Donadea ( ga, Domhnach Dheá) is a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

of Ikeathy and Oughterany in the north of

County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. There are seven

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

s in the parish. There are no large centres of population in the parish. Donadea is noted for its public forest park which is one of the most popular outdoor venues in county Kildare. The nearest villages are Staplestown (4 km distant) and Prosperous (7 km distant). The parish name is derived from a church, traditionally said to have been founded by

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

. A small 17th-century church of the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

, St Peter's, still exists within the Donadea

demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...

Townlands

The following are the townlands: Cooltrim North, Cooltrim South, Donadea, Donadea Demesne, Kilmurry, Kilnamoragh North, and Kilnamoragh South.

Demense

The

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...

came to Donadea in the 12th century and established a manor. The

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

was built on or close to the present castle. This structure was the first of many castles on the site throughout the Middle Ages. In 1558 the Aylmer family acquired the manor. In 1581, Gerald Aylmer commenced a new tower in Donadea which was not completed until 1624. It is now the oldest part of the Castle. In 1626, he repaired the medieval church. Gerald was ennobled as the first

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

of Donadea.

Ecclesiastical parish

The

Book of Armagh The ''Book of Armagh'' or Codex Ardmachanus (ar or 61) ( ga, Leabhar Ard Mhacha), also known as the ''Canon of Patrick'' and the ''Liber Ar(d)machanus'', is a 9th-century Irish illuminated manuscript written mainly in Latin. It is held by the L ...

records St Patrick’s visit to Dunmurraghill in 455, where he marked out the foundations for a religious settlement. The St. Peter’s site was laid out at the same time. The earliest churches were wooden in construction. The Danes destroyed Dunmurraghill in 832. The church at the St. Peter’s site was rebuilt by the Normans. In 1550 the Aylmer family of Lyons acquired the Manor of Donadea from the

Earls of Ormond Earldom of Ormond may refer to: *Earl of Ormond (Scotland), created twice in the Peerage of Scotland for the House of Douglas *Earl of Ormond (Ireland) The peerage title Earl of Ormond and the related titles Duke of Ormonde and Marquess of Orm ...

. In 1626 the first Aylmer baronet, Sir Gerald Aylmer, rebuilt the church. The Ecclesiastical Report of 1809 stated that: "the Church was in a tottering state but neat and clean.". It is now part of the Clane Union of Parishes. In the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, the territory is part of the parish of "Clane and Rathcoffey" in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin (; ga, Deoise Chill Dara agus Leithghlinn) is a Roman Catholic diocese in eastern Ireland. It is one of three suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin and is subject to the A ...

. The Church of St Patrick and St Brigidin is located in

Clane Clane (; ) is a town in County Kildare, Ireland, from Dublin. Its population of 7,280 makes it the eighth largest town in Kildare and the 66th largest in Ireland. It is on the River Liffey. Clane gives its name to the associated townland, ci ...

while the Church of the Sacred Heart is located in Rathcoffey. ''* Further information:''

William Pilsworth William Pilsworth was Church of Ireland Bishop of Kildare between 1604 and 1635. Nominated to the see on 23 July 1604, he was consecrated on 11 September 1604 and served as bishop until his death on 9 May 1635. Prior to his consecration as bishop ...

, vicar of the Church of Ireland.

Forest Park

Donadea Forest Park was opened in 1981 and is currently managed by

Coillte Coillte (; meaning "forests"/"woods") is a state-owned commercial forestry business in Ireland based in Newtownmountkennedy. Coillte manage approximately 7% of the country’s land, and operates three businesses - their core forestry business, a ...

. The Park comprises approximately of mixed woodland. It was part of the old Aylmer family estate. The last of the Aylmers, Miss Caroline died in 1935 leaving the property to the

, who in turn sold it to the State. There are many historical features including the remains of the castle, walled gardens, church, tower, ice house, boat house and Lime Tree Avenue. There is also a lake with ducks and other birds and a wonderful display of water-lilies in the summer. Walled streams form part of the drainage of the park. There are many different walks through the forest, including the 5 km Aylmer loop, the lake walk (wheelchair accessible) and a nature trail with stops. A small café serves light refreshments and is open year round. The park is a designated National Heritage Area. There is a "9/11" Memorial at Donadea. The memorial was inspired by the memory of Sean Tallon, a young fire fighter, whose family had emigrated from Donadea.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Donadea Running Club

Sean Tallon Fallen Firefighters Roll of Honor Civil parishes of County Kildare Tourist attractions in County Kildare