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County Kildare

Cill Dara

Leinster · 101 places · 47 photos · 3 videos

Hero photo: GsmithEIDW · CC BY-SA 3.0

About County Kildare

County Kildare (Irish: 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, which had a population of 246,977 at the 2022 census.

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Kilkea Castle — photo by GsmithEIDW #1

Kilkea Castle

Kilkea Castle is located 5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of Castledermot, County Kildare, Ireland near the village of Kilkea on the R418 regional road from Athy to Tullow. It was a medieval stronghold, for over 700 years, of the Fitzgeralds, earls of Kildare.

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Barberstown Castle — photo by Harold Strong #2

Barberstown Castle

Barberstown Castle is a structure originally built in 1288 in Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland, 25 km (15 miles) west of Dublin. It has been operating as a hotel since 1971 and is surrounded by 20 acres (8.1 ha) of gardens. Renovations in 1996 revealed a previously undiscovered tunnel that links the castle to the nearby church in Straffan and is thought to have been used under the Penal Laws.

Popularity
44
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White Castle — photo by Andreas F. Borchert #4

White Castle

White's Castle is a 16th-century tower house in Athy, County Kildare, Ireland. Built on the site of an earlier 15th-century castle, White's Castle was built to guard the main river crossing in Athy (Irish: Baile Átha Í, meaning 'town of the ford of Ae') and was extended over successive centuries.

Popularity
38
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Bolton Abbey — photo by Mike Searle #6

Bolton Abbey

Bolton Abbey, Moone, County Kildare is a Cistercian monastery, founded in 1965. It was established by monks from Mount St. Joseph Abbey, Roscrea, and became an independent monastery and abbey in 1977. The monastery works a dairy farm on its property. The farm and house were donated by Dr. Robert Farnan. The monastery was established by Fr Ambrose Farrington and Br Kieran Dooley from Roscrea and officially opened in 1965. In 2015 it celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Popularity
26
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Saint Mary's Church — photo by Self #7

Saint Mary's Church

St. Mary's Church, Castlemartin, located in the broad Kilcullen area of County Kildare, Ireland, is the first medieval church in Ireland to have been restored to full working order. The small stone Roman Catholic church, with accompanying burial ground, lies within Castlemartin Estate, which belonged for many years to media magnate Tony O'Reilly; O'Reilly paid for the restoration in 1979–1980, after which the church was reconsecrated in August 1981 by Archbishop Dermot Ryan. There has been a church on this site for over 800 years.

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Hill of Allen — photo by Eoghan888 at English Wikipedia #8

Hill of Allen

The Hill of Allen (Cnoc Alúine in Modern Irish, earlier Cnoc Almaine; also Hill of Almu ) is a volcanic hill situated in the west of County Kildare, Ireland, beside the village of Allen. According to Irish Mythology, it was the seat of the hunter-warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill and the Fianna. The site is currently part-owned by Roadstone Dublin Limited and extensive quarrying has noticeably changed the profile of the hill.

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24
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Black Abbey — photo by Eflmd #10

Black Abbey

The Black Abbey, or Tully Preceptory, is a ruined Knights Hospitaller preceptory/abbey in County Kildare, Ireland. It is located around 2 km south of Kildare town centre in Tully, County Kildare and next to the national stud.

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Videos from Kildare

Kilkea Castle Hotel Kildare Ireland

Kilkea Castle Hotel Kildare Ireland

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Barberstown Castle Hotel - Punchestown Hotel Partner

Barberstown Castle Hotel - Punchestown Hotel Partner

Punchestown Racecourse

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Carbury Castle, County Kildare, Ireland

Carbury Castle, County Kildare, Ireland

CanaCelt Drone

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All places in Kildare

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Kilkea Castle — photo by GsmithEIDW▶ Video
HouseKildare

Kilkea Castle

Kilkea Castle is located 5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of Castledermot, County Kildare, Ireland near the village of Kilkea on the R418 regional road from Athy to Tullow. It was a medieval stronghold, for over 700 years, of the Fitzgeralds, earls of Kildare.

Barberstown Castle — photo by Harold Strong▶ Video
CastleKildare

Barberstown Castle

Barberstown Castle is a structure originally built in 1288 in Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland, 25 km (15 miles) west of Dublin. It has been operating as a hotel since 1971 and is surrounded by 20 acres (8.1 ha) of gardens. Renovations in 1996 revealed a previously undiscovered tunnel that links the castle to the nearby church in Straffan and is thought to have been used under the Penal Laws.

Carbury Castle — photo by Dougbermingham at English Wikipedia▶ Video
CastleKildare

Carbury Castle

Carbury Castle is a castle situated in the townland of Carbury, near the border between County Kildare and County Offaly. Carbury Castle was built in the 13th century by Pierce St. Leger.

White Castle — photo by Andreas F. Borchert
CastleKildare

White Castle

White's Castle is a 16th-century tower house in Athy, County Kildare, Ireland. Built on the site of an earlier 15th-century castle, White's Castle was built to guard the main river crossing in Athy (Irish: Baile Átha Í, meaning 'town of the ford of Ae') and was extended over successive centuries.

Bolton Abbey — photo by Mike Searle
AbbeyKildare

Bolton Abbey

Bolton Abbey, Moone, County Kildare is a Cistercian monastery, founded in 1965. It was established by monks from Mount St. Joseph Abbey, Roscrea, and became an independent monastery and abbey in 1977. The monastery works a dairy farm on its property. The farm and house were donated by Dr. Robert Farnan. The monastery was established by Fr Ambrose Farrington and Br Kieran Dooley from Roscrea and officially opened in 1965. In 2015 it celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Saint Mary's Church — photo by Self
ChurchKildare

Saint Mary's Church

St. Mary's Church, Castlemartin, located in the broad Kilcullen area of County Kildare, Ireland, is the first medieval church in Ireland to have been restored to full working order. The small stone Roman Catholic church, with accompanying burial ground, lies within Castlemartin Estate, which belonged for many years to media magnate Tony O'Reilly; O'Reilly paid for the restoration in 1979–1980, after which the church was reconsecrated in August 1981 by Archbishop Dermot Ryan. There has been a church on this site for over 800 years.

Hill of Allen — photo by Eoghan888 at English Wikipedia

Hill of Allen

The Hill of Allen (Cnoc Alúine in Modern Irish, earlier Cnoc Almaine; also Hill of Almu ) is a volcanic hill situated in the west of County Kildare, Ireland, beside the village of Allen. According to Irish Mythology, it was the seat of the hunter-warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill and the Fianna. The site is currently part-owned by Roadstone Dublin Limited and extensive quarrying has noticeably changed the profile of the hill.

Clane Friary — photo by Sheila1988
RuinsKildare

Clane Friary

Clane Friary, also called Clane Abbey, is a former friary of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual located in Clane, Ireland.

Black Abbey — photo by Eflmd
ChurchKildare

Black Abbey

The Black Abbey, or Tully Preceptory, is a ruined Knights Hospitaller preceptory/abbey in County Kildare, Ireland. It is located around 2 km south of Kildare town centre in Tully, County Kildare and next to the national stud.

Maynooth Castle — photo by William Murphy from Dublin, Ireland
CastleKildare

Maynooth Castle

Maynooth Castle is a ruined 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 Fitzmaurice and Fitzgerald family.

Town Hall — photo by Mgtmquinn
MuseumKildare

Town Hall

Athy Town Hall (Irish: Halla an Bhaile Átha Í) is a municipal building in Emily Street, Athy, County Kildare, Ireland. The building accommodated the offices of Athy Urban District Council until 1985, but is now used as a heritage centre.

The Wonderful Barn — photo by Edge977
GeneralKildare

The Wonderful Barn

The Wonderful Barn is a corkscrew-shaped building on the edge of Castletown House Estate, formerly of the Conolly family, in Celbridge, County Kildare, Ireland. The barn itself is formally in neighbouring Leixlip.

Dún Ailinne — photo by Frankysandwich
Archaeological SiteKildare

Dún Ailinne

Dún Ailinne (pronounced [ˌd̪ˠuːnˠ ˈalʲən̠ʲə]; sometimes anglicized Dun Aulin) is an ancient ceremonial site on the hill of Cnoc Ailinne (Knockaulin) in County Kildare, Ireland. It is southwest of Kilcullen, near the R418 road to Athy. It is a large circular enclosure covering most of the hilltop; about 13 hectares. While there is no longer anything visible on the ground surface, archeological investigations show that there were once circular timber structures (or rings of upright timbers) inside the enclosure during the Irish Iron Age (ca 400 BCE – 400 CE). According to Irish mythology, Dún Ailinne was one of the great royal sites of early Gaelic Ireland and was believed in the early medieval period to have been where the Kings of Leinster were inaugurated. These documents were written long after the site was in common use, however, and the site's relationship to early medieval kings remains unclear. It is similar to the other royal sites of Tara (Kings of Meath), Navan Fort (Kings of Ulster) and Rathcroghan (Kings of Connacht). The site is on private property and is not open to public access. The hill is 183 metres (600 ft) above sea level and so visible from many places in the surrounding area. The best view of the site is from the Old Kilcullen churchyard in Old Kilcullen (where there is also a round tower), which is free and open to the public. Dún Ailinne should not be confused with the Hill of Allen (Cnoc Alúine), which is to the northwest.

Conolly's Folly — photo by Ilja Klutman from Ballinakill, Ireland
MonumentKildare

Conolly's Folly

The Conolly Folly (Irish: Baois Uí Chonghaile), a.k.a. The Obelisk, is an obelisk structure located between Celbridge, Leixlip and Maynooth in County Kildare, Ireland. It was built in the mid-18th century by the Conolly family, then owners of the Castletown Estate. It was restored in the mid-20th century by the Irish Georgian Society, and is now a national monument in state care.

Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens — photo by Clemensfranz
GeneralKildare

Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens

The Irish National Stud (official name: Comhlacht Graí Náisiúnta na hÉireann) is a Thoroughbred horse breeding facility in Tully, Kildare, County Kildare, Ireland. It was formally established by incorporation on 11 April 1946 under the National Stud Act, 1945 and is owned by the Irish Government.

Grange Castle — photo by Douglas P.Bermingham
CastleKildare

Grange Castle

Grange Castle, Irish: Caisleán na Gráinsí, is a tower house in Grange West, County Kildare, Ireland. It is an Irish National Monument.

Jigginstown House — photo by Wanfried-Dublin
HouseKildare

Jigginstown House

Jigginstown Castle is a ruined 17th-century house and National Monument near Naas, County Kildare, Ireland. It was constructed in the late 1630s when Ireland was under the reign of Charles I (1625–1649). At the time it was one of the largest buildings in Ireland, and the first to be constructed of red brick said to have been imported from Holland: the plans provided for pavement and columns of Kilkenny marble. Jigginstown Castle was built on the periphery of an area known as The Pale, which was on the outskirts of Dublin. It was an area which was guarded on its outskirts by the English plantation settlers to protect valuables and livestock. The castle has also been previously known as Siggingstown Castle. Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the 1630s, in his time the most powerful figure in Ireland, was responsible for the construction. His intention was for the castle to be a place where the King could reside on royal visits to Ireland. The downfall and execution for treason of Lord Strafford in 1641 meant that the house was never completed, and it was largely destroyed during the civil strife of the 1640s. According to Strafford's biographer Veronica Wedgwood, the ruins were still visible in the 1950s. The basement and castle's ground floor still stand to this day.

Kilteel Castle — photo by Bogman
CastleKildare

Kilteel Castle

Kilteel Castle is a historic castle located in County Kildare. It is categorized as a historic castle.

Rathcoffey Castle — photo by Mike Searle
CastleKildare

Rathcoffey Castle

Rathcoffey Castle is a 15th-century castle in Rathcoffey, County Kildare, Ireland. It is a National Monument.

Castledermot Friary (ruins) — photo by Andreas F. Borchert
AbbeyKildare

Castledermot Friary (ruins)

Castledermot Abbey (Irish: Mainistir Dhíseart Diarmada) 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 the ninth century AD.

Castledermot Round Tower — photo by Andreas F. Borchert
Round TowerKildare

Castledermot Round Tower

Castledermot Round Tower is a 10th-century round tower in Castledermot, County Kildare, Ireland. The tower, and the high crosses nearby, are a National Monument.

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