Different interests come together in Droichead Nua: a factory tour and museum, an interdisciplinary cultural programme, paths along the River Liffey and sport. For your planning, it is worth choosing your main focus first. A tour with a set duration answers a different question from an outing on a longer circular route or an event date.
Art, craft and events
The Newbridge Silverware Visitor Centre in Newbridge includes a factory showroom and the Museum of Style Icons. The approximately 45-minute factory tour can be booked for 11:00 am and 2:15 pm Monday to Thursday, and for 11:00 am on Fridays. Admission to the Museum of Style Icons is free. Its collection includes couture, Hollywood glamour and music memorabilia, as well as other artefacts. The Visitor Centre therefore offers a choice between insights into the factory and a collection focused on fashion, film and music.
Domo’s Emporium at the Newbridge Silverware Visitor Centre serves high-quality food from local and Irish sources. The Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge is an arts centre for County Kildare. Its interdisciplinary programme includes theatre, cinema, comedy, music, dance, workshops and visual arts. While the museum focuses on collection items, the Arts Centre offers a programme spanning different art forms. The Newbridge June Fest adds another option: a community festival held annually around the June Bank Holiday weekend. Programme dates vary from year to year; check the dates for the relevant year when planning your trip.
Paths and fishing on the River Liffey
Liffey Linear Park is a public park on the River Liffey in Newbridge. It covers 9.5 acres and has 1.5 km of paths. The Curragh Trail, in the area around Newbridge, offers a longer route: this 15.1 km trail is a circular route through the open grasslands of the Curragh Plains. The park paths and the circular route therefore differ mainly in length and route type. Fishing is also possible on the River Liffey in Newbridge.
The planned route length is a clear guide when choosing between the two options: the park has 1.5 km of paths, while the trail is a 15.1 km loop. Those who want to include open grasslands in their outing will find them on the Curragh Trail. Fishing offers a different focus and is listed as an activity on the River Liffey.
Golf and Gaelic games
Newbridge Golf Club is an 18-hole parkland golf course designed by Pat Suttle and opened in 1995. The grounds are home to herons, moorhens, kingfishers and wild ducks, among other wildlife. The club welcomes visitors; check current arrangements before visiting.
Cedral St Conleth’s Park is a Gaelic games stadium in the centre of Newbridge. It reopened in late October 2024 with a capacity of 15,000. The golf course and stadium therefore represent different sporting interests in Droichead Nua: a parkland course with a stated design and history on the one hand, and a Gaelic games stadium on the other. The available information about the reopening describes a historical point in time, not specific event dates. For your stay, you can first decide whether golf, Gaelic games, culture or time outdoors will be the deciding factor.
Discover more destinations: Narraghmore, Athy, Kilmartin, Kildare, Calverstown, Naas, Prosperous, Leixlip
For the wider travel overview: County Kildare.
