': One of the town's pubs, Frank O'Brien's Bar, is considered a tourist attraction and was voted one of the top ten Irish bars in the ''[[Sunday Tribune]]'' in 1999.<ref>Sunday Tribune 3 October 1999</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.obriensbar.com/ |title=O'Briens' |publisher=Obriensbar.com |access-date=11 December 2013 |archive-date=4 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104172117/http://obriensbar.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Hardware merchants Griffin Hawe now occupy the town's 6&nbsp;ft. wide and 12&nbsp;ft. high 18th-century [[cockpit]]. 
*'''Kilkea Castle''': [[Kilkea Castle]] is located just 5&nbsp;km (3.1&nbsp;mi) northwest of [[Castledermot]], near the village of [[Kilkea]]. It was a medieval stronghold of [[FitzGerald dynasty|the FitzGeralds]], [[Duke of Leinster|Earls of Kildare]].
*'''[[Woodstock Castle (Athy)|Woodstock Castle]]''': built in the early 13th century to protect the north end of the ford and its western approach. A stone cuboid.
[[File:Athy White Castle 2013 09 03.jpg|thumb|left|Whites Castle]]
*'''[[White's Castle]]''': White's Castle was built in 1417 by [[John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury|Sir John Talbot]], [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland|Viceroy of Ireland]], to protect the bridge over the Barrow and the inhabitants of the Pale. Built into the wall on either side of the original entrance doorway are two sculptured slabs. On the right of the former doorway is the Earl of Kildare's coat of arms, signifying the earl's ownership of the castle in former days. The slab on the left bears the date 1573, and the name Richard Cossen, Sovereign of Athy.
*'''The Moat of Ardscull''': The Moat of Ardscull is the focal point of local legend about "little people". Assumed to have been built in the late 12th or 13th century, the first clear reference to the moat is in 1654 when the "Book of General Orders" noted a request from the inhabitants of County Kildare for the State to contribute £30 "towards the finishing of a Fort that they have built at the Moate of Ardscull".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kildare.ie/community/kilmead/moat.htm |title=Kilmead – Moat of Ardscull |publisher=Kildare.ie |access-date=29 January 2014 |archive-date=1 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001173533/http://kildare.ie/community/kilmead/moat.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
*'''Athy Workhouse''': [[St. Vincent's Hospital, Athy|St Vincent's Hospital]] was formerly the Athy Workhouse. The Athy Poor Law Union was formally declared on 16 January 1841 and covered an area of {{Convert|252|sqmi|abbr=on|}}. The new Athy Union workhouse was erected in 1842–43 on a {{Convert|6.5|acre|ha|abbr=on}} site half a mile (800 m) north-west of Athy. Designed by the Poor Law Commissioners' architect [[George Wilkinson (architect)|George Wilkinson]], the building was based on one of his standard plans to accommodate 600 inmates.<ref>{{cite web|author=Peter Higginbotham |url=http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Athy/ |title=The Workhouse in Athy, Co. Kildare |publisher=Workhouses.org.uk }}</ref>
[[File:Roman Catholic Church of St. Michael, Athy, Co. Kildare - geograph.org.uk - 594578.jpg|thumb|right|St Michael's Roman Catholic Church]]
*'''St Michael's Church''': Originally built in the 14th century. Some of the vestry and side walls have disappeared, but there is still some of the original church remaining. A small cross lies within the church grounds and it is said that a cross or font is buried in a grave, within the ruins. There was at one time an arch that stood in front of St. Michael's but during some renovations many years ago, this was taken down.
*'''Quaker Meeting House''': Built in 1780 and standing on Meeting Lane. The first Quakers in Athy may have been Thomas Weston and his wife who in 1657 "received the truth" from Thomas Loe, an English preacher, who was visiting some friends in [[County Carlow]] (and who later influenced [[William Penn]]).<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/346007/Thomas-Loe |title=Thomas Loe (British minister) |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=29 January 2014 |archive-date=2 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202095343/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/346007/Thomas-Loe |url-status=live }}</ref> They were soon joined by the Bonnett family, the first Quaker family to settle in Carlow. A Quaker meeting was settled in Athy by 1671, the year in which Athy was included in the list of towns where the Leinster Province Meeting was held. The local Quakers met for worship once a week on Wednesdays, and every month a district meeting was held in Carlow to transact church business. Athy, as part of the Carlow district, also sent delegates to the Province's quarterly meetings.
*'''The Dominican Church''': [[Dominican Order|The Dominicans]] arrived in Athy in 1253 or 1257.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dominicans.ie/2013-01-25-14-13-42/2013-01-14-15-54-58/athy |title=Dominicans Ireland – Athy |publisher=Dominicans.ie |date=17 March 1965 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203052230/http://www.dominicans.ie/2013-01-25-14-13-42/2013-01-14-15-54-58/athy |archive-date=3 February 2014 }}</ref> They settled on the eastern bank of the Barrow, first in thatched huts of wood and clay, later in a stone priory and church dedicated to [[Peter of Verona|St Peter Martyr]], one of the earliest saints of the Order. Today, it is the opposite bank of the river that is dominated by the Dominican Church. In November 2015 the Dominicans finally left Athy due to a lack of friars,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholicireland.net/dominicans-bid-emotional-farewell-athy-foundation/|title=Dominicans bid sad farewell to Athy foundation|publisher=Catholic Ireland|date=23 November 2015|access-date=15 May 2016|archive-date=4 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604025521/http://www.catholicireland.net/dominicans-bid-emotional-farewell-athy-foundation/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the church and lands have been bought by Kildare County Council.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kildare.ie/CountyCouncil/PressReleasesAdverts/PressRelease-AthyMultipurposeCommunityFacility.html|title=Press Release - Athy Multipurpose Community Facility|publisher=Kildare County Council|date=1 February 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611032413/http://www.kildare.ie/CountyCouncil/PressReleasesAdverts/PressRelease-AthyMultipurposeCommunityFacility.html|archive-date=11 June 2016}}</ref>  It now operates as the town's local library.
*'''Shackleton Museum''' (formerly Athy Heritage Centre): Athy contains the only permanent exhibition on [[Ernest Shackleton]], who was born at [[Kilkea|Kilkea House]]. The museum has a collection of artefacts from Athy's past as well as artefacts from Shackleton's expeditions. Among the most impressive is a scale model of the ''[[Endurance (1912 ship)|Endurance]]''. Each year the museum arranges and hosts the Shackleton Autumn School, with speakers from around the world discoursing on different aspects of [[Antarctica]] and Shackleton's life.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.athyheritagecentre-museum.ie/ |title=Athy Heritage Centre-Museum |publisher=Athyheritagecentre-museum.ie |date=17 April 2014 |access-date=1 July 2007 |archive-date=10 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070810015411/http://www.athyheritagecentre-museum.ie/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In December 2022, the museum closed temporarily for upgrade works.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-09 |title=Museum closed due to preliminary redevelopment works |url=https://shackletonmuseum.com/3096-2/ |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=Shackleton Museum Athy}}</ref>
*[[File:Aontas Ogra.jpg|thumb|Aontas Ógra Logo]]'''Aontas Ógra''': The local youth club in Athy which was set up, originally, as an Irish-speaking revival in 1956. It soon developed into a youth club and was the first boy-girl youth club in Ireland. It is still well-established to this day as an independent youth club in Kildare and is located now, beside ARCH on the Ballylinan road.
*'''1798 Rebellion Memorial''': This landmark is located in Emily Square and is dedicated to Athy's role in the 1798 Rebellion, as well as a memorial to local people who died during the famine years.

==Population==
Athy was the largest town in Kildare from the first official records in 1813 (population 3,192) until 1891 (population 4,886), and again between 1926 and 1946 and between 1951 and 1961. In 1837 the population was 4,494.<ref name=Lewis/> The 2022 census established the population of Athy at 11,035.<ref name="cso2022"/>
{{Historical populations|state=collapsed|width=22.2em
|1813|3192
|1821|3693
|1831|4494
|1841|4698
|1851|3873
|1861|4124
|1871|4510
|1881|4181
|1891|4886
|1901|3599
|1911|3535
|1926|3460
|1936|3628
|1946|3639
|1951|3752
|1956|3948
|1961|3842
|1966|4069
|1971|4654
|1979|4755
|1981|5565
|1986|5449
|1991|5204
|1996|5306
|2002|6058
|2006|7943
|2011|9587
|2016|9677
|2022|11035
|footnote=
<ref name=cso/><ref name=HisPop/><ref name=nisra/><ref name=Lee/><ref name=Mokyr/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011vol1andprofile1/Table_6.pdf|title=Census 2011 – Population Classified by Area|location=Table 6 Population of each province, county, city, urban area, rural area and electoral division, 2006 and 2011|page=62|publisher=[[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|CSO]]|work=Census 2011|date=2011|access-date=13 January 2018|archive-date=20 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120075421/http://cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011vol1andprofile1/Table_6.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="sapmap2016">{{cite web | url = http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=ST2016&Geog_Code=924E80A0-9FB9-44B5-BEA0-F7E3C6279A2A#SAPMAP_T1_100 | publisher = [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|CSO]] | work = Census 2016 | title = Sapmap Area - Settlements - Athy | date = 2016 | access-date = 12 January 2018 | archive-date = 13 January 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180113150251/http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=ST2016&Geog_Code=924E80A0-9FB9-44B5-BEA0-F7E3C6279A2A#SAPMAP_T1_100 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="cso2022"/>
}}

==Transport ==
[[File:Barrow Rail Bridge Athy.JPG|thumb|right|Barrow railway bridge]]

===Road===
The town is located on the [[N78 road|N78]] [[national secondary road]] where it crosses the [[R417 road|R417]] [[Regional road (Ireland)|regional road]]. In 2010 the N78 was re-aligned so that it no longer heads from Athy towards Kilcullen and Dublin via Ardscull, but now connects with the M9 motorway near Mullamast.  The old Athy-Kilcullen section of the road previously known as the N78 is now the R418.

As in December 2021, the N78 Athy Southern Distributor Road (Bypass) has been awarded tender, and is about to go to construction. This should be open to traffic by the end of 2023, and will take up to 8000 vehicles a day out of the town centre.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

===Rail===
Athy is connected to the [[Rail transport in Ireland|Irish rail network]] via the [[Dublin]]–[[Waterford]] main line. [[Athy railway station]] opened on 4 August 1846 and closed for goods traffic on 6 September 1976.<ref name=AthSta/> There is a disused siding to the Tegral Slate factory (formerly Asbestos Cement factory). This is all that is left of the former branch to Wolfhill colliery. This side line was built by the United Kingdom government in 1918 due to wartime shortage of coal in Ireland. The concrete bridge over the River Barrow on this branch is one of the earliest concrete railway under-bridges in Ireland.

===Bus===
[[JJ Kavanagh and Sons|JJ Kavanagh's]] route 717<ref>{{cite web |title=JJ Kavanagh Route 717 timetable |url=https://ticketbooking.jjkavanagh.ie/timetableclassic/Details/?RouteId=1&IsCollegeRoute=False&Direction=11&TTMId=24 |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=19 July 2023 |website=jjkavanagh.ie}}</ref> and [[Go-Ahead Ireland]]'s route 130 and 130a<ref>{{Cite web |title=130 - Athy – Kilcullen – Naas - Dublin |url=https://www.goaheadireland.ie/services/7778006/130 |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=www.goaheadireland.ie |language=en}}</ref> serves the town frequently. South Kildare Community Transport also operates two routes from the town serving outlying villages and rural areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://skct.ie/Athy_Newbridge%20Timetable%20June%202013.pdf |title=Athy Newbridge Timetable June 2013 |access-date=2014-05-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518002005/http://skct.ie/Athy_Newbridge%20Timetable%20June%202013.pdf |archive-date=18 May 2014 }}</ref>

Line '897' ''Kilkenny – Castlecomer – Carlow – Athy'' connects the town with Kilkenny.<ref>{{cite web|title=Route 897 Kilkenny to Athy|publisher=Transport for Ireland|url=https://www.transportforireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/TFI-LL-CKW-R897-Dec22-V6.pdf}}</ref>

==Sport==
[[Athy GAA]] was formed in 1887, and its playing pitches in the early days changed several times until 1905. In 1905 the club rented a field at the Dublin road from the South Kildare Agricultural Society—the present day [[Geraldine Park]]. The club had the initiative in those early days to erect a [[Palisade|paling]] around the pitch and was the first club in Leinster to do so. This initiative and the club's effort were rewarded when the [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|All-Ireland finals]] were played in Athy [[1906 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|in 1906]].

[[Athy Rugby Club]] was founded in 1880 and is a five-time winner of the [[Leinster Towns Cup]], most recently winning it in 2025.

Athy Golf Club was formed in 1906 as a nine-hole course and was extended to 18 holes in 1993. The course had a par of 71 and it extended to 6,400 yards from the medal tees. It is situated at Geraldine, a mile from town on the Kildare Road.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.athygolfclub.com/ |title=Welcome to Athy Golf Club |publisher=Athygolfclub.com |access-date=11 June 2007 |archive-date=10 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610125747/http://www.athygolfclub.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Among the longer-standing sports clubs in the area is [[Athy Cricket Club]], which was founded in 1872 and was one of the first cricket clubs in Kildare.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cricket Clubs that are no more |url=https://www.cricketleinster.ie/news/cricket-clubs-that-are-no-more |website=www.cricketleinster.ie |access-date=13 June 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

Tri-Athy is a [[triathlon]] event held in Athy on the June Bank Holiday weekend.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://my.triathy.ie/|title=HOME|website=TriAthy 2020 - The XIV Edition|access-date=12 January 2020|archive-date=12 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112181851/http://my.triathy.ie/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Other sports clubs serving the area include Athy Tennis Club,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.athytennisclub.com/ |title=athy tennis court sport kildare |publisher=Athy Tennis Club |access-date=29 November 2013 |archive-date=4 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104133058/http://athytennisclub.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and Athy Town AFC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.athytownafc.com/ |title=Athy Town AFC |access-date=2013-01-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130327232826/http://www.athytownafc.com/ |archive-date=27 March 2013}}</ref> the club was formed in 1948 and is the main association football club in the town, it has now over 450 members with teams ranging from u4s to two senior adult teams, the junior teams play in the Kildare and District underage league with the senior teams playing in the leinster senior league and the carlow District football league respectively. The club celebrated its 75th birthday in 2023 making it one of the oldest soccer teams in leinster. 
The club play their games in Aldridge park which is situated in the showgrounds with Athy GAA and Athy Rugby club.

==Twinning==
In 2004, the town was twinned with the French town of [[Grandvilliers, Oise|Grandvilliers]] in the [[Oise]]-Picardy ''{{lang|fr|département}}''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/news/566441/twin-towns-love-story-kildare-woman-marries-french-man-she-met-through-athy-grandvilliers-link.html|title=Twin Towns love story: Kildare woman marries French man she met through Athy-Grandvilliers link|newspaper=[[Leinster Leader]]|date=14 August 2020|access-date=19 August 2021|archive-date=19 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819110153/https://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/news/566441/twin-towns-love-story-kildare-woman-marries-french-man-she-met-through-athy-grandvilliers-link.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The French twinning committee is named "La Balad'Irlandaise",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grandvilliers.fr/fr/association/1/26722/comite-jumelage-balad-irlandaise|title=Comité de Jumelage La Balad'Irlandaise|website=grandvilliers.fr|language=fr|access-date=19 August 2021|archive-date=21 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221051208/http://www.grandvilliers.fr/fr/association/1/26722/comite-jumelage-balad-irlandaise|url-status=live}}</ref> and official visits take place every two years, while musical and student exchanges take place more regularly.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

==Notable people==
{{more citations needed|section|date=October 2021}}
[[File:HRM EHS p56.jpg|thumb|right|Sir Ernest Shackleton]]
{{See also|Category:People from Athy}}
*[[Joseph Bermingham]], politician
*[[Walter Borrowes]], MP
*[[Thomas Burgh (1754–1832)|Thomas Burgh]], MP
*[[Walter Hussey Burgh]], MP
*[[Joey Carbery]], international rugby player
*[[Seamus Clandillon]], Irish musician, civil servant, and first director of radio broadcasting at 2RN
*[[Thomas Condon (senator)|Thomas Condon]], senator
*[[Sister Consilio]], addiction campaigner 
*[[Dál Cormaic]], Gaelic dynasty located in South Kildare
*[[Francis Cosby]], English soldier and settler in Ireland; implicated in the Massacre of Mullaghmast
*[[Philip Crosthwaite]], businessman and politician
*[[Paul Cullen (bishop)|Paul Cullen]], [[Archbishop of Dublin (Roman Catholic)|Archbishop of Dublin]] and the first Irish [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]]
*[[Des Dalton]], politician
*[[The Danzigers]], American film producers who lived in Bert House
*[[Cecil Day-Lewis]], poet laureate
*[[William de Burgh (MP)|William de Burgh]], MP, anti-slavery campaigner and colleague of [[William Wilberforce]]
*[[Robert Digby (courtier)|Robert Digby]], courtier
*[[Robert Dillon (died 1580)|Robert Dillon]]
*[[Eric Donovan]], Irish boxer and European championships bronze medal winner
*[[Patrick Dooley (politician)|Patrick Dooley]], politician
*[[Johnny Doran]], musician
*[[Charles John Engledow]]
*[[Maurice Eustace (Lord Chancellor)|Maurice Eustace]] (d. 1665), previously MP for Athy and County Kildare
*[[Helen Evans]], ground-breaking academic, activist and member of the [[Edinburgh seven]]
*[[Rory Feely]], footballer
*[[Lesley Fennell]], Irish postwar and contemporary portrait artist
*[[Sir Frederick Falkiner, 1st Baronet|Frederick Falkiner]], MP
*[[Lord Edward FitzGerald]], politician and revolutionary
*[[Lord Henry FitzGerald]]
*[[James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster]]
*[[William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster]]
*[[James H. Flack]]
*[[Michael Foley (Kildare footballer)|Michael Foley]], Kildare footballer
*[[Lydia Foy]], Irish trans activist
*[[William Russell Grace]], businessman and politician
*[[Thomas Colley Grattan]]
*[[John Nassau Greene]], politician
*[[William Hare, 1st Earl of Listowel]]
*[[John Vincent Holland]], [[Victoria Cross]] recipient<ref>{{cite web|title=John Vincent Holland V.C.|url=http://www.hellfirecorner.co.uk/holland.htm|accessdate=5 July 2016}}</ref>
*[[Mark Hughes (footballer, born 1993)|Mark Hughes]], footballer
*[[John Hurt]], British actor who settled in Ballintubbert House
*[[John S. Jackson (geologist)|John S. Jackson]], Irish geologist and environmentalist, believed to be the first environmental consultant in Ireland
*[[Arthur Johnston (priest)|Arthur Johnston]], priest
*[[Thomas Kelly (hymn-writer)|Thomas Kelly]], hymn-writer
*[[Mary Leadbeater]], author and diarist
*[[Thomas Lee (army captain)|Thomas Lee]], soldier and assassin
*[[Jeremy Loughman]], rugby player
*[[Jack Lukeman]], musician and record producer
*[[George Lyttleton-Rogers]], tennis player and coach
*[[John MacKenna]], playwright and novelist
*[[John Maher (Buzzcocks drummer)|John Maher]], car specialist and former drummer of The [[Buzzcocks]]
*[[Mani (musician)|Mani]] (Gary Mounfield), Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist/musician
*[[Johnny Marr]], musician, member of The Smiths
*John Barnhill Smith McGinley
*[[Richard Meredith (bishop)|Richard Meredith]], bishop
*[[Meredyth family]] 
*[[Bobby Miller (Gaelic footballer)|Bobby Miller]], Gaelic footballer
*[[Matthew Minch]], politician 
*[[John Minihan (photographer)|John Minihan]], photographer
*[[Christopher Neil]], musician, actor and producer
*[[Alexander Nevill (priest)|Alexander Nevill]], priest
*[[Liam O'Flynn]], uilleann piper
*[[Padraig O'Neill]], footballer
*[[Picture This (band)|Picture This]], band
*[[Eliane Plewman]], agent of [[Special Operations Executive]] (SOE) executed in [[Dachau]] concentration camp in 1945
*[[Frank Power (basketball)|Frank Power]], basketball coach
*[[Una Power]], medium and broadcaster
*[[Paddy Prendergast (racehorse trainer)|Paddy Prendergast]], racehorse trainer
*[[James Quinn (bishop)|James Quinn]], bishop
*[[William Henry Rattigan]]
*[[Brendan Ryan (Cork politician)|Brendan Ryan]], Cork politician
*Sir [[Ernest Shackleton]], explorer<ref>{{cite web|title=Sir Ernest Shackleton|url=http://www.athyheritagecentre-museum.ie/shackleton/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411182101/http://www.athyheritagecentre-museum.ie/shackleton/|url-status = dead|archive-date=11 April 2009|publisher=Athy Heritage Centre-Museum|access-date=24 April 2014}}</ref>
*[[Christopher St Lawrence, 10th Baron Howth]]
*[[Joe Stynes]], Irish republican and sportsman
*[[Robert Stearne Tighe]], Irish writer and Fellow of the Royal Society
*[[Jack Wall (politician)|Jack Wall]], politician
*[[Wendy F. Walsh]], artist
*[[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington]] It is said that on the 1851 census Wellington entered under "Birthplace" "In Ireland, believe Athy."<ref>"Wellington- the years of the Sword" by Elizabeth Longford.</ref>
*[[Zoltan Zinn Collis|Zoltan Zinn-Collis]], Slovak survivor of the Holocaust, author of ''Final Witness''; one of only five living survivors of the Holocaust in Ireland; died in his Athy home in Ireland on 10 December 2012

==See also==
* [[List of monastic houses in Ireland#County Kildare|List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Kildare)]]
* [[List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland|List of towns and villages in Ireland]]
* [[List of market houses in the Republic of Ireland|List of market houses in Ireland]]
* [[Duke of Leinster]]

==Further reading==
* ''A Short History of Athy'' (1999) by Frank Taaffe, published by Athy Heritage Company Limited

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=

<!-- unused ref
<ref name="2006 census">[http://www.cso.ie/census/census2006results/volume_2/census_2006_volume_1_pop_classified_by_area.pdf – Table 5 – Population of Towns ordered by county and size]</ref> -->

<ref name="AthSta">{{cite web | title=Athy station | work=Railscot – Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | access-date=4 September 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070926042407/http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf| archive-date= 26 September 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>
<ref name="Bleacher">{{Cite web|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/83945-the-birth-of-british-motor-racing|title=The Birth Of British Motor Racing|first=Duncan|last=Scott|website=Bleacher Report|access-date=12 January 2020|archive-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821153459/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/83945-the-birth-of-british-motor-racing|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Champanellois">{{Cite web|url=http://cghc.free.fr/coupe_gb1905.php?lang=gb|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070305120335/http://cghc.free.fr/coupe_gb1905.php?lang=gb|url-status=dead |title=champanelle.net Gordon-Bennett cup Saint Genes Champanelle 63122 France|archive-date=5 March 2007|website=cghc.free.fr}}</ref>

<ref name="cso">{{Cite web |url=http://www.cso.ie/census |title=Census for post 1821 figures. |access-date=10 July 2007 |archive-date=20 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920090814/http://cso.ie/census |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Forix GBT 1903">{{Cite web|url=http://forix.autosport.com/8w/gbt03.html|title=8W - When? - 1903 Gordon Bennett Trophy|website=forix.autosport.com|access-date=19 January 2010|archive-date=15 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015055417/http://forix.autosport.com/8w/gbt03.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Forix Gordon B">{{Cite web|url=http://forix.autosport.com/8w/gbennett.html|title=8W - When? - The Gordon Bennett races|website=forix.autosport.com|access-date=19 January 2010|archive-date=10 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210072952/http://forix.autosport.com/8w/gbennett.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="HisPop">{{Cite web|url=http://www.histpop.org/ohpr/servlet/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507023856/http://www.histpop.org/|url-status=dead|title=HISTPOP.ORG - Home|archive-date=7 May 2016|website=www.histpop.org}}</ref>

<ref name="Lee">{{cite book |last=Lee |first=J. J. | author-link =J. J. Lee (historian) |editor-last=Goldstrom |editor-first=J. M.  |editor2-last=Clarkson |editor2-first=L. A. |title=Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell |year=1981 |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford, England |chapter=On the accuracy of the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Pre-famine]] Irish censuses}}</ref>

<ref name="Leinster">{{Cite web|url=http://www.kildare.ie/heritage/Gordon-Bennett-Race/Leinster-Leader-11-04-1903-2.asp|title=Leinster Leader April 1903 - Review of the coming Gordon Bennett Race|website=www.kildare.ie|access-date=14 January 2010|archive-date=6 January 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170106115721/http://www.kildare.ie/heritage/Gordon-Bennett-Race/Leinster-Leader-11-04-1903-2.asp|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Lewis">{{Cite web|url=http://kildare.ie/heritage/lewis-topographical-dictionary/athy.asp|title=Athy - Towns & Villages - Lewis's Topographical Dictionary 1837 - History & Heritage - Kildare|website=kildare.ie|access-date=4 June 2007|archive-date=27 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001535/http://kildare.ie/heritage/lewis-topographical-dictionary/athy.asp|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Merriam">Athy. (2001). In Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary [http://www.xreferplus.com/entry/5080345]{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Retrieved 17 February 2007.  The dictionary does not use IPA notation, but the pronunciation given, \ə-ˈthī\, is apparently equivalent to IPA /əˈθaɪ/.</ref>

<ref name="Mokyr">{{Cite journal  | last1 = Mokyr  | first1 = Joel | author-link = Joel Mokyr  | last2 = Ó Gráda  | first2 = Cormac   | author2-link = Cormac Ó Gráda  | title = New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700–1850  | journal = The Economic History Review  | volume =  37  | issue =  4 | pages = 473–488  |date=November 1984 | url = http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120035880/abstract | archive-url = https://archive.today/20121204160709/http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120035880/abstract | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2012-12-04 | doi = 10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x | hdl = 10197/1406 | hdl-access = free  }}</ref>

<ref name="nisra">{{cite web|url=http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/census |title=NISRA – Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (c) 2013 |publisher=Nisranew.nisra.gov.uk |date=27 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217095720/http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/census/ |archive-date=17 February 2012}}</ref>

}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Athy}}
{{EB1911 poster|Athy}}
* [http://www.athy.ie Athy, Kildare County Council]
* [http://athyeyeonthepast.blogspot.ie/ "Eye On The Past" column by local historian Frank Taaffe]

{{County Kildare}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Athy| ]]
[[Category:Towns and villages in County Kildare]]
[[Category:Former urban districts in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Former boroughs in the Republic of Ireland]]