County Kildare

County Kildare (Irish: Contae Chill Dara) is an Irish county located to the southwest of Dublin in the province of Leinster. The name comes from the Irish, meaning church (Cill) of the oaks (Dara).

Kildare is bordered by the counties of Carlow, Laois, Meath, Offaly, Dublin and Wicklow. Kildare is part of the "Greater Dublin Area", a regional area surrounding Dublin.

Major Towns

The town of Kildare is the oldest in the county and the most historic. Naas (Nás na Rí in Irish - meaning meeting place of kings) is the county town.

Newbridge (Droichead Nua in Irish) is Kildare's largest town and is situated in the centre of the county, near the Curragh plain. It is a thriving and rapidly growing town of over 20,000.

Maynooth (Maigh Nuad in Irish) is the historic educational centre of the county. It contains National University of Ireland, Maynooth and St Patrick's College, Maynooth.

Leixlip (Léim An Bhradáin in Irish) town is the industrial centre of north Kildare, with large Intel and Hewlett-Packard facilities, while Kilcock is a town located 6 kilometres (4 miles) from Maynooth.

Monasterevin (Mainistir Éimhín in Irish) in the site of the 6th century Moore Abbey founded by St Evin.

Celbridge is the largest one street town in Ireland and nearby Straffan is the site of the K Club Gof Course which is hosting the Ryder Cup 2006.

Caragh is another notable village in Kildare that is situated between the River Liffey and the Grand Canal. It is of particular note for its vast natural beauty and prosperity.

East Kildare's population has increased rapidly, for example the amount of housing in the Naas suburb of Sallins has increased six-fold since the mid 1990s.

History

Kildare was shired in 1297 and assumed its present borders in 1832. Main article at History of County Kildare.

Horse Racing

The Curragh horse-racing course is also located in County Kildare. The county is known for the quality of horses bred in the many horse stud farms to which it is home to. It is also home to the huge yearly Punchestown race festival and the Irish Derby. Kildare is also home to the National Stud.

Sport

The nickname for the Kildare GAA team is the Lilywhites, a reference to the all-white jerseys they wear. Kildare were the first team to win the Sam Maguire All Ireland football Championship in 1928 defeating Cavan 2-6 to 2-5. 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.

Politics

Politically the county is divided into two Dáil constituencies, Kildare North (3 seats, to be increased to 4 at the next election) and Kildare South (3 seats). Nevertheless, the whole county is governed at local authority level by Kildare County Council.

Towns and Villages in Kildare

External links

County Kildare Community Network

County Kildare | Geography of Kildare