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Leixlip

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If you grew up in the town that was famously home to Arthur Guinness's first brewery, you'll know Leixlip is chock-full of its very own quirks, traditions and iconic establishments.

While a lot has changed over the course of two decades, there are some things which will definitely resonate with anyone who grew up in the town throughout the 90s and noughties.

And here are just 12…

1. To outsiders, the smell at the bridge was nothing short of eye watering. To you, it (tragically) symbolised home.

"Don't mind the stank.They're working on it."

2. Stepping foot over the threshold of John Paul's back in the 90s meant the summer was officially over, and a new school year beckoned.

"Mam, I want an elastic tie so I can do the elephant."

3. The Obelisk was haunted; no ifs, ands or buts.

"Dare you to walk around it three times at midnight, ya chicken sh*t."

4. Jungle World was your only man for birthday parties and half-day celebrations.

"Race ya down the Freefall."

5. There are certain songs which will always remind you of nights down the Ozone.

"Sean Paul and Blu Cantrell…"

6. Chanting 'Hiller, Hiller, scum, scum' constituted a good night if you were a 14-year-old Farender.

"Sketch, they heard us."

7. Chasing people who called you 'Hiller Hiller, scum, scum' constituted a good night if you were a 14-year-old Hiller.

"That's it. Get 'em."

8. You spent two hours hanging around outside Sam's after the Ozone in order to see if there were any gaf parties happening.

"Your man said there was something happening in Castletown. Get in that taxi."

9. Lucey's and Smaller's were the places to go if you had 10p to your name, and a craving for pure sugar.

"This is the fifth time we've been in here today."

10. Growing up in the birthplace of Guinness was your claim to fame on every holiday you ever went on.

"Sure, my dad invented it."

11. You used get a secret kick when Intel and Hewlett Packard featured on the news.

"Look! RTÉ is in Leixlip! In LEIXLIP!"

12. The Leixlip Festival was the highlight of your year at one point.

"I've been drinking for three days straight, and I can't find my way home."

 

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So, last week we brought you a list of things you'll definitely know if you grew up in Leixlip – a town known for its Guinness, technology companies and bizarre smells.

But it turns out we only scratched the surface when it comes to the various memories kids of the 90s and noughties associate with the Kildare town.

And we're nothing if not thorough here at SHEmazing, so without further ado, let's take a look at some more…

1. The Hitcher

Also known as the place that needs no introduction…

Your formative years were spent downing Fat Frogs in the Hitcher before you eventually graduated to the Ozone, and while it's now a Lidl, that doesn't mean time has dulled your memories.

"Look at the bread section there. Isn't that where you puked on yourself back in 2003?"

2. Tuthills

If you wanted to blow your pocket money on water guns, miniature tennis rackets and sticker books, Tuthills was your ONLY man.

It was also a handy spot when your dad gave you a fiver to get your mam a last-minute present for Mother's Day.  

"Go in there and get her something. A candle and a scratch card, you'll be laughing."

3. Ryevale Forest

Located in the middle of the estate, the woods were generally out of bounds until a certain age when it then became the only place to go.

If the siphoning of alcohol, the changing hands of bangers or the shifting of classmates was going down, it was going down in the forest.

"He's over at that tree, just past the 30 flattened Dutch Gold cans, you can't miss him."

4. The new estates

At the end of the 90s, new estates started popping up in the town, and it felt like you were losing every mate you had to neighbourhoods with names like Cyber Plains.

The construction on these new estates, however, meant that weekends could be spent playing on muckhills and ruining every item of clothing you had.

"OK, so we just need to hop that digger and slide face-first down that muckhill, and we'll have our own spot, yeah?"

5. The introduction of the Green Lane bus route

The introduction of a new Dublin Bus route in Leixlip took some serious getting used to.

Those returning from abroad had to be given time to digest the news before any family updates were provided.

"Hold on, did I just see a BUS booting it up the Green Lane?!"

6. The smell in Coláiste Chiaráin

The town's secondary school had a distinct, but not unpleasant smell – something you obviously noticed less and less once you became a pupil there.

But if you stepped foot inside while still rocking a primary school uniform, you were often struck by that 'Coláiste' scent.

"Holy Jaysus. Do they have a drinks machine in their hall?!

7. Community Games

Competing in the Community Games in the Amenities was a rite of passage, and one which the uber-sporty kids absolutely relished.

The rest of us were there for the snacks.

"Did you man just blow a kiss on his second lap? D*ck."

8. The division in Our Lady's Nativity

There was a Castletown side, a Ryevale side, a latecomer's main section and the gallery.

People stuck to their sides, and all was well… until it wasn't.

"Is that an actual Hiller sitting in the gallery? They don't have their own church, no?"

9. The school hall debate

If you attended either Scoil Mhuire or Scoil Bhride, chances are you engaged in at least one debate regarding ownership over the shared hall.

Scoil Bhride claimed it because they had the stage, Scoil Mhuire claimed it because they had the equipment cupboard, and Scoil Eoin Phoil laughed cos they had a WHOPPER hall… all to themselves.

"I don't care who owns it as long as we get the parachute this afternoon."

10. The creation of the fountain

There was a time when Leixlip village didn't boast a bare-chested lady above a fountain, but then she arrived, and quickly became a meet-up spot after the Ozone.

If you became separated from your mates, you generally found yourself drunkenly hoofing into a kebab at the side of the fountain while silently hoping someone would find you.

"I'm at the fountain! Come get me!"

11. Ronan Keating in Supervalu

There was a time when Ronan Keating made regular appearances in Super Valu in Barnhall… probably because he lived in the area.

That didn't stop most of us loitering around the shops waiting for him to rock up just to gawp at him.

"I was in there buying my chicken wings and potato wedges and he was RIGHT BESIDE ME."

12. The 'yellow' house

Your local history lesson taught you that the property by the bridge in the village was known as Glebe House.

Your street smarts told you that there was much more to that place than meets the eye, and damn it, you were going to find out what.

"Tenner bets you won't go knock on the door."

13. Pub grub in Darkie Moores

Atfer a night in the Ozone, it was highly likely you’d find you way back down the village for pub grub before round 2.

And this is when you realised that being served carvery by the same bartender you made a t*t of yourself in front of is absolute zero craic.

"Eh…yeah… can I've an extra roast potato there?"

14. When Coláiste Chiaráin introduced the new uniforms

The introduction of the new uniforms in Coláiste Chiaráin was something to actually talk about.

While generations before us rocked a sombre grey and navy, the kids of the late 90s and early noughties were the first to kick it in kilts.

"My ginormous safety pin just stabbed me in the leg, so I'm not coming back after lunch."

15. Scout's Den

Ostensibly used for the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts among us, the building took on a whole new vibe at night time.

Loitering in the vicinity on Halloween was considered a top-notch way to spend your evening as a 14-year-old…. until you got scared and had to hide it from your mates.

"So, is anyone else bored?"

 

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Hot chocolate and booze on days like today are a total God send.

And one pub in Leixlip has just come up with the perfect combination.

 

A post shared by Murphy's (@murphysofleixlip) on

Murphy's of Leixlip has created a hot chocolate Captain Morgan's, along with a side of gooey marshmallows, and we're all already planning on giving up on our diets.

The pub posted a photo of creation on their social media pages and we're all drooling.

It also has a range of slushies, but we'll obsess over them when the weather gets better.

 

The little Mermaid

A post shared by Murphy's (@murphysofleixlip) on

Mmmm hmmm, told you.

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