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County Kildare

March 28, 2023

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 has a population of 246,977.[3]

County Kildare
Contae Chill Dara
County
Coat of arms
Nickname: 
The Short Grass County
Motto(s): 
Meanma agus Misneach (Irish)
"Spirit and Courage"
Location of County Kildare (dark green) in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°10′N 6°45′W / 53.167°N 6.750°W / 53.167; -6.750Coordinates: 53°10′N 6°45′W / 53.167°N 6.750°W / 53.167; -6.750
CountryIreland
ProvinceLeinster
RegionEastern and Midland
Established1297[1]
County townNaas
Largest settlementNewbridge
Government
 • Local authorityKildare County Council
 • Dáil constituenciesKildare North
Kildare South
 • EP constituencyMidlands–North-West
Area
 • Total1,695 km2 (654 sq mi)
 • Rank24th
Highest elevation
(Cupidstown Hill)
379 m (1,243 ft)
Population
 (2022)[2]
 • Total246,977
 • Rank7th
 • Density150/km2 (380/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC±0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (IST)
Eircode routing keys
R14, R45, R51, W12, W23, W34, W91 (primarily)
Telephone area codes01, 045, 059 (primarily)
Vehicle index
mark code		KE
WebsiteOfficial website

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, Meath, Offaly, South Dublin and Wicklow. As an inland county, Kildare is generally a lowland region. The county's highest points are the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains bordering to the east. The highest point in Kildare is Cupidstown Hill on the border with South Dublin, with the better-known Hill of Allen in central Kildare.

Towns and villages

Physical geography

 
Looking east across the broad plains of South Kildare to the distant Wicklow Hills.

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 Monasterevin on the west. A southern branch joins the Barrow navigation at Athy. The Royal Canal stretches across the north of the county along the border with Meath. Pollardstown Fen is the largest remaining calcareous 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 is a large bog that extends across 958 km2 (370 sq mi) and into County Kildare, County Meath, County Offaly, County Laois, and County Westmeath. Kildare has 243 km2 (94 sq mi) 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. It is a habitat for over 185 plant and animal species.

There are 8,472 hectares (20,930 acres) of forested land in Kildare, accounting for roughly 5% of the county's total land area. 4,056 hectares (10,020 acres) of this is coniferous, while there is 2,963 hectares (7,320 acres) 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 259 hectares (640 acres) of mixed woodland (60% broadleaf, 40% conifer) and is the largest forest park in Kildare.

History

Main article: History of County Kildare

Kildare was shired in 1297[5] 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. Parts of the county were also part of the Pale area around Dublin.

Governance and politics

Local government

Kildare County Council is the local authority 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), Kildare (5 seats), Newbridge (6 Seats) and Naas (7 Seats). These form the municipal districts of Athy, Celbridge–Leixlip, Clane–Maynooth, Kildare–Newbridge, and Naas.[6] The current council was elected in May 2019.

Kildare County Council nominates three councillors to the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly, who are part of the Mid-East strategic planning area committee.[7]

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 Athy and Naas.[8] The rural districts were abolished in 1925.[9] 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.[10] The urban districts of Athy and Naas and the town commissioners of Newbridge and Leixlip became town councils in 2002.[11] All town councils in Ireland were abolished in 2014.[12]

National elections

For elections to Dáil Éireann, there are two constituencies in the county: Kildare North (4 seats) and Kildare South (4 seats).[13] 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, it is part of the Midlands–North-West constituency (4 MEPs).

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 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.[citation needed]

As of 2022 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.[3]

Ethnic Groups

Main immigrant groups, 2016[14]
Nationality Population
  United Kingdom 10,527
  Poland 6,869
  Lithuania 1,550
  Romania 1,156
  Nigeria 1,120
  Philippines 1,088
  United States 1,082
  India 929
  Latvia 845
  Moldova 829

Urban areas and populations

Town Population 2016
Newbridge 22,742
Naas 21,393
Celbridge 20,288
Leixlip 15,504
Maynooth 14,585
Athy 9,677
Kildare 8,634
Clane 7,280
Kilcock 6,093
Sallins 5,849
Monasterevin 4,246

Health care

County Kildare hospitals include Naas General Hospital and Clane General Hospital.

Transport

Road

County Kildare houses the hub of Ireland's network of major roads.

The N4 (M4) from Dublin to Sligo travels along the north of the county by-passing the towns of Leixlip, Maynooth and Kilcock.

The M7 from Dublin to Limerick 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 that commences at Kilcullen and ends at Waterford. It is motorway standard for its entire length.

Rail

The county is also served by the trains connecting with Dublin, southern Leinster, Munster and Connacht, with daily connections to Cork, Waterford, Limerick, and Galway. The principal Irish Rail InterCity train station in the county is Kildare, however, Newbridge, Sallins 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

 
River Barrow and White's Castle, Athy

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 County Meath.

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).[15] 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 in 1795 to educate Ireland's Catholics and Maynooth University 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 is a private secondary boarding school for boys, located near Clane. Founded by the Society of Jesus (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 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., Saint Mary's College Naas and Piper's Hill College are the three main secondary schools in Naas.

Sport

GAA

 
Horses near Pollardstown Fen

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

Carton House 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 8.9-hectare (22-acre; 89,000-square-metre) 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.[16][17] 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, 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, 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 45 hectares (110 acres), and redeveloped in 1999/2000, the facility incorporates 3.5 km (2.2 mi) of race track, 24 race garages and 12 Hospitality Suites. The Circuit also has 3 km (1.9 mi) of extreme off-road driving trails and a 2-hectare (5-acre) 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. was a League of Ireland club from 2002 until 2009, based in Newbridge, where Leinster Senior League side Newbridge Town F.C. was invited to join the league in 2002, however, a broader Kildare-based franchise was created instead, playing out of Station Road, Newbridge.

Places of interest

See also: List of National Monuments in County Kildare

Notable people

Sports

Writers, musicians, and entertainers

Twinning

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland

County Kildare is twinned with the following places:

Both are major centres of the Thoroughbred breeding industry in their respective countries.

See also

References

  1. ^ "A Brief History of Co.Kildare". kildare.ie. from the original on 25 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Data". Central Statistics Office (Ireland). from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: County Kildare". Central Statistics Office (Ireland). from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  4. ^ http://www.cso.ie/census 20 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine for post 1821 figures, 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy 14 March 1865, 1788 Estimate from survey by GP Bushe. |1813 estimate from Mason's Statistical Survey
  5. ^ Otway-Ruthven, Annette Jocelyn (1980). A history of medieval Ireland. Routledge. p. 174. ISBN 0-510-27800-0. from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  6. ^ County of Kildare Local Electoral Areas and Municipal Districts Order 2018 (S.I. No. 620 of 2018). Signed on 19 December 2018. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
  7. ^ Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Assemblies) (Establishment) Order 2014 (S.I. No. 573 of 2014). Signed on 16 December 2014. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 29 January 2022.
  8. ^ "1926 Census: Table 9: Population, Area and Valuation of urban and rural districts and of all towns with a population of 1,500 inhabitants or over, showing particulars of town and village population and of the number of persons per 100 acres" (PDF). Central Statistics Office. p. 21. (PDF) from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  9. ^ Local Government Act 1925, s. 3: Abolition of rural district councils (No. 5 of 1925, s. 3). Enacted on 26 March 1925. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 22 December 2021.
  10. ^ Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act 1854 (Leixlip) Order 1988 (S.I. No. 103 of 1988). Signed on 18 May 1988. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
  11. ^ Local Government Act 2001, 6th Sch.: Local Government Areas (Towns) (No. 37 of 2001, 6th Sch.). Enacted on 21 July 2001. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 7 August 2022.
  12. ^ Local Government Reform Act 2014, s. 24: Dissolution of town councils and transfer date (No. 1 of 2014, s. 24). Enacted on 27 January 2014. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 21 May 2022.
  13. ^ Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017, Schedule (No. 39 of 2017, Schedule). Enacted on 23 December 2017. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 8 August 2021.
  14. ^ "Population Usually Resident and Present in the State 2011 to 2016". cso.ie. from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  15. ^ "Oideachas Trí Mheán na Gaeilge in Éirinn sa Ghalltacht 2010–2011" (PDF) (in Ga). gaelscoileanna.ie. 2011. (PDF) from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  16. ^ . Newswoman.de. 16 April 1995. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  17. ^ "Kildarehorse". Kildarehorse.ie. from the original on 7 November 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2009.
  18. ^ "The Arthur Guinness Story | Discover Celbridge". Discover Celbridge. from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  19. ^ Barrington, George (1755? – 1804). Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1. MUP. 1966. pp. 62–63. Retrieved 23 August 2007.
  20. ^ John 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
  21. ^ Commemorative Biographical Record of the Upper Wisconsin Counties of Waupaca, Portage, Wood, Marathon, Lincoln, Oneida, Vilas, Langlade and Shawano. Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1895. pp. 761–762. Retrieved 18 August 2015. Michael Gorman+Wisconsin.
  22. ^ "John Vincent Holland V.C." Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  23. ^ "The de Robecks of Gowran Grange, Co. Kildare". Turtle Bunbury. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  24. ^ Fredriksen, John C (2001). America's military adversaries: from colonial times to the present. ABC-CLIO. p. 483. ISBN 978-1-57607-603-3.
  25. ^ Ganatra, Shilpa (17 August 2019). "Damien Molony From Kildare To Top Of British TV". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  26. ^ Coates, Laura (8 March 2017). "10 awesome Kildare women making waves in the world". Leinster Leader. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  27. ^ Armstrong, Maggie (11 January 2020). "Readers' expectations are the 'biggest source of anxiety' – Paul Mescal on tackling role of Connell in Normal People". Irish Independent. from the original on 31 May 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  28. ^ Deming, Mark. "Luka Bloom". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  29. ^ O'Toole, Leagues (2006). The Humours of Planxty. Ireland: Hodder Headline. ISBN 0-340-83796-9.
  30. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1854. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  31. ^ . DamienRice.com. n.d. Archived from the original on 2 May 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2007.
  32. ^ "County Twinning Committee". Kildare Twinning. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  33. ^ . Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  34. ^ . U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 2 August 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2009.

External links

 
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for County Kildare.
  • Kildare Fáilte's Tourism Pages
  • County Kildare Community Network
  • Kildare County Council
  • Kildare Gaelscoil stats 2010–2011
  • Irish Census 2006

March 28, 2023
county, kildare, irish, contae, chill, dara, county, ireland, province, leinster, part, eastern, midland, region, named, after, town, kildare, kildare, county, council, local, authority, county, which, population, contae, chill, daracountycoat, armsnickname, s. 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 has a population of 246 977 3 County Kildare Contae Chill DaraCountyCoat of armsNickname The Short Grass CountyMotto s Meanma agus Misneach Irish Spirit and Courage Location of County Kildare dark green in IrelandCoordinates 53 10 N 6 45 W 53 167 N 6 750 W 53 167 6 750 Coordinates 53 10 N 6 45 W 53 167 N 6 750 W 53 167 6 750CountryIrelandProvinceLeinsterRegionEastern and MidlandEstablished1297 1 County townNaasLargest settlementNewbridgeGovernment Local authorityKildare County Council Dail constituenciesKildare NorthKildare South EP constituencyMidlands North WestArea Total1 695 km2 654 sq mi Rank24thHighest elevation Cupidstown Hill 379 m 1 243 ft Population 2022 2 Total246 977 Rank7th Density150 km2 380 sq mi Time zoneUTC 0 WET Summer DST UTC 1 IST Eircode routing keysR14 R45 R51 W12 W23 W34 W91 primarily Telephone area codes01 045 059 primarily Vehicle indexmark codeKEWebsiteOfficial website Contents 1 Geography and subdivisions 1 1 Towns and villages 1 2 Physical geography 2 History 3 Governance and politics 3 1 Local government 3 2 Former districts 3 3 National elections 4 Demographics 4 1 Ethnic Groups 4 2 Urban areas and populations 5 Health care 6 Transport 6 1 Road 6 2 Rail 6 3 Waterway 7 Irish language 8 Education 9 Sport 9 1 GAA 9 2 Golf 9 3 Horse racing 9 4 Motorsports 9 5 Soccer 10 Places of interest 11 Notable people 11 1 Sports 11 2 Writers musicians and entertainers 12 Twinning 13 See also 14 References 15 External linksGeography and subdivisions EditKildare 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 Meath Offaly South Dublin and Wicklow As an inland county Kildare is generally a lowland region The county s highest points are the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains bordering to the east The highest point in Kildare is Cupidstown Hill on the border with South Dublin with the better known Hill of Allen in central Kildare Towns and villages Edit Allen Allenwood Ardclough Athy Ballitore Ballymore Eustace Calverstown Caragh Carbury Castledermot Clane Coill Dubh Celbridge Curragh Derrinturn Eadestown Johnstown Johnstownbridge Kilberry Kilcock Kilcullen Kildangan Kill Kilmead Kilmeage Kilteel Kildare Leixlip Lullymore Maynooth Milltown Moone Monasterevin Narraghmore Nurney Naas Newbridge Prosperous Rathangan Robertstown Sallins Straffan Staplestown Suncroft Timolin Two Mile House Physical geography Edit Looking east across the broad plains of South Kildare to the distant Wicklow Hills Historical populationYearPop 15002 887 15104 112 42 4 15505 033 22 4 15806 787 34 8 15853 454 49 1 16004 556 31 9 16108 714 91 3 165311 983 37 5 165913 825 15 4 167254 110 291 4 178871 570 32 3 181385 000 18 8 182199 065 16 5 1831108 424 9 4 1841114 488 5 6 185195 723 16 4 186190 946 5 0 187183 614 8 1 188175 804 9 3 189170 206 7 4 190163 566 9 5 191166 627 4 8 192658 028 12 9 193657 892 0 2 194664 849 12 0 195166 437 2 4 195665 915 0 8 196164 420 2 3 196666 404 3 1 197171 977 8 4 197997 185 35 0 1981104 122 7 1 1986116 247 11 6 1991122 656 5 5 1996134 992 10 1 2002163 944 21 4 2006186 335 13 7 2011210 312 12 9 2016222 504 5 8 2022246 977 11 0 4 3 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 Monasterevin on the west A southern branch joins the Barrow navigation at Athy The Royal Canal stretches across the north of the county along the border with Meath Pollardstown Fen is the largest remaining calcareous 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 is a large bog that extends across 958 km2 370 sq mi and into County Kildare County Meath County Offaly County Laois and County Westmeath Kildare has 243 km2 94 sq mi 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 It is a habitat for over 185 plant and animal species There are 8 472 hectares 20 930 acres of forested land in Kildare accounting for roughly 5 of the county s total land area 4 056 hectares 10 020 acres of this is coniferous while there is 2 963 hectares 7 320 acres of broadleaf and the remaining area are unclassified species Coillte and Duchas currently own 47 of the forestry Coillte runs Donadea Forest Park which is in North Central Kildare The forest covers 259 hectares 640 acres of mixed woodland 60 broadleaf 40 conifer and is the largest forest park in Kildare History EditMain article History of County Kildare Kildare was shired in 1297 5 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 Parts of the county were also part of the Pale area around Dublin Governance and politics EditLocal government Edit Kildare County Council is the local authority 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 Kildare 5 seats Newbridge 6 Seats and Naas 7 Seats These form the municipal districts of Athy Celbridge Leixlip Clane Maynooth Kildare Newbridge and Naas 6 The current council was elected in May 2019 Kildare County Council nominates three councillors to the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly who are part of the Mid East strategic planning area committee 7 Former districts Edit 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 Athy and Naas 8 The rural districts were abolished in 1925 9 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 10 The urban districts of Athy and Naas and the town commissioners of Newbridge and Leixlip became town councils in 2002 11 All town councils in Ireland were abolished in 2014 12 National elections Edit For elections to Dail Eireann there are two constituencies in the county Kildare North 4 seats and Kildare South 4 seats 13 At the 2020 Irish general election Kildare North returned Catherine Murphy SD Reada Cronin SF Bernard Durkan FG and James Lawless FF while Kildare South returned Sean o Fearghail FF returned automatically as outgoing Ceann Comhairle Patricia Ryan SF Martin Heydon FG and Cathal Berry Ind For elections to the European Parliament it is part of the Midlands North West constituency 4 MEPs Demographics EditThe 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 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 citation needed As of 2022 update 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 3 Ethnic Groups Edit Main immigrant groups 2016 14 Nationality Population United Kingdom 10 527 Poland 6 869 Lithuania 1 550 Romania 1 156 Nigeria 1 120 Philippines 1 088 United States 1 082 India 929 Latvia 845 Moldova 829Urban areas and populations Edit Town Population 2016Newbridge 22 742Naas 21 393Celbridge 20 288Leixlip 15 504Maynooth 14 585Athy 9 677Kildare 8 634Clane 7 280Kilcock 6 093Sallins 5 849Monasterevin 4 246Health care EditCounty Kildare hospitals include Naas General Hospital and Clane General Hospital Transport EditRoad Edit County Kildare houses the hub of Ireland s network of major roads The N4 M4 from Dublin to Sligo travels along the north of the county by passing the towns of Leixlip Maynooth and Kilcock The M7 from Dublin to Limerick 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 that commences at Kilcullen and ends at Waterford It is motorway standard for its entire length Rail Edit The county is also served by the trains connecting with Dublin southern Leinster Munster and Connacht with daily connections to Cork Waterford Limerick and Galway The principal Irish Rail InterCity train station in the county is Kildare however Newbridge Sallins 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 Edit River Barrow and White s Castle Athy 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 County Meath Irish language EditThere are 4 491 Irish speakers in County Kildare 2 451 attending the seven Gaelscoils Irish language primary schools and one Gaelcholaiste Irish language secondary school 15 According to the Irish Census 2006 2 040 people in the county identify themselves as being daily Irish speakers outside the education system Education Edit Newbridge College Two third level educational institutions St Patrick s College founded by King George III in 1795 to educate Ireland s Catholics and Maynooth University 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 is a private secondary boarding school for boys located near Clane Founded by the Society of Jesus 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 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 Saint Mary s College Naas and Piper s Hill College are the three main secondary schools in Naas Sport EditGAA Edit Horses near Pollardstown Fen 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 Edit The Michael Smurfit owned K Club situated on the River Liffey near Straffan played host to the 2006 Ryder Cup Carton House 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 8 9 hectare 22 acre 89 000 square metre 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 Edit Kildare is famous worldwide for its horse racing 16 17 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 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 and race horse training establishments such as the Osborne Stables Motorsports Edit Kildare is the home to Mondello Park Ireland s only international motorsport venue Established by Martin Birrane in 1968 on 45 hectares 110 acres and redeveloped in 1999 2000 the facility incorporates 3 5 km 2 2 mi of race track 24 race garages and 12 Hospitality Suites The Circuit also has 3 km 1 9 mi of extreme off road driving trails and a 2 hectare 5 acre 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 amp Bike Track days Training Schools and Corporate Events Soccer Edit Kildare County F C was a League of Ireland club from 2002 until 2009 based in Newbridge where Leinster Senior League side Newbridge Town F C was invited to join the league in 2002 however a broader Kildare based franchise was created instead playing out of Station Road Newbridge Places of interest EditSee also List of National Monuments in County Kildare Castledermot Abbey Castledermot Round Tower Castletown House Curragh Maynooth Castle The Wonderful BarnNotable people EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources County Kildare news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Arthur Guinness Politician and brewer founder of Guinness 18 George Barrington pickpocket socialite 19 Eamon Broy policeman Domhnall Ua Buachalla Governor General of the Irish Free State Ambrose Bury Canadian politician Paul Cullen bishop Archbishop of Dublin and Archbishop of Armagh 20 John Devoy Fenian Charles FitzClarence soldier Lord Edward FitzGerald revolutionary Michael Gorman American politician 21 Gabriel Hayes sculptor and coin designer John Vincent Holland soldier 22 Michael Kelly Lawler soldier Kathleen Lonsdale scientist John de Robeck admiral 23 Ernest Shackleton explorer Barry St Leger soldier 24 Sports Edit Larry Tompkins Eadestown GAA Leighton Aspell twice Grand National winning jockey Nonpareil Dempsey boxer Matt Goff Gaelic footballer Willoughby Hamilton tennis player Jimmy O Brien plays for the Ireland national rugby sevens team Ruby Walsh National Hunt Jockey Nathan Collins Wolverhampton Wanderers F C and Republic of Ireland national football team Mark Travers A F C Bournemouth and Republic of Ireland national football team Andrew Omobamidele Norwich City F C and Republic of Ireland national football team Conn McDunphy Professional Cyclist 2020 Cycling Ireland National Time Trial Champion Writers musicians and entertainers Edit This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources County Kildare news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Devon Murray actor Damien Molony actor 25 Aisling Bea actress comedian 26 Aidan Higgins writer Teresa Brayton writer Molly Keane novelist Emily Lawless writer Mary Leadbeater writer John MacKenna playwright author actor Paul Mescal actor 27 Bell X1 are from Celbridge County Kildare Luka Bloom is from Newbridge 28 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 winner and singer songwriter lived in Milltown until he moved to Australia Jack Lukeman otherwise known as Jack L is from Athy Donal Lunny was raised in Newbridge 29 4 Miracle Bell Indie pop band hail from Naas Christy Moore folk musician was born in Newbridge Liam O Flynn from the band Planxty is from Kill 30 Damien Rice was born in Celbridge 31 Heidi Talbot is from KillTwinning EditSee also List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland County Kildare is twinned with the following places Deauville France 32 Lexington Kentucky USA 33 34 Both are major centres of the Thoroughbred breeding industry in their respective countries See also EditList of abbeys and priories in Ireland County Kildare Lord Lieutenant of Kildare High Sheriff of KildareReferences Edit A Brief History of Co Kildare kildare ie Archived from the original on 25 June 2019 Retrieved 23 June 2019 Data Central Statistics Office Ireland Archived from the original on 1 September 2022 Retrieved 11 February 2023 a b c Census 2016 Sapmap Area County Kildare Central Statistics Office Ireland Archived from the original on 12 January 2019 Retrieved 12 January 2019 http www cso ie census Archived 20 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine for post 1821 figures 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy 14 March 1865 1788 Estimate from survey by GP Bushe 1813 estimate from Mason s Statistical Survey Otway Ruthven Annette Jocelyn 1980 A history of medieval Ireland Routledge p 174 ISBN 0 510 27800 0 Archived from the original on 3 June 2016 Retrieved 16 October 2015 County of Kildare Local Electoral Areas and Municipal Districts Order 2018 S I No 620 of 2018 Signed on 19 December 2018 Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland Retrieved from Irish Statute Book Local Government Act 1991 Regional Assemblies Establishment Order 2014 S I No 573 of 2014 Signed on 16 December 2014 Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 29 January 2022 1926 Census Table 9 Population Area and Valuation of urban and rural districts and of all towns with a population of 1 500 inhabitants or over showing particulars of town and village population and of the number of persons per 100 acres PDF Central Statistics Office p 21 Archived PDF from the original on 27 April 2016 Retrieved 7 August 2022 Local Government Act 1925 s 3 Abolition of rural district councils No 5 of 1925 s 3 Enacted on 26 March 1925 Act of the Oireachtas Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 22 December 2021 Towns Improvement Ireland Act 1854 Leixlip Order 1988 S I No 103 of 1988 Signed on 18 May 1988 Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland Retrieved from Irish Statute Book Local Government Act 2001 6th Sch Local Government Areas Towns No 37 of 2001 6th Sch Enacted on 21 July 2001 Act of the Oireachtas Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 7 August 2022 Local Government Reform Act 2014 s 24 Dissolution of town councils and transfer date No 1 of 2014 s 24 Enacted on 27 January 2014 Act of the Oireachtas Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 21 May 2022 Electoral Amendment Dail Constituencies Act 2017 Schedule No 39 of 2017 Schedule Enacted on 23 December 2017 Act of the Oireachtas Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 8 August 2021 Population Usually Resident and Present in the State 2011 to 2016 cso ie Archived from the original on 10 March 2018 Retrieved 11 March 2018 Oideachas Tri Mhean na Gaeilge in Eirinn sa Ghalltacht 2010 2011 PDF in Ga gaelscoileanna ie 2011 Archived PDF from the original on 19 April 2012 Retrieved 9 January 2012 Passion for Horses The New York Times Newswoman de 16 April 1995 Archived from the original on 19 January 2012 Retrieved 27 December 2011 Kildarehorse Kildarehorse ie Archived from the original on 7 November 2009 Retrieved 25 June 2009 The Arthur Guinness Story Discover Celbridge Discover Celbridge Archived from the original on 1 December 2022 Retrieved 12 February 2023 Barrington George 1755 1804 Australian Dictionary of Biography Volume 1 MUP 1966 pp 62 63 Retrieved 23 August 2007 John 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 Commemorative Biographical Record of the Upper Wisconsin Counties of Waupaca Portage Wood Marathon Lincoln Oneida Vilas Langlade and Shawano Chicago J H Beers amp Co 1895 pp 761 762 Retrieved 18 August 2015 Michael Gorman Wisconsin John Vincent Holland V C Retrieved 5 July 2016 The de Robecks of Gowran Grange Co Kildare Turtle Bunbury Retrieved 19 October 2014 Fredriksen John C 2001 America s military adversaries from colonial times to the present ABC CLIO p 483 ISBN 978 1 57607 603 3 Ganatra Shilpa 17 August 2019 Damien Molony From Kildare To Top Of British TV The Irish Times Retrieved 8 October 2021 Coates Laura 8 March 2017 10 awesome Kildare women making waves in the world Leinster Leader Retrieved 4 May 2019 Armstrong Maggie 11 January 2020 Readers expectations are the biggest source of anxiety Paul Mescal on tackling role of Connell in Normal People Irish Independent Archived from the original on 31 May 2020 Retrieved 13 February 2020 Deming Mark Luka Bloom AllMusic Retrieved 25 February 2015 O Toole Leagues 2006 The Humours of Planxty Ireland Hodder Headline ISBN 0 340 83796 9 Colin Larkin ed 1992 The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music First ed Guinness Publishing p 1854 ISBN 0 85112 939 0 FAQ Where was Damien born and where did he grow up DamienRice com n d Archived from the original on 2 May 2007 Retrieved 24 April 2007 County Twinning Committee Kildare Twinning Retrieved 8 October 2021 About the Lexington Sister Cities Commission Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Archived from the original on 15 February 2017 Retrieved 14 February 2017 Sister Cities U S Embassy Dublin Ireland U S Department of State Archived from the original on 2 August 2009 Retrieved 14 July 2009 External links Edit Wikivoyage has a travel guide for County Kildare Kildare Failte s Tourism Pages County Kildare Community Network Kildare County Council Kildare Gaelscoil stats 2010 2011 Irish Census 2006 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title County Kildare amp oldid 1146757079, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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