County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in Ireland. It is in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of ...

and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional ce ...

. Kildare County Council is the

local authority Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...

for the county, which has a population of 246,977.

Geography and subdivisions

Kildare is the 24th-largest of Ireland's 32 counties in area and the seventh largest in terms of population. It is the eighth largest of Leinster's twelve counties in size, and the second largest in terms of population. It is bordered by the counties of Carlow,

Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medi ...

, Meath,

Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, i ...

, South Dublin and Wicklow. As an inland county, Kildare is generally a lowland region. The county's highest points are the

foothills Foothills or piedmont are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills and the adjacent topogr ...

of the

Wicklow Mountains The Wicklow Mountains (, archaic: ''Cualu'') form the largest continuous upland area in the Republic of Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into the counties of Dublin, Wexford and Carlow ...

bordering to the east. The highest point in Kildare is

Cupidstown Hill Cupidstown Hill (), at , is the highest point in County Kildare, Ireland, and lies on the fringes of the Wicklow Mountains, east of Naas. Naming The origin of the name is uncertain; "Cupid" may have originally been Cuthbert, Cudlipp or cop ...

on the border with South Dublin, with the better known Hill of Allen in central Kildare.

Towns and villages

Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univer ...

* Allenwood * Ardclough *

Athy Athy ( ; ) is a market town at the meeting of the River Barrow and the Grand Canal in south-west County Kildare, Ireland, 72 kilometres southwest of Dublin. A population of 9,677 (as of the 2016 census) makes it the sixth largest town in Kild ...

* Ballitore *

Ballymore Eustace Ballymore Eustace () is a small town situated in County Kildare in Ireland, although until 1836 it lay within an exclave (a detached "pocket") of County Dublin. It lies close to the border with County Wicklow. The town's name, which is frequen ...

Calverstown Calverstown () is a small village in County Kildare, Ireland. It lies south of the town of Kilcullen and about from each of the towns of Athy, Kildare, Naas and Newbridge. It is an old settlement located close to the archaeological sites of ...

* Caragh * Carbury * Castledermot * Clane *

Coill Dubh Coill Dubh (; meaning "black wood") is a town in Ireland in northern County Kildare, at the junction of the R403 and R408 regional roads, about from Dublin. It had a population of 684 as of the 2006 census, representing an increase of 15% ...

* Celbridge *

Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside th ...

Derrinturn Derrinturn () is a village in County Kildare, Ireland. It is part of the parish of Carbury. It is located about from Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is i ...

* Eadestown * Johnstown *

Johnstownbridge Johnstownbridge ( or ''Droichead Baile Sheáin'') is a commuter town located in north County Kildare, Ireland. It lies in the parish of Cadamstown, in the district of Balyna, and barony of Carbury. It is located on the R402 road between Enfiel ...

* Kilberry *

Kilcock Kilcock () is a town and townland in the north of County Kildare, Ireland, on the border with County Meath. Its population of 6,093 makes it the ninth largest town in Kildare and 76th largest in Ireland. The town is located 35 km (22 ...

* Kilcullen *

Kildangan Kildangan (; ) is a village in County Kildare in Ireland. History During the Anglo-Norman settlement of Ireland, Maurice Fitzgerald of Allen built a castle there as part of a defensive line along the River Barrow from Carlow to Lea Castle near ...

* Kill *

Kilmead Kilmead (), known for census purposes as Kilmeade, is a small village in County Kildare, Ireland. It is on the R418 road and is approximately from Athy. History National monuments in the area include the "Rath of Mullaghmast" and Kilkea Ca ...

Kilmeage Kilmeague ( ga, Cill Maodhóg) is a village in west County Kildare, Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its eas ...

Kilteel Kilteel () is the name of a village, townland and civil parish located in the barony of South Salt, County Kildare, Ireland. The townland of Kilteel Upper contains the remains of a church with a decorated Romanesque chancel arch, the ruins ...

* Leixlip *

Lullymore Lullymore () is a civil parish in County Kildare in Ireland. It is in the historical barony of Offaly East. The lowest observed 20th century air temperature in Ireland, -18.8 °C was measured at Lullymore on 2 January 1979. Location Lull ...

* Maynooth * Milltown * Moone *

Monasterevin Monasterevin (), also Monasterevan, and Mevin is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. The town lies on the River Barrow and the Barrowline, a canal branch of the Grand Canal. The population was 4,246 at the 2016 Census. Location and Access Si ...

* Narraghmore * Nurney * Naas * Newbridge * Prosperous * Rathangan * Robertstown * Sallins * Straffan *

Staplestown Staplestown () is a village and townland in north County Kildare, Ireland, located 40 kilometres west of Dublin. The village has a church, a school and is home to St Kevin's GAA. The local national (primary) school is Scoil Naomh Mhuire Natio ...

Suncroft Suncroft () is a village in County Kildare, Ireland, south of The Curragh and east of Kildare Town. As of 2016, Suncroft had a population of 746. Name The name Suncroft means "a sun blessed croft". According to local folklore, Suncroft was na ...

Timolin Timolin () is a village in the south of County Kildare, Ireland. It is located off the R448 road, the former N9 road (now by-passed by the M9 motorway) about south of Dublin. It is a small village, with less than a hundred inhabitants, one ...

Two Mile House 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cu ...

Physical geography

The county has three major rivers running through it: the Barrow, the Liffey and the Boyne. The Grand Canal crosses the county from Lyons on the east to Rathangan and

on the west. A southern branch joins the Barrow navigation at

. The Royal Canal stretches across the north of the county along the border with Meath. Pollardstown Fen is the largest remaining

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an ad ...

fen in Ireland, covering an area of 220 hectares and is recognised as an internationally important fen ecosystem with unique and endangered plant communities, and was declared a National Nature Reserve in 1986. The

Bog of Allen The Bog of Allen ( ga, Móin Alúine) is a large raised bog in the centre of Ireland between the rivers Liffey and Shannon. The bog's 958 square kilometers (370 square miles) stretch into County Offaly, County Meath, County Kildare, County Lao ...

is a large bog that extends across and into County Kildare,

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the ...

, County Offaly,

County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a med ...

, and County Westmeath. Kildare has of bog (almost 14% of Kildare's land area) mostly located in the south-west and north-west, a majority of this being

Raised Bog Raised bogs, also called ombrotrophic bogs, are acidic, wet habitats that are poor in mineral salts and are home to flora and fauna that can cope with such extreme conditions. Raised bogs, unlike fens, are exclusively fed by precipitation ( omb ...

. It is a habitat for over 185 plant and animal species. There are of forested land in Kildare, accounting for roughly 5% of the county's total land area. of this is coniferous, while there is of broadleaf and the remaining area are unclassified species. Coillte and Dúchas currently own 47% of the forestry. Coillte runs Donadea Forest Park which is in North-Central Kildare. The forest covers of mixed woodland (60% broadleaf, 40%

conifer Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All ext ...

) and is the largest forest park in Kildare.

History

Kildare was

shire Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the begin ...

d in 1297 and assumed its present borders in 1832, following amendments to remove a number of enclaves and exclaves. The county was the home of the powerful

Fitzgerald family The FitzGerald/FitzMaurice Dynasty is a noble and aristocratic dynasty of Cambro-Norman, Anglo-Norman and later Hiberno-Norman origin. They have been peers of Ireland since at least the 13th century, and are described in the Annals of the ...

. Parts of the county were also part of

the Pale The Pale ( Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast ...

area around

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

Governance and politics

Local government

Kildare County Council is the

for the county. The council has 40 members, elected in the local electoral areas of: Athy (5 seats), Celbridge (4 seats), Leixlip (3 seats), Clane (5 seats), Maynooth (5 Seats),

(5 seats), Newbridge (6 Seats) and Naas (7 Seats). These form the municipal districts of Athy, Celbridge–Leixlip, Clane–Maynooth, Kildare–Newbridge, and Naas. The current council was elected in May 2019. Kildare County Council nominates three councillors to the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly, where there are part of the Mid-East strategic planning area committee.

Former districts

Kildare was formerly divided into the rural districts of Athy No. 1, Celbridge No. 1, Edenderry No. 2, and Naas No. 1, and the urban districts of

and Naas. The rural districts were abolished in 1925. Newbridge or Droichead Nua, within the former rural district of Naas No. 1, had town commissioners, and Leixlip was given that status too in 1988. The urban districts of Athy and Naas and the town commissioners of Newbridge and Leixlip became

town councils A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural council ...

in 2002. All town councils in Ireland were abolished in 2014.

National elections

For elections to Dáil Éireann, there are two constituencies in the county: Kildare North (4 seats) and Kildare South (4 seats). At the 2020 Irish general election, Kildare North returned Catherine Murphy (SD), Réada Cronin (SF), Bernard Durkan (FG), and James Lawless (FF), while Kildare South returned Sean Ó Fearghaíl (FF) (returned automatically as outgoing Ceann Comhairle), Patricia Ryan (SF), Martin Heydon (FG), and Cathal Berry (Ind). For elections to the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the Legislature, legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven Institutions of the European Union, institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and in ...

, it is part of the Midlands–North-West constituency (4

MEPs A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, it ...

Demographics

The county's population has nearly doubled to 186,000 from 1990–2005. The northeastern region of Kildare had the highest average per-capita income in Ireland outside

County Dublin "Action to match our speech" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg , map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...

in 2003. East Kildare's population has increased rapidly, for example, the amount of housing in the Naas suburb of Sallins has increased sixfold since the mid-1990s. the population of the county was 246,977. Ethnically, the 2016 census recorded County Kildare as 84% white Irish, 9% other white ethnicities, 2% black, 2% Asian, 1% of other ethnicities, and 2% not stated. For religion, the census recorded a population that was 80% Catholic, 9% of other stated religions, 10% with no religion and 2% not stated.

Ethnic Groups

Urban areas and populations

Health care

County Kildare hospitals include Naas General Hospital and

Clane General Hospital UPMC Kildare Hospital, also called Clane Hospital, is a private hospital located in Clane, County Kildare, Ireland. It is accredited by CHKS. History The hospital was founded in October 1985 by Andrew Rynne, an Irish surgeon and the chairper ...

Transport

Road

County Kildare houses the hub of Ireland's network of major roads. The N4 (M4) from Dublin to

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the largest urban ce ...

travels along the north of the county

by-pass Bypass may refer to: * Bypass (road), a road that avoids a built-up area (not to be confused with passing lane) * Flood bypass of a river Science and technology Medicine * Bypass surgery, a class of surgeries including for example: ** Heart bypas ...

ing the towns of Leixlip, Maynooth and Kilcock. The M7 from Dublin to

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2 ...

runs through the county and bypasses the towns of Naas, Newbridge, Kildare and Monasterevin. This road is colloquially referred to as the "Naas Dual carriageway" because when it was originally up-graded in 1964 the road from Dublin to Naas was a double-lane carriageway, one of the first of its kind in Ireland. The M9 is another

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

that commences at Kilcullen and ends at

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

. It is motorway standard for its entire length.

Rail

The county is also served by the trains connecting with

, southern Leinster, Munster and Connacht, with daily connections to

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, Waterford, Limerick, and

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

. The principal

Irish Rail Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

InterCity train station in the county is Kildare, however, Newbridge, Sallins and

Hazelhatch Hazelhatch () is a townland in South Dublin on the border with County Kildare in Ireland. It is located on the R405 regional road, approximately halfway between Celbridge and Newcastle. The Grand Canal passes through the area, and Hazelhatch ...

are also served by South Western Commuter services, while Maynooth, in northern County Kildare, is served by Western Commuter and Sligo InterCity services.

Waterway

Kildare is the centre of Ireland's Grand Canal network built in the late 18th century. This connects Kildare with Waterford, Dublin, Limerick and Athlone. The Royal Canal runs west from Dublin and parts of it form the boundary with

Irish language

There are 4,491 Irish speakers in County Kildare; 2,451 attending the seven Gaelscoils (Irish language primary schools) and one Gaelcholáiste (Irish language secondary school). According to the Irish Census 2006, 2,040 people in the county identify themselves as being daily Irish speakers outside the education system.

Education

* Two third-level educational institutions – St. Patrick's College founded by

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

in 1795 to educate Ireland's Catholics and

Maynooth University The National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM; ga, Ollscoil na hÉireann Mhá Nuad), commonly known as Maynooth University (MU), is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. I ...

founded in 1997 – are located in Maynooth. They share campus space and many facilities. The two institutions were formally separated in 1997. Maynooth University is the only university in the Republic of Ireland not situated in a city. *

Clongowes Wood College Clongowes Wood College SJ is a voluntary boarding school for boys near Clane, County Kildare, Ireland, founded by the Jesuits in 1814, which features prominently in James Joyce's semi-autobiographical novel '' A Portrait of the Artist as ...

is a private secondary boarding school for boys, located near Clane. Founded by the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

(The Jesuits) in 1814, it is one of Ireland's oldest Catholic schools. * Newbridge College is a co-educational fee-paying secondary school. The

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of ...

founded Newbridge College in 1852 as a boarding school for boys. * Leinster Senior College is a small private fee-paying secondary school geared solely towards the Leaving Certificate. * The town of Clane is home to another educational institute, Clane College, a provider of further education to the wider Kildare community. *

Naas C.B.S. Naas C.B.S. ( ga, Méanscoil Iognáid Rís Nás na Riogh) is a Christian Brothers secondary school in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland. History Méanscoil Iognáid Rís is a voluntary secondary school under the trusteeship of the Edmund Rice S ...

, Saint Mary's College Naas and Piper's Hill College are the three main secondary schools in Naas.

Sport

GAA

The nickname for the Kildare GAA team is the ''Lilywhites'', as a result of its early jerseys being made from the bags of the Lilywhite Bakery. The all-white jerseys they wear are in reference to this. In 1928, Kildare became the first team to win the Sam Maguire trophy for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, defeating Cavan 2–6 to 2–5. However, since then Kildare has reached the All-Ireland Football Championship Final on four occasions, the last being in 1998, but has failed on all four attempts. County Kildare is also known as the ''Shortgrass County'' which is a reference to how short the grass is on the commons of the Curragh.

Golf

The Michael Smurfit owned

K Club The Kildare Hotel and Golf Club (abbreviated The K Club) is a golf and leisure complex in the Republic of Ireland, located at Straffan, County Kildare. It is built on the original grounds of the Straffan estate, incorporating the 1830s Straffan ...

, situated on the River Liffey near Straffan played host to the 2006

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...

Carton House Carton House is a country house and surrounding demesne that was the ancestral seat of the Earls of Kildare and Dukes of Leinster for over 700 years. Located 23 km west of Dublin, in Maynooth, County Kildare, the Carton Demesne is a 1,100 a ...

Golf Club is located in Maynooth. The Golfing Union of Ireland, the longest established golf union in the world, have their national headquarters on the estate. This facility also comprises the GUI National Academy, an teaching facility for up-and-coming golfers, as well as being a facility available to all golfers in Ireland. Other prominent courses are located at Knockanally and Clane.

Horse racing

Kildare is famous worldwide for its horse racing. The Curragh horse-racing course is the home to all five Irish Classic Flat races. Also located in County Kildare are two other courses, Punchestown Racecourse, home of the National Hunt Festival of Ireland, and

Naas Racecourse Naas Racecourse is a horse racing venue in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, approximately 18 miles from Dublin. The course stages both Flat racing and National Hunt racing and in 2010 fifteen race meetings were held there. The Naas Races Company w ...

, which runs both National Hunt and Flat meetings and is used by top racehorse trainers as a test for horses preparing for the Cheltenham festival. The county is famous for the quality of horses bred in the many stud farms to which it is home, including the Irish National Stud and many other top studs such as Gilltown, Moyglare and

Kildangan Stud Darley Stud is located at Dalham Hall, the global breeding operation owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates. It is on the outskirts of Newmarket, Suffolk, the interna ...

, and race horse training establishments, such as the Osborne Stables.

Motorsports

Kildare is the home to Mondello Park, Ireland's only international motorsport venue. Established by Martin Birrane in 1968 on , and redeveloped in 1999/2000, the facility incorporates of race track, 24 race garages and 12 Hospitality Suites. The Circuit also has of extreme off-road driving trails and a off-road activities centre and the Museum of Motorsport. Mondello Park was awarded the FIA International race track status in 2001. It is host to National and International Race events, Motor Shows, Car & Bike Track days, Training Schools and Corporate Events.

Soccer

Kildare County F.C. Kildare County F.C. ( ga, Cumann Peile Chontae Chill Dara) was an Irish association football club based in Newbridge, County Kildare. Between 2002–03 and 2009 they played in the League of Ireland First Division. During this time they also e ...

was a League of Ireland club from 2002 until 2009, based in Newbridge, where Leinster Senior League side

Newbridge Town F.C. Newbridge Town are a Senior Division Leinster Senior League side. A group of boys had decided they wanted to form a soccer team and approached Joe Barry and Tony Hannigan, both of whom had organised and played soccer for many years. Newbridge ...

was invited to join the league in 2002, however, a broader Kildare-based franchise was created instead, playing out of

Station Road, Newbridge Station Road is a football ground and training complex located in Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to Leinster Senior League outfit Newbridge Town F.C. It was also the home of now defunct Eircom League Division One side Kildare Co ...

Places of interest

Castledermot Abbey Castledermot Abbey () is a ruined Franciscan friary in Castledermot, County Kildare, Ireland. It was founded at some point before 1247. A previous monastery had been founded on the same site by Diarmait, a son of Áed Róin, King of Ulster, in ...

* Castledermot Round Tower * Castletown House *

Maynooth Castle Maynooth Castle is a ruined 12th century castle in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland which stands at the entrance to the South Campus of Maynooth University. Constructed in the early 13th century, it became the primary residence of the Kildare ...

* The Wonderful Barn

Notable people

* Arthur Guinness: Politician and brewer, founder of Guinness * George Barrington: pickpocket, socialite * Eamon Broy: policeman * Domhnall Ua Buachalla: Governor-General of the Irish Free State *

Ambrose Bury Ambrose Upton Gledstanes Bury, KC (August 1, 1869 – March 29, 1951) was a politician in Alberta, Canada, a mayor of Edmonton, and a member of the House of Commons of Canada. Early life Ambrose Bury was born in Downings House, County Kildar ...

: Canadian politician *

Paul Cullen (bishop) Paul Cardinal Cullen (29 April 1803 – 24 October 1878) was Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and previously of Armagh, and the first Irish cardinal. His Ultramontanism spearheaded the Romanisation of the Catholic Church in Ireland and us ...

: Archbishop of Dublin and Archbishop of ArmaghJohn N. Molony, 'Cullen, Paul (1803–1878)', ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published in hardcopy 1969, accessed online 7 November 2014
/ref> * John Devoy: Fenian *

Charles FitzClarence Brigadier General Charles FitzClarence (8 May 1865 – 12 November 1914) was an Anglo-Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commo ...

: soldier * Lord Edward FitzGerald: revolutionary * Michael Gorman: American politician * Gabriel Hayes: sculptor and coin designer *

John Vincent Holland John Vincent Holland VC (19 July 1889 – 27 February 1975), was World War I Irish soldier, and the recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces ...

: soldier *

Michael Kelly Lawler Michael Kelly Lawler (November 16, 1814 – July 26, 1882) was a volunteer militia soldier in the Black Hawk War 1831–1832, an officer in the United States Army in both the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. In the latter confl ...

: soldier * Kathleen Lonsdale: scientist *

John de Robeck Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Michael de Robeck, 1st Baronet, (10 June 1862 – 20 January 1928) was an officer in the Royal Navy. In the early years of the 20th century he served as Admiral of Patrols, commanding four flotillas of destroyers. ...

: admiral *

Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age o ...

: explorer *

Barry St. Leger Barrimore Matthew "Barry" St. Leger (bapt. 1 May 1733 – 23 December 1793) was a British Army officer. St. Leger was active in the Saratoga Campaign, commanding an invasion force that unsuccessfully besieged Fort Stanwix. St. Leger remaine ...

: soldier

Sports

Larry Tompkins Larry Tompkins (born 13 June 1963) is a former Irish Gaelic football manager and player. Throughout his 20-year club career, he played for his adopted club Castlehaven, winning three Munster Club Championship titles during a golden age for the ...

: Eadestown GAA * Leighton Aspell: twice Grand National-winning jockey * Nonpareil Dempsey: boxer *

Matt Goff Matt Goff (born Matthew Gough in Leixlip, County Kildare, 5 July 1901, died 19 March 1956) was a Gaelic footballer on the Kildare, Leinster and Irish Tailteann Games teams and one of a group of players who helped establish Gaelic Athletic ...

: Gaelic footballer *

Willoughby Hamilton Willoughby Hamilton (born as James Willoughby Hamilton; 9 December 1864 – 27 September 1943) was a World-number-one male tennis-player rankings, co-world No. 1 Irish male tennis player, a association football, footballer and international ba ...

: tennis player * Jimmy O'Brien: plays for the

Ireland national rugby sevens team The Ireland national rugby sevens team competes in several international rugby sevens competitions. The team is governed by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU). Ireland competes as a "core team" on the World Rugby Sevens Series, a competiti ...

* Ruby Walsh : National Hunt Jockey *

Nathan Collins Nathan Michael Collins (born 30 April 2001) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Republic of Ireland national team. Early life Collins was born in Leixlip, Count ...

: Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. and Republic of Ireland national football team. *

Mark Travers Mark Travers (born 18 May 1999) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club AFC Bournemouth. He has represented the Republic of Ireland at youth international level up until under-21 level as well as the Republic ...

: A.F.C. Bournemouth and Republic of Ireland national football team *

Andrew Omobamidele Andrew Abiola Omobamidele (born 23 June 2002) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Nottingham Forest and the Republic of Ireland national team. Early life Omobamidele was born in Leixlip, County Kildare, to ...

: Norwich City F.C. and Republic of Ireland national football team *

Conn McDunphy Conn McDunphy (born 3 February 1997) is an Irish cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team . Major results ;2017 : 2nd Time trial, National Under-23 Road Championships : 5th Time trial, National Road Championships ;2018 : 1st St ...

: Professional Cyclist, 2020 Cycling Ireland National Time Trial Champion.

Writers, musicians, and entertainers

* Devon Murray: actor *

Damien Molony Damien Molony (born 21 February 1984) is an Irish actor. He is best known for his television roles as Hal Yorke in BBC Three's '' Being Human'', DC Albert Flight in the BBC's ''Ripper Street'', DS Jack Weston in Channel 5's '' Suspects'', Jon ...

: actor * Aisling Bea: actress, comedian *

Aidan Higgins Aidan Higgins (3 March 1927 – 27 December 2015) was an Irish writer. He wrote short stories, travel pieces, radio drama and novels. Among his published works are '' Langrishe, Go Down'' (1966), '' Balcony of Europe'' (1972) and the biographic ...

: writer *

Teresa Brayton Teresa Brayton (29 June 1868 – 19 August 1943; born Teresa Coca Boylan), pen name T.B. Kilbrook, was an Irish republican and poet. She was born in Kilbrook, a small village near Kilcock, Co. Kildare, Ireland. Brayton was the youngest daughter ...

: writer * Molly Keane: novelist * Emily Lawless: writer * Mary Leadbeater: writer *

John MacKenna John MacKenna (born 1952 in Castledermot, Co Kildare) is an Irish playwright and novelist. MacKenna taught for a number of years before working as a producer at RTÉ Radio in 1980. Between then and 2002, when he left the station to spend more ...

: playwright, author, actor * Paul Mescal: actor * Bell X1 are from Celbridge, County Kildare. * Luka Bloom is from Newbridge * Joseph Doyle, bassist from Irish band The Frames is from Allenwood * Graham Hopkins, drummer with The Frames, The Swell Season, and Therapy? is from Clane * Damien Leith,

Australian Idol 2006 The fourth season of ''Australian Idol'' began on 6 August 2006 and concluded on 26 November. Overview Format changes Changes for the fourth season of ''Australian Idol'' included the cancellation of "Inside Idol", "streamlined" semi-finals ( ...

winner and singer-songwriter lived in Milltown until he moved to Australia. *

Jack Lukeman Jack Lukeman (born Seán Loughman 11 February 1973), usually simply known as Jack L, is an Irish songwriter, musician, record producer, vocal artist and broadcaster. History A native of Athy Co. Kildare Ireland, Jack Lukeman attended a youth cl ...

, otherwise known as Jack L, is from

* Dónal Lunny was raised in Newbridge. *

Miracle Bell Miracle Bell are an Indie pop band from Naas, Ireland. Formed in 2005 the band is composed of John Broe (Guitar, lead vocals and Synth) and John Rigney( Drums, Percussion and Backing vocals). History Miracle Bell formed in late 2005. Originall ...

, Indie-pop band, hail from Naas. *

Christy Moore Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore (born 7 May 1945) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist. In addition to his significant success as an individual, he is one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts. His first album, ...

, folk musician, was born in Newbridge. * Liam O'Flynn from the band Planxty is from Kill *

Damien Rice Damien George Rice (born 7 December 1973) is an Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He began his career as a member of the 1990s rock group Juniper, who were signed to Polygram Records in 1997. The band enjoyed moderate success ...

was born in Celbridge *

Heidi Talbot Heidi Talbot (born 1980) is an Irish folk singer from Kill, County Kildare, Ireland. Talbot is a former singer of Irish-American musical group Cherish the Ladies. Early life and education Born in the rural village of Kill, County Kildare, Ire ...

is from Kill

Twinning

County Kildare is twinned with the following places: * Deauville, France *

Lexington Lexington may refer to: Places England * Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada * Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States * Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name * Lexington, Massachusetts, the oldes ...

, Kentucky, USA Both are major centres of the

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

breeding industry in their respective countries.

References

External links

Kildare Fáilte's Tourism PagesCounty Kildare Community NetworkKildare County CouncilKildare Gaelscoil stats 2010–2011Irish Census 2006
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