Kildare is bordered by Dublin to the northeast and clockwise by Wicklow, Carlow, Laois, Offaly and Meath. Kildare is situated on the edge of the central plain and has some of the richest farmland in the country with open grasslands, lush green pastures and large tracts of ancient bog land, interspersed with trees and gently rolling hills.

The Curragh plains, acres of lime-rich grasslands, are the centre of horse-racing and breeding in Ireland and buyers come from all over the world to purchase bloodstock. Sheep and cattle are also reared on the excellent grazing of the Curragh.

The Curragh Camp, built by the British to train soldiers for the Crimean War, is now an important military station and training centre for the Irish Army. The county boasts three racecourses: The Curragh, Naas and Punchestown. They offer all year round racing, with the Irish Derby in the Curragh in June one of the busiest meetings in Ireland.

Naas, lying on the main road between Dublin and Limerick, is Kildare’s county town and was previously the seat of the Kings of Leinster. Apart from horse-racing, Naas is an excellent shopping location, with the county market held there every week. Just outside Naas is Mondello Park, the country’s racing and rally circuit, with the Mondello Park Racing School offering lessons for those wishing to experience the thrills of motor racing first-hand.

Kildare is a busy market town. St. Brigid founded a monastery here in the 5th century and St.Brigid’s Cathedral is a beautiful building incorporating part of a thirteenth-century structure and a tenth-century round tower, which is open to the public. Outside the town is The Irish National Stud, where visitors can view some of the finest thoroughbreds in the country along with the Horse Museum. The nearby Japanese Gardens, considered by experts to be the best of their kind in Europe, is an attraction well worth visiting.

Kill is an attractive village, which has been successful in the National Tidy Towns competitions. Kill has been identified as the burial place of the Kings of Leinster. At Goff’s Kildare Paddocks, located on one side of the dual carriageway, major bloodstock sales are held, as well as international snooker and exhibitions. Over half of all Irish bred horses are sold here.

Newbridge or Droichead Nua, a former garrison town on the River Liffey is 11 km beyond Naas on the Dublin-Cork road. This has some thriving industries, including Newbridge Silver and the Research Centre for Bord na Mona is located here. Golf, greyhound racing and horse riding are available locally.

Maynooth is an attractive town with many historic buildings including Carton House, an 18th century Georgian mansion whose gardens are open to the public. The 13th century Maynooth Castle is located in the grounds of Saint Patrick’s College, centre for the training of Catholic diocesan clergy in Ireland, and also a constituent college of the National University.

Athy, founded in the 12th century, is located at the junction of the River Barrow and the Grand Canal and the county’s largest town. The Athy Heritage Centre in the Town Hall details the history of the town. Overlooking the bridge across the River Barrow is White’s Castle, built in the sixteenth century by the Earl of Kildare to defend this strategic crossing.

Castledermot, located 14 km southeast of Athy, contains a round tower, two high crosses and the ruins of a Franciscan friary. Just 5 km away is Kilkea Castle, built by Hugh de Lacy in 1180 and then owned by the Fitzgerald family. This has been restored and is now a hotel and leisure centre.

Prosperous has coarse angling on the Grand Canal. Ballynafagh Lake is a reservoir of the canal and a nature reserve with a wide variety of flora and fauna. An annual angling festival is held in Prosperous.

Kilcock, on the Grand Canal, has a fine parish church and convent in Victorian Gothic style. The town’s library features mementos of the poet Teresa Braydon who was born at Kilbrook. The old bog road, 4.5km west of the town, was the subject of her most successful verse. Bridestream, an 18th century house, has a rare-breed farm open to the public.

Clane is an attractive little town on the River Liffey dating back to 520 AD when an abbey was founded here by St Ailbe. Nearby is Clongowes Wood Jesuit College, alma mater of James Joyce, celebrated author of Ulysses.

Celbridge is situated about 7km from Maynooth. Its main claim to fame is the spectacular Castletown House. Built around 1722, it is the largest and most significant Palladian style country house in Ireland. This is now managed by Duchas The Heritage Service and is the headquarters of the Irish Georgian Society. The building has been restored and equipped with Irish furniture and paintings of the period.

Straffan lies southwest of Celbridge and Straffan Steam Museum has displays, models and full-sized working steam engines. Well worth a visit also is The Straffan Butterfly Farm in nearby Ovidstown. The K Club Golf Club, designed by Arnold Palmer, has been the venue for the European Open three years in a row and is well known throughout the golf world. Guests at the Hotel can enjoy river and lake fishing, indoor and outdoor tennis, squash, gymnasium and many more leisure facilities.

Other towns include Leixlip, Monasterevin, Moone, Ballymore Eustace, Robertstown and Sallins

Other Local Attractions/Activities
Celbridge Abbey Grounds, situated on the river Liffey and Millrace, are being developed by the St. John of God Order as a historical, cultural and environmental amenity for the public. The facilities include a restaurant, children’s playground, car park, picnic areas, garden centre, theme walks and river walks. Central to this development is the provision of sheltered employment for people with learning difficulties.

Golfers are well served in County Kildare with many clubs including:

K Club, Straffan
Castlewarden G.C. Straffan
Kilkea Castle G.C. Castledermot
Knockanally G.C. Kildare
Highfield G.C. Carbury
Clane G.C.
Curragh G.C.

The Irish inland waterways are unspoilt and offer an abundance of wild flowers, birds, fish, bogs, fens, rivers and wooded valleys. The Grand Canal is very popular for boating and fishing, as is the River Liffey.

Cycling, walking, horse riding and racing, greyhound racing, go-karting, parachuting, motor racing and indoor sports are also available for those interested.

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