Construction of new Kildare library to begin in Autumn

Kildare County Council has said that it expects construction on the new Newbridge Library to commence before the end of September, with the local authority awaiting funding approval from the Department of Rural and Community Development.

This emerged at the most recent meeting of Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District on 17 June, where cllr Chris Pender asked Kildare County Council to “provide an update on the new Newbridge Library Project, including when works are expected to commence, the current project stage and whether there have been any barriers or delays preventing works from beginning”.

Senior executive engineer in strategic projects and public realm Aidan Martin issued the council’s response, stating the following: “It is anticipated that works will commence on site in mid to late Q3 2026, with an estimated construction programme of approximately 24 months”.

Mr Martin’s response detailed that the local authority is awaiting approval from the department in relation to its application for funding. 

The council can only appoint a contractor once funding is approved.

The response added that the appointed contractor would need a period of time after being appointed to get set up before works begin.

Cllr Pender accepted the report. He later said in a social media post that he will continue to push for the project to progress “without avoidable delay”.

The council’s 2026-2028 capital programme assigned €18.1 million to the Newbridge Library and Archives project.

Liffey Lodge is currently being used as the library’s temporary location.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme