Kildare (Cill Dara in modern Irish, originally derived from Cell Dara in Old Irish, meaning "Church of the Oak") is a town in County Kildare in the Republic of Ireland. Although it gives its name to the county, Kildare is not the county town, that honour going instead to Naas. The town lies some 50 km west of Dublin, near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional centre in its own right, a commuter town for the capital.

1 History
2 Transport & Communications
3 Places of Interest
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] History

In pre-Christian times Kildare was the site of a shrine to the Celtic goddess Brigid. Following the introduction of Christianity in the 5th and 6th centuries it became the foundation of the Christian Saint Brigid who founded a unique monastery of monks and nuns on the site of the present cathedral.

[edit] Transport & Communications

Rail: Iarnród Éireann provides the town with good rail links not only to Dublin but also to the south (Waterford), the southwest (Cork, Limerick, and Tralee), and west of the country (Galway and Mayo).
Road: Kildare lies close to the M7 motorway from Dublin to Limerick (to which it is linked by the R445 along the route previously forming part of the N7). The M7 leads to the N8 Dublin - Cork route.

[edit] Places of Interest

Kildare is home to the Irish National Stud, the Japanese Gardens and St. Fiachra's Garden. Much of the surrounding countryside in County Kildare is used for horse breeding. The Curragh racecourse is not far from Kildare town.

Image:Kildare Japanese Garden.JPG

Image:St Fiachra's Garden.jpg