Debate over Kildare County Council's original plans for historic building

The site is currently being used as a temporary location for Newbridge Library

By Ciarán Mather Published 19th Jun 2026, 17:00 BST The Liffey Lodge building and site in Newbridge | FILE PHOTO The site is currently being used as a temporary location for Newbridge Library Sign up to our Kildare Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Kildare Live within your account.

There was debate at a recent Kildare County Council (KCC) meeting over the original intended use for a historic Newbridge property.

The disagreement took place at the latest Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District meeting, which took place on Wednesday, June 19 last.

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It arose near the conclusion of the meeting, when Independent councillor Tom McDonnell motioned for KCC to ‘consider the Liffey Lodge building for use as a youth centre’ in Newbridge.

Independent Cllr Tom McDonnell | PHOTO CREDIT: KILDARECOCO.IE His motion was seconded by Fianna Fáil Cllr Suzanne Doyle.

At present, the site, which was formerly a monasterey, is being used as a temporary location for Newbridge Library.

Speaking further on his motion, Cllr McDonnell claimed that the building was intended for use ‘for the youth of Newbridge’, and further claimed that it had previously been reported on by local news outlets.

He also pointed out that he had expressed his wish for a youth centre for Newbridge in the past .

Moreover, Cllr McDonnell expressed his dissatisfaction with a site that KCC has earmarked for a youth facility on the Athgarvan Road, describing it as a ‘1970s bungalow’ — one that is ‘not suitable [considering] the number of young people in Newbridge’.

He concluded his statement by emphasising to KCC: “I think we need a rethink of Liffey Lodge.”

The Mayor of the Municipal District, Fianna Fáil Cllr Noel Heavey, also chimed in and said that he agreed with Cllr McDonnell’s sentiments.

He also suggested that the site could be used for ‘intergenerational activities’ to bridge the gap between the youth of Newbridge and older residents.

However, Social Democrats Cllr Chris Pender took issue with Cllr McDonnell’s claims.

He said that while he is ‘always happy’ to help the youth of Newbridge and agreed that the Athgarvan Road site ‘is not suitable in terms of its size’, he insisted that what Cllr McDonnell said was ‘misinformation’.

“We know what it was bought for,” Cllr Pender said to those in attendance.

He also voiced support for Mayor Heavey’s idea for ‘intergenerational activities’ at the site.

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Mayor Heavey then spoke again and said that, as he understood it, there had been previous interest in using the actual Liffey Lodge building (which was formerly a monasterey) ‘for community usage’.

Fine Gael Cllr Tracey O’Dwyer also weighed in on the discussion, in which she sided with Cllr Pender.

“It was always envisioned for housing” she said. “We need to end this debate, once and for all.”

Furthermore, a representative of KCC who was also present at the meeting, explained: “Liffey Lodge was originally intended for age-friendly housing. However, that’s not to say that youth facilities on the site couldn’t be looked at.”

They added that funding for the site came from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and as a result, ‘it needs to be used for housing’.

However, Cllr McDonnell responded by claiming that previous footage he had seen and read ‘doesn’t fully go with what is being said in the [Council] Chamber’.

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In an unusual move, KCC responded to Cllr McDonnell’s motion with three separate reports.

The first report, which was written by an administrative officer for KCC’s Housing Department, read as follows: “Liffey Lodge is included in the Architects’ work programme for Age-Friendly and Universally Designed dwellings.

“This is likely to include a community element for older people; a youth centre at this location would not align with the proposed use.”

The second report, which was written by the County Librarian, said: “Liffey Lodge is currently in use by the Library Service as a temporary facility for Library Headquarters and Newbridge Library for a minimum of two years, after which it will revert to the Housing Department in accordance with internal arrangements.”

Lastly, the third report, which was written by an administrative officer for KCC’s Community Department, had this to say about Liffey Lodge: “As outlined in the report presented at the last Municipal District meeting, the Community Section is progressing the development of the property on the Athgarvan Road for use as a youth centre.

“The project is advancing through key stages, including energy audits, design development, and ongoing engagement with relevant stakeholders.”

In addition, the author asserted that preparation of the Part 8 application for this site ‘is also progressing steadily’.

The Liffey Lodge building was built in the 1960s, and at the time, it housed members of the religious organisation known as the Patrician Brothers.

In late 2021, KCC purchased the Liffey Lodge site from the Patrician Brothers for €800,000.

A number of local representatives in Newbridge welcomed the purchasing of the site at the time, such as Mayor Heavey, Senator Fiona O’Loughlin and Fine Gael TD Martin Heydon, who is now the Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Later, when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, it was used to temporarily house BOTPs (Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection) who were fleeing from violence in Ukraine.

And at present, it is being used as a temporary site for Newbridge Library, and there are plans to eventually to KCC’s Housing Department.

When asked by the Leinster Leader about details of the original sale, a representative for KCC replied: “KCC intends on developing a two phased proposal masterplan to redevelop the Liffey Lodge building and associated lands, in consultation with various stakeholders.”

They specified: “The first phase of the proposal will focus on the land at the rear of Liffey Lodge (the southeastern end of the site) to provide age-friendly accommodation; this age-friendly accommodation will provide much-needed, right-sizing opportunities in Newbridge and will allow older people to continue living independently within Newbridge.”

The representative also echoed the second KCC report from the latest Municipal District meeting: “Once library services have vacated the Liffey Lodge building, the second phase of the site redevelopment will commence to accommodate much-needed facilities for the elderly in Newbridge, working in conjunction with the age friendly accommodation constructed as part of the first phase of the project.

“Also, as an integral part of the master plan for the site, provision will be considered for a further community-based use to the remaining northwestern end of the site.”

The spokesperson concluded: “This has always been KCC’s intention for Liffey Lodge, as previously advised.”

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The Leader also contacted Senator O’Loughlin about the original intention for the site, and she had this to say: “When the Liffey Lodge came up for sale originally, myself and Cllr Heavey [sic] strongly lobbied to get KCC to buy the building for the youth [of Newbridge].

“I also brought Jigsaw down to look at the building as I am trying to get them to Newbridge .”

The Senator also echoed KCC’s comments about the original intention for the premises: “As it was Department of Housing money that financed the purchase, KCC argued that there would have to be a housing element to the site, but agreed there would be a mixed-use community element in the actual Monastery [building] itself.”

She concluded by asserting that it was also agreed that there would also be ‘an opportunity to seek expressions of interest as to the best use of the building’.

Separately, while speaking to the Leader, a spokesperson for Minister Heydon independently corroborated both KCC and Senator O’Loughlin’s comments.

They said: “KCC received funding from the Department of Housing to purchase the Liffey Lodge for the development of housing for older persons, with potential for community use.”

The Patrician Brothers were also contacted by the Leader for comment, but the organisation did not respond in time for publication.

Lastly, the Leader has viewed a briefing from KCC which was addressed to councillors representing the Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District.

It noted that while youth and community use had been ‘publicly advocated’ in the past, it emphasised that this was a proposal from local representatives, and ‘not evidence that the purchase had already been approved on those terms’.

The briefing also maintained that the records reviewed ‘do not contain a formal Council resolution, acquisition condition or funding approval committing Liffey Lodge to a permanent, standalone youth centre’.

The briefing concluded with the following assertion: “The current Council position, stated in June 2026, is that Liffey Lodge ‘is in the programme’ for age-friendly and universally designed homes, while the Athgarvan Road property is being developed as a youth centre’.

Previously, Mayor Heavey did say on social media that he would like to see the site used as a centre for the town’s youth, and this idea has been supported by Cllr McDonnell in recent times.

However, after consultation with KCC, Senator O’Louglin, Minister Heydon, in addition to reviewing KCC’s briefing, it can be revealed that the original intention for Liffey Lodge is (and has always been) to use it for age-friendly housing and universally designed homes.

As for whether or not any youth and / or other community-related facilities will be set up on the overall Liffey Lodge site in the near future, that remains unknown at this time — although there is certainly interest for the potential installation of such facilities.

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Related topics: Kildare Politics Kildare Ukraine Housing Kildare County Council Cllr Chris Pender Cllr Tom McDonnell Cllr Tracey O’Dwyer Cllr Noel Heavey Sign up to our Kildare Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Kildare Live within your account.