Allenwood
Encyclopedia
Allenwood is a small Irish
village in County Kildare
situated on the Grand Canal
. Allenwood is located about 50 km (31.1 mi) from Dublin and half way between Rathangan
and Clane
in North County Kildare.
The main road through Allenwood is the R403
and the village is within 20 km (12.4 mi) of both the M4 (to the north) and M7 (to the south) motorways.
Businesses in the area are centred on the crossroads, and consist of several shops and a public house. There is also a business park at the location of the old Power Station.
The Grand Canal
is traversed by means of a noteworthy bridge, known locally as the Skew (or Shee) Bridge.
Allenwood is the location of a former electricity power station which was fueled by peat
from the surrounding bog
lands. The station was built in 1952 by the Electricity Supply Board
(ESB). The cooling tower
which could be seen from over 30 km (18.6 mi), was demolished shortly after the station was retired in 1994.
Bord na Móna
which processed peat on the local boglands, established a camp for its workers at Allenwood Cross and the Roadstone quarry in Allen
is also nearby. The industrial park located to the north-west of the village has grown around the location of the former ESB power plant.
The local football club Allenwood G.F.C.
is situated on the Station Road and offers its premises for a variety of other sports and recreations including kick boxing, dancing, scouting and annual school sports days.
The local soccer club Allenwood Celtic is located just outside the village on the Edenderry Road. There are also several golf courses within a 15 km (9.3 mi) range of the village.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
village in County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
situated on the Grand Canal
Grand Canal of Ireland
The Grand Canal is the southernmost of a pair of canals that connect Dublin, in the east of Ireland, with the River Shannon in the west,via Tullamore and a number of other villages and towns, the two canals nearly encircling Dublin's inner city. Its sister canal on the Northside of Dublin is the...
. Allenwood is located about 50 km (31.1 mi) from Dublin and half way between Rathangan
Rathangan, County Kildare
Rathangan is a town in the west of County Kildare, Ireland, with a population of 1,718. It is located from the centre of Dublin, and from Kildare, at the intersection of the R401, R414, and R419 regional roads. The Slate River and the Grand Canal run through the town.Rathangan is situated beside...
and Clane
Clane
Clane is a town on the River Liffey and in the barony of Clane in County Kildare, Ireland, from Dublin.Its population of 4,968 makes it the eighth largest town in Kildare and the 78th largest in the Republic of Ireland....
in North County Kildare.
The main road through Allenwood is the R403
R403 road
The R403 road is a regional road in Ireland, linking the N4 at Lucan in County Dublin to Carbury in County Kildare.It starts, heading west, at a roundabout on the Leixlip Road and crosses the M4 motorway past Weston Airport and into County Kildare.It follows the Dublin Road to Celbridge where it...
and the village is within 20 km (12.4 mi) of both the M4 (to the north) and M7 (to the south) motorways.
Businesses in the area are centred on the crossroads, and consist of several shops and a public house. There is also a business park at the location of the old Power Station.
The Grand Canal
Grand Canal of Ireland
The Grand Canal is the southernmost of a pair of canals that connect Dublin, in the east of Ireland, with the River Shannon in the west,via Tullamore and a number of other villages and towns, the two canals nearly encircling Dublin's inner city. Its sister canal on the Northside of Dublin is the...
is traversed by means of a noteworthy bridge, known locally as the Skew (or Shee) Bridge.
History
Allenwood developed in the nineteenth century as a coaching post along the Edenderry Road. Later residential development primarily occurred on local roads to the east of the village, typically as single plot developments.Allenwood is the location of a former electricity power station which was fueled by peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
from the surrounding bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
lands. The station was built in 1952 by the Electricity Supply Board
Electricity Supply Board
The Electricity Supply Board , is a semi-state electricity company in Ireland. While historically a monopoly, the ESB now operates as a commercial semi-state concern in a liberalised and competitive market...
(ESB). The cooling tower
Cooling tower
Cooling towers are heat removal devices used to transfer process waste heat to the atmosphere. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove process heat and cool the working fluid to near the wet-bulb air temperature or in the case of closed circuit dry cooling towers rely...
which could be seen from over 30 km (18.6 mi), was demolished shortly after the station was retired in 1994.
Bord na Móna
Bord na Móna
Bord na Móna , abbreviated BNM, is a semi-state company in Ireland, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946. The company is responsible for the mechanised harvesting of peat, primarily in the Midlands of Ireland...
which processed peat on the local boglands, established a camp for its workers at Allenwood Cross and the Roadstone quarry in Allen
Allen, County Kildare
Allen is a village in County Kildare in Ireland located on regional road R415 between Kilmeage and Milltown. The village is overlooked by Hill of Allen, which in recent times has been scarred by quarrying...
is also nearby. The industrial park located to the north-west of the village has grown around the location of the former ESB power plant.
Recent developments
Allenwood has undergone some rapid expansion in recent years. Several luxury homes have been built in the area as well as a number of housing estates and apartments.Sport and recreation
The close proximity to the Grand Canal makes Allenwood a popular choice for fishing and walking.The local football club Allenwood G.F.C.
Allenwood G.F.C.
Allenwood G.F.C. is a Gaelic football club based in Allenwood, County Kildare, Republic of Ireland. Because it is located in County Kildare, the club competes in the County Kildare GAA board league and cup system. Allenwood was the winner of the Kildare Senior Football Championship in 2004 and Club...
is situated on the Station Road and offers its premises for a variety of other sports and recreations including kick boxing, dancing, scouting and annual school sports days.
The local soccer club Allenwood Celtic is located just outside the village on the Edenderry Road. There are also several golf courses within a 15 km (9.3 mi) range of the village.