LEIGHLINBRIDGE will become a star of the small screen this Sunday, when the village features on UTV Ireland’s Lesser Spotted Journeys.
Airing on Sunday 18 September at 5pm, the third episode in the series will see presenter Joe Mahon explore the colourful history of Leighlinbridge. From its ecclesiastical history to the huge connection with the River Barrow, the programme examines Leighlinbridge and chats to a number of local residents about life in the village.
The show charts how intricately the history of Leighlinbridge is connected to the River Barrow, particularly before the days of motorised transport, when the Barrow served as one of the major thoroughfares in the country.
Presenter of the UTV Ireland series Lesser Spotted Journeys Joe Mahon (centre) lines up Noreen Whelan, Louise Doyle, Edwina Hayden and Dermot Mulligan, accompanied by the Scoil Mhuire gan Smál school band, for a practice run at the hopping procession which will be held in Echternach, Luxembourg next year
Curator of Carlow County Museum, Dermot Mulligan, chats to Joe about St Lazerian – better known as St Molaise − and also one of St Molaise’s most famous students, St Willibrord, who went on to become the patron saint of Luxembourg. St Willibrord is celebrated every year in the town of Echternach, where he founded his own monastery with a unique ‘hopping procession’.
Dermot and some of the official contingent from Leighlinbridge are planning a visit to the procession at Echternach next year and take Joe through the paces of a ‘hopping’ rehearsal at Scoil Mhuire gan Smál in Carlow town.
As part of the programme, lifelong boatman Arthur Keppel reminisces to Joe about efforts to restore the Barrow to a navigable state after several years of neglect.
The programme also meets Dean Tom Gordon and enjoys a tour of St Lazerian’s Cathedral, while local historian Martin Nevin chats to Joe about the history of the bridge of the town’s name, which will celebrate its 700th birthday in four years’ time. Martin also discusses other aspects of Leighlinbridge’s history, including Walt Disney’s connection to the area and the 19th century battle between religion and science. This was led by two brilliant and highly-renowned men, both of whom were born on the same Leighlinbridge street.
Joe also takes a short detour to Bagenalstown, where he learns about the fascinating history of the tempestuous Bagenal family from historian Myles Kavanagh. Myles takes Joe on a search for the grave of one of the family’s most notorious members − the swashbuckling Beauchamp Bagenal − and describes the layout of the village that once stood around the site of the two ruined churches and ancient graveyard at Dunleckney.
“The crew and I have travelled to 12 different counties and I’ve stayed in many places I’d never set foot in before − all of them memorable for one reason or another,” said Joe Mahon.
“Leighlinbridge in County Carlow is famous for its extraordinary history. It’s truly something else,” he added.
