Leixlip

Leixlip Léim an Bhradáin
Town
The Wonderful Barn, Leixlip
Coat of arms
Motto: Léim ar Aghaidh "Leap Ahead"
Leixlip Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°21′51″N 6°29′17″W / 53.36427°N 6.48807°W / 53.36427; -6.48807Coordinates: 53°21′51″N 6°29′17″W / 53.36427°N 6.48807°W / 53.36427; -6.48807
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	Kildare
Council	Kildare County Council
Dáil Éireann	Kildare North
European Parliament	Dublin
Elevation	46 m (151 ft)
Population (2011)
• Urban	15,452
Irish Grid Reference	O003360
Website	kildare.ie/leixlip/

Leixlip (/ˈliːkslɪp/ or /ˈliːslɪp/; Irish: Léim an Bhradáin) is a town in north-east County Kildare, Ireland. Its location on the confluence of the River Liffey and the Rye Water has marked it as a frontier town historically: on the border between the ancient kingdoms of Leinster and Brega, as an outpost of The Pale, and today on Kildare's border with Dublin.

The population of the town is 15,452. It is the fourth largest town in Kildare, and the 23rd largest in Ireland.

The placename comes from the Old Norse Lax Hlaup which means "salmon leap". The name in Irish (Léim an Bhradáin) is a direct translation of this, and was first adopted in the 1890s. Today, the spelling Leixlip is sometimes used in English.

Leixlip was the site of the famous Battle of Confey, in which the Viking King Sigtrygg Caech of Dublin defeated the Irish King of Leinster around the year 917. The first settlement at Leixlip was an outpost of Early Scandinavian Dublin, built at the furthest point where longships could be rowed up the Liffey. Its status as an outpost of Dublin continued for centuries, marking a border of The Pale.