placenames.ie
Population centre

Kilbrickan

Cill Bhriocáin

Known locally as Kilbricken, this settlement has a surviving station building and a bridge over the Nore.

Watercolour and fine ink illustration of The railway at Kilbricken, as photographed in 2007.
Illustration, The railway at Kilbricken, as photographed in 2007
Recorded locationKilbrickan52.95962° N · 7.46423° WInteractive map supplied by OpenStreetMap.
Approximate recorded location · Logainm.ie

The name

cillchurch

These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.

An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.

Recorded forms

  • Cill Bhriocáin · Irish · main form · validated name
  • Kilbrickan · English · main form
  • Kibricken · English · main form · local name

Place & story

The station building

Mountrath and Castletown station stands at Kilbricken. The national architectural inventory describes a two-storey main block beside a longer, single-storey wing with projecting gabled porches. Its record places the station in Clonard or Cappaloughlin. [2]

The Nore bridge

Kilbricken Bridge crosses the River Nore on seven arches. The national inventory dates it to about 1800 and records triangular cutwaters projecting from the piers. [3]

A reopening campaign

In September 2023, councillors discussed bringing passenger stops back to Kilbricken. Conor Ganly reported James Kelly’s argument that local commuters should be able to board here rather than drive to Portlaoise. The discussion concerned a proposed reopening, not an operating passenger service. [4]

Geographic information

Place type
Population centre
County
Laois
Civil parish
Abbeyleix
Civil parish
Offerlane
Coordinates
52.95962, -7.46423 (approximate)
Logainm ID
1413859 ↗

Sources & further reading

  1. Logainm.ie — Kilbrickan. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
  2. Laois architectural survey, record 12801739: Mounthrath and Castletown Railway Station · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
  3. Kilbricken Bridge, record 12801738 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
  4. Campaign on track to reopen Laois train station for commuters, 21 September 2023 · Conor Ganly, Leinster Express
  5. The railway at Kilbricken, as photographed in 2007 illustration: based on a Kilbricken, County Laois by Sarah777. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.