View source for County Kildare

{{Short description|County in Ireland}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                   = County Kildare
| native_name            = {{lang|ga|Contae Chill Dara}}
| settlement_type        = [[Counties of Ireland|County]]
| native_name_lang       = ga
| image_shield           = County Kildare Coat of Arms.png
| nickname               = The Thoroughbred County
| motto = {{force singular}} {{native name|ga|Meanma agus Misneach}}<br />"Spirit and Courage"
| image_map              = Island of Ireland location map Kildare.svg
| map_caption            = Location of County Kildare (dark green) in Ireland
| coordinates            = {{coord|53|12|N|6|48|W|dim:500000_region:IE|display=inline,title}}
| area_total_km2         = 1695
| area_rank              = [[List of Irish counties by area|24th]]
| seat_type              = [[County town]]
| seat                   = [[Naas]]
| parts_type             = Largest settlement
| parts                  = [[Naas, County Kildare|Naas]]
| leader_title           = [[Local government in the Republic of Ireland|Local authority]]
| leader_name            = [[Kildare County Council]]
| leader_title1          = [[Dáil constituencies]]
| leader_name1           = [[Kildare North (Dáil constituency)|Kildare North]]<br />[[Kildare South (Dáil constituency)|Kildare South]]
| leader_title2          = [[European Parliament constituencies in the Republic of Ireland|EP constituency]]
| leader_name2           = [[Midlands–North-West (European Parliament constituency)|Midlands–North-West]]
| blank_name_sec1        = [[Vehicle registration plates of Ireland|Vehicle index<br />mark code]]
| blank_info_sec1        = KE
| population_total       = 246977
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_footnotes   = <ref name=cso2022>{{cite web |url=https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cpr/censusofpopulation2022-preliminaryresults/geographicchanges/ |title=Census of Population 2022 – Preliminary Results |date=23 June 2022 |publisher=[[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)]] |access-date=23 May 2023 |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403014153/https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cpr/censusofpopulation2022-preliminaryresults/geographicchanges/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
| population_rank        = [[List of Irish counties by population|7th]]
| population_as_of       = [[2022 census of Ireland|2022]]
| subdivision_type       = Country
| subdivision_name       = Ireland
| subdivision_type1      = [[Provinces of Ireland|Province]]
| subdivision_name1      = [[Leinster]]
| subdivision_type2      = [[NUTS statistical regions of Ireland|Region]]
| subdivision_name2      = [[Eastern and Midland Region|Eastern and Midland]]
| timezone               = [[Western European Time|WET]]
| utc_offset             = ±0
| timezone_DST           = [[Irish Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset_DST         = +1
| established_title      = Established
| established_date       = 1297<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kildare.ie/heritage/local-history.asp |title=A Brief History of Co.Kildare |website=kildare.ie |access-date=23 June 2019 |archive-date=25 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625105320/http://kildare.ie/Heritage/local-history.asp |url-status=live}}</ref>
| area_code_type         = [[Telephone numbers in the Republic of Ireland|Telephone area codes]]
| area_code              = 01, 045, 059 <small>(primarily)</small>
| postal_code_type       = [[Eircode]] routing keys
| postal_code            = R14, R45, R51, W12, W23, W34, W91 <small>(primarily)</small>
| elevation_max_m        = 379
| elevation_max_point    = [[Cupidstown Hill]]
| module                 = {{infobox mapframe|zoom=7}}
| website                = {{Official website}}
| iso_code               = IE-KE
}}
'''County Kildare''' ({{langx|ga|Contae Chill Dara}}) is a [[Counties of Ireland|county]] in Ireland. It is in the [[Provinces of Ireland|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 government in the Republic of Ireland|local authority]] for the county, which had a population of 246,977 at the 2022 census.<ref name=cso2022/>

==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 [[County Carlow|Carlow]], [[County Laois|Laois]], [[County Meath|Meath]], [[County Offaly|Offaly]], [[South Dublin]] and [[County Wicklow|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===
{{Div col|small=yes|colwidth=18em}}
* [[Allen, County Kildare|Allen]]
* [[Allenwood, County Kildare|Allenwood]]
* [[Ardclough]]
* [[Athy]]
* [[Ballitore]]
* [[Ballymore Eustace]]
* [[Calverstown]]
* [[Caragh]]
* [[Carbury, County Kildare|Carbury]]
* [[Castledermot]]
* [[Celbridge]]
* [[Clane]]
* [[Coill Dubh]]
* [[Curragh]]
* [[Derrinturn]]
* [[Eadestown]]
* [[Johnstown, County Kildare|Johnstown]]
* [[Johnstownbridge]]
* [[Kilberry, County Kildare|Kilberry]]
* [[Kilcock]]
* [[Kilcullen]]
* [[Kildangan]]
* [[Kildare]]
* [[Kill, County Kildare|Kill]]
* [[Kilmead]]
* [[Kilmeage]]
* [[Kilteel]]
* [[Leixlip]]
* [[Lullymore]]
* [[Maynooth]]
* [[Milltown, County Kildare|Milltown]]
* [[Monasterevin]]
* [[Moone]]
* [[Naas]]
* [[Narraghmore]]
* [[Newbridge, County Kildare|Newbridge]]
* [[Nurney, County Kildare|Nurney]]
* [[Prosperous, County Kildare|Prosperous]]
* [[Rathangan, County Kildare|Rathangan]]
* [[Robertstown, County Kildare|Robertstown]]
* [[Sallins]]
* [[Staplestown, County Kildare|Staplestown]]
* [[Straffan]]
* [[Suncroft]]
* [[Timolin]]
{{div col end}}

===Physical geography===
[[File:Ireland - Plains of South Kildare.jpg|thumb|right|277px|Looking east across the broad plains of South Kildare to the distant Wicklow Hills.]]
{{Historical populations
| state=collapsed
|1500|2887
|1510|4112
|1550|5033
|1580|6787
|1585|3454
|1600|4556
|1610|8714
|1653|11983
|1659|13825
|1672|54110
|1788|71570
|1813|85000
|1821|99065
|1831|108424
|1841|114488
|1851|95723
|1861|90946
|1871|83614
|1881|75804
|1891|70206
|1901|63566
|1911|66627
|1926|58028
|1936|57892
|1946|64849
|1951|66437
|1956|65915
|1961|64420
|1966|66404
|1971|71977
|1979|97185
|1981|104122
|1986|116247
|1991|122656
|1996|134992
|2002|163944
|2006|186335
|2011|210312
|2016|222504
|2022|246977
| footnote=<ref name=cso2022/><ref name=cso2016>{{cite web |url=http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=CTY31&Geog_Code=2AE1962914A713A3E055000000000001 |title=Census 2016 Sapmap Area: County Kildare |publisher=[[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)]] |access-date=12 January 2019 |archive-date=12 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112150121/http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=CTY31&Geog_Code=2AE1962914A713A3E055000000000001 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>http://www.cso.ie/census {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920090814/http://cso.ie/census |date=20 September 2010 }} 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</ref>
}}
The county has three major rivers running through it: the [[River Barrow|Barrow]], the [[River Liffey|Liffey]] and the [[River Boyne|Boyne]]. The [[Grand Canal (Ireland)|Grand Canal]] crosses the county from [[Lyons Hill|Lyons]] on the east to [[Rathangan, County Kildare|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 measuring {{cvt|958|km2}} that extends across County Kildare, [[County Meath]], [[County Offaly]], [[County Laois]], and [[County Westmeath]]. Kildare has {{cvt|243|km2}} of bog (almost 14% of Kildare's land area) mostly located in the south-west and north-west, a majority of this being [[Bog|Raised Bog]]. It is a habitat for over 185 plant and animal species.

There are {{convert|8472|ha|acre|abbr=off}} of forested land in Kildare, accounting for roughly 5% of the county's total land area. {{convert|4056|ha|acre|abbr=off}} of this is coniferous, while there is {{convert|2963|ha|acre|abbr=off}} of broadleaf and the remaining area are unclassified species. [[Coillte Teoranta|Coillte]] and [[Dúchas]] currently own 47% of the forestry. Coillte runs Donadea Forest Park which is in North-Central Kildare. The forest covers {{convert|259|ha|acre|abbr=off}} of mixed woodland (60% [[Broad-leaved tree|broadleaf]], 40% [[conifer]]) and is the largest forest park in Kildare.

==History==
{{main|History of County Kildare}}
Kildare was [[shire]]d in 1297<ref>{{cite book |last=Otway-Ruthven |first=Annette Jocelyn |title=A history of medieval Ireland |publisher=Routledge |year=1980 |page=174 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K_4NAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA174 |isbn=0-510-27800-0 |access-date=16 October 2015 |archive-date=3 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603062133/https://books.google.com/books?id=K_4NAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA174 |url-status=live}}</ref> 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 dynasty|Fitzgerald family]]. Parts of the county were also part of [[the Pale]] area around [[Dublin]].

==Governance and politics==
[[File:Kildare Building - aerial - 2025-02-22 01.jpg|thumb|[[Áras Chill Dara|Kildare County Hall]]]]

===Local government===
[[Kildare County Council]] is the [[Local government in the Republic of Ireland|local authority]] for the county. The council has 40 members, elected in the [[local electoral area]]s of: Athy (5 seats), [[Celbridge]] (4 seats), [[Leixlip]] (3 seats), Clane (5 seats), [[Maynooth]] (5 Seats), [[Kildare]] (5 seats), [[Newbridge, County Kildare|Newbridge]] (6 Seats) and [[Naas]] (7 Seats). These form the municipal districts of Athy, Celbridge–Leixlip, Clane–Maynooth, Kildare–Newbridge, and Naas.<ref>{{cite Irish legislation |name=County of Kildare Local Electoral Areas and Municipal Districts Order 2018 |year=2018 |type=si |number=620 |date=19 December 2018}}</ref> 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 Region, Ireland|Mid-East]] strategic planning area committee.<ref name=si573>{{Cite Irish legislation |year=2014 |type=si |number=573 |name=Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Assemblies) (Establishment) Order 2014 |date=16 December 2014 |access-date=29 January 2022}}</ref>

===Former districts===
Kildare was formerly divided into the [[rural district (Ireland)|rural district]]s of Athy No. 1, Celbridge No. 1, Edenderry No. 2, and Naas No. 1, and the [[urban and rural districts (Ireland)|urban districts]] of Athy and Naas.<ref>{{cite web |title=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 |url=https://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/census1926results/volume1/C_1926_V1_T9.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427074421/http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/census1926results/volume1/C_1926_V1_T9.pdf |archive-date=27 April 2016 |url-status=live |publisher=Central Statistics Office |pages=21 |access-date=7 August 2022}}</ref> The rural districts were abolished in 1925.<ref>{{cite Irish legislation |year=1925 |parl=ifs |number=5 |name=Local Government Act 1925 |date=26 March 1925 |section=3 |stitle=Abolition of rural district councils |access-date=22 December 2021}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite Irish legislation |type=si |year=1988 |number=103 |name=Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act 1854 (Leixlip) Order 1988 |date=18 May 1988}}</ref> The urban districts of Athy and Naas and the town commissioners of Newbridge and Leixlip became [[town council (Ireland)|town councils]] in 2002.<ref>{{cite Irish legislation |name=[[Local Government Act 2001]] |year=2001 |schedno=6 |stitle=Local Government Areas (Towns) |number=37 |date=21 July 2001 |access-date=7 August 2022}}</ref> All town councils in Ireland were abolished in 2014.<ref>{{cite Irish legislation |name=[[Local Government Reform Act 2014]] |year=2014 |section=24 |stitle=Dissolution of town councils and transfer date |number=1 |date=27 January 2014 |access-date=21 May 2022}}</ref>

===National elections===
For elections to [[Dáil Éireann]], there are two constituencies in the county: [[Kildare North (Dáil constituency)|Kildare North]] (4 seats) and [[Kildare South (Dáil constituency)|Kildare South]] (4 seats).<ref>{{cite Irish legislation |year=2017 |number=39 |schedule=y |name=Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017 |date=23 December 2017 |access-date=8 August 2021}}</ref> 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 (European Parliament constituency)|Midlands–North-West]] constituency (4 [[Member of the European Parliament|MEPs]]).

==Demographics==
The county's population has nearly doubled to 186,000 from 1990 to 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|date=January 2019}}

{{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.<ref name=cso2016/>

===Ethnic groups===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;"
|+Main immigrant groups, 2016<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Statire/SelectVarVal/define.asp?MainTable=E7050&ProductID=DB_E7&PLanguage=0&Tabstrip=&PXSId=0&SessID=7827795&FF=1&tfrequency=1 |title=Population Usually Resident and Present in the State 2011 to 2016 |website=cso.ie |access-date=11 March 2018 |archive-date=10 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310010253/http://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Statire/SelectVarVal/define.asp?MainTable=E7050&ProductID=DB_E7&PLanguage=0&Tabstrip=&PXSId=0&SessID=7827795&FF=1&tfrequency=1 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! scope="col" | Nationality
! scope="col" | Population
|-
|{{flag|United Kingdom}} || 10,527
|-
|{{flag|Poland}} || 6,869
|-
|{{flag|Lithuania}} || 1,550
|-
|{{flag|Romania}} || 1,156
|-
|{{flag|Nigeria}}|| 1,120
|-
|{{flag|Philippines}} || 1,088
|-
|{{flag|United States}} || 1,082
|-
|{{flag|India}} || 929
|-
|{{flag|Latvia}} || 845
|-
|{{flag|Moldova}} || 829
|}

===Urban areas and populations ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Town<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census 2022 Results |url=https://data.cso.ie/ |access-date=30 June 2023 |website=data.cso.ie |archive-date=25 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210825074214/https://data.cso.ie/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
!Population 2016
!Population 2022
|-
|[[Naas]]
|21,393
|26,180 (+4,787)
|-
|[[Newbridge, County Kildare|Newbridge]]
|22,742
|24,366 (+1,624)
|-
|[[Celbridge]]
|20,288
|20,601 (+313)
|-
|[[Maynooth]]
|14,585
|17,259 (+2,674)
|-
|[[Leixlip]]
|15,504
|16,733 (+1,229)
|-
|[[Athy]]
|9,677
|11,035 (+1,358)
|-
|[[Kildare]]
|8,634
|10,302 (+1,668)
|-
|[[Kilcock]]
|6,093
|8,674 (+2,581)
|-
| [[Clane]]
|7,280
|8,152 (+872)
|-
|[[Sallins]]
|5,849
|6,269 (+420)
|-
|[[Monasterevin]] 
|4,246
|5,307 (+1,061)
|-
|[[Kill, County Kildare|Kill]]
|3,348
|3,818 (+470)
|-
|[[Kilcullen]]
|3,710
|3,815 (+105)
|}

==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 road (Ireland)|N4 (M4)]] from Dublin to [[Sligo]] travels along the north of the county [[Bypass (road)|by-pass]]ing the towns of Leixlip, Maynooth and Kilcock.

The [[M7 motorway (Ireland)|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 motorway (Ireland)|M9]] is another [[Motorways in the Republic of Ireland|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 (city)|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===
[[File:River Barrow and WhitesCastle Athy.JPG|250px|thumb|River Barrow and [[White's Castle]], [[Athy]]]]
Kildare is the centre of Ireland's [[Grand Canal (Ireland)|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 [[Gaelscoil]]s (Irish language primary schools) and one [[Gaelcholáiste]] (Irish language secondary school).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gaelscoileanna.ie/assets/Staitistic%C3%AD-2010-2011_Gaeilge.pdf |title=Oideachas Trí Mheán na Gaeilge in Éirinn sa Ghalltacht 2010–2011 |year=2011 |publisher=gaelscoileanna.ie |language=Irish |access-date=9 January 2012 |archive-date=19 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419091247/http://www.gaelscoileanna.ie/assets/Staitistic%C3%AD-2010-2011_Gaeilge.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> According to the Irish Census 2006, 2,040 people in the county identify themselves as being daily Irish speakers outside the education system.

==Education==
[[File:Dominican College Newbridge.jpg|thumb|[[Newbridge College]]]]
* Two third-level educational institutions – [[St. Patrick's College, Maynooth|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===
[[File:KildareHorses057.JPG|thumb|right|277px|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 {{convert|22|acre|ha acre m2|order=out|abbr=off|adj=mid}} 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://newswoman.de/clips/kildare.html |title=Passion for Horses, The New York Times |publisher=Newswoman.de |date=16 April 1995 |access-date=27 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119221949/http://newswoman.de/clips/kildare.html |archive-date=19 January 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kildarehorse.ie/ |title=Kildarehorse |website=Kildarehorse.ie |access-date=25 June 2009 |archive-date=7 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091107025941/http://www.kildarehorse.ie/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Curragh Racecourse|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 {{convert|110|acre|ha|abbr=off|order=flip}}, and redeveloped in 1999/2000, the facility incorporates {{cvt|3.5|km}} of race track, 24 race garages and 12 Hospitality Suites. The Circuit also has {{cvt|3|km}} of extreme off-road driving trails and a {{convert|5|acre|ha|0|abbr=off|adj=mid|order=flip}} 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}}
{{Div col}}
* [[Castledermot Abbey]]
* [[Castledermot Round Tower]]
* [[Castletown House]]
* [[Curragh]]
* [[Maynooth Castle]]
* [[The Wonderful Barn]]{{Div col end}}

==Notable people==
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2020}}
{{See also|Category:People from County Kildare}}
* [[George Barrington]]: pickpocket, socialite<ref name=ADB>{{Cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |id2=barrington-george-1746 |title=George Barrington (1755–1804) |access-date=23 August 2007 |volume=1 |year=1966 |archive-date=24 March 2012 |url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/barrington-george-1746 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324022848/http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/barrington-george-1746 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Eamon Broy]]: policeman
* [[Domhnall Ua Buachalla]]: Governor-General of the Irish Free State
* [[Ambrose Bury]]: Canadian politician
* [[Paul Cullen (bishop)|Paul Cullen]]: Archbishop of Dublin and Archbishop of Armagh<ref name=Molony>{{Cite book |chapter-url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cullen-paul-3298/text5015 |title=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 |chapter=Paul Cullen (1803–1878) |publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |access-date=8 October 2021 |archive-date=22 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922151854/https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cullen-paul-3298/text5015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[John Devoy]]: Fenian
* [[Charles FitzClarence]]: soldier
* [[Lord Edward FitzGerald]]: revolutionary
* [[Michael Gorman (Wisconsin politician)|Michael Gorman]]: American politician<ref>{{cite book |title=Commemorative Biographical Record of the Upper Wisconsin Counties of Waupaca, Portage, Wood, Marathon, Lincoln, Oneida, Vilas, Langlade and Shawano |url=https://archive.org/details/commemorativebio00jbeer |quote=Michael Gorman+Wisconsin. |location=Chicago |publisher=J. H. Beers & Co. |year=1895 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/commemorativebio00jbeer/page/761 761]–762 |access-date=18 August 2015}}</ref>
* [[Arthur Guinness]]: Politician and brewer, founder of Guinness<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Arthur Guinness Story {{!}} Discover Celbridge |url=https://www.discovercelbridge.com/the-arthur-guinnesss-story/ |url-status=live |access-date=12 February 2023 |website=Discover Celbridge |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201225729/https://www.discovercelbridge.com/the-arthur-guinnesss-story/ |archive-date=1 December 2022}}</ref>
* [[Gabriel Hayes]]: sculptor and coin designer
* [[John Vincent Holland]]: soldier<ref>{{cite web |title=John Vincent Holland V.C. |url=http://www.hellfirecorner.co.uk/holland.htm |access-date=5 July 2016 |archive-date=23 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323192336/http://www.hellfirecorner.co.uk/holland.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Violet Key Jones]]: writer and suffragette<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cowman |first=Krista |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6cbvP3XF0yMC&dq=violet+key+jones&pg=PA225 |title=Women of the Right Spirit: Paid Organisers of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), 1904-18 |date=2007-07-15 |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=978-0-7190-7002-0 |pages=225 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Michael Kelly Lawler]]: soldier
* [[Kathleen Lonsdale]]: scientist
* [[John de Robeck]]: admiral<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.turtlebunbury.com/history/history_family/hist_family_derobeck.htm |title=The de Robecks of Gowran Grange, Co. Kildare |publisher=Turtle Bunbury |access-date=19 October 2014 |archive-date=29 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029203349/http://www.turtlebunbury.com/history/history_family/hist_family_derobeck.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Barry St. Leger]]: soldier<ref>{{cite book |title=America's military adversaries: from colonial times to the present |first=John C |last=Fredriksen |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-57607-603-3 |ref=Fredriksen |page=483}}</ref>
* [[Ernest Shackleton]]: explorer

===Sports===

* [[Leighton Aspell]]: twice [[Grand National]]-winning jockey
* [[Nathan Collins]] : [[Brentford F.C.]] and [[Republic of Ireland national football team]].
* [[Nonpareil Dempsey]]: boxer
* [[Matt Goff]]: Gaelic footballer
* [[Willoughby Hamilton]]: tennis player
* [[Jimmy O'Brien (rugby union)|Jimmy O'Brien]]: plays for the [[Ireland national rugby sevens team]]
* [[Andrew Omobamidele]] : [[RC Strasbourg Alsace]] and [[Republic of Ireland national football team]]
* [[Conn McDunphy]] : Professional Cyclist, 2020 [[Cycling Ireland]] National [[Time Trial]] Champion.
* [[Hayley Nolan]]: [[Crystal Palace F.C. (Women)]] and [[Republic of Ireland women's national football team]]
* [[Larry Tompkins]]: Eadestown GAA
* [[Mark Travers]] : [[Everton F.C.]] and [[Republic of Ireland national football team]]
* [[Ruby Walsh]] : National Hunt Jockey

===Writers, musicians, and entertainers===
{{more citations needed section|date=March 2018}}
* [[Aisling Bea]]: actress, comedian<ref>{{cite news |title=10 awesome Kildare women making waves in the world |url=https://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/home/238872/10-awesome-kildare-women-making-waves-in-the-world.html |access-date=4 May 2019 |first=Laura |last=Coates |newspaper=Leinster Leader |date=8 March 2017 |archive-date=10 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410144431/https://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/home/238872/10-awesome-kildare-women-making-waves-in-the-world.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Bell X1 (band)|Bell X1]] are from [[Celbridge]], County Kildare.
* [[Luka Bloom]] is from [[Newbridge, County Kildare|Newbridge]]<ref name="allmusic-deming">{{cite web |last=Deming |first=Mark |title=Luka Bloom |publisher=AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/luka-bloom-mn0000263293/biography |access-date=25 February 2015 |archive-date=9 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009020647/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/luka-bloom-mn0000263293/biography |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Teresa Brayton]]: writer
* [[Joe Doyle (musician)|Joseph Doyle]], bassist from Irish band [[The Frames]] is from [[Allenwood, County Kildare|Allenwood]]
* [[Aidan Higgins]]: writer
* [[Graham Hopkins]], drummer with [[The Frames]], [[The Swell Season]], and [[Therapy?]] is from [[Clane]]
* [[Molly Keane]]: novelist
* [[Emily Lawless]]: writer
* [[Mary Leadbeater]]: writer
* [[Damien Leith]], [[Australian Idol 2006]] winner and singer-songwriter lived in [[Milltown, County Kildare|Milltown]] until he moved to Australia.
* [[Jack Lukeman]], otherwise known as Jack L, is from [[Athy]]
* [[Dónal Lunny]] was raised in Newbridge.<ref name="O'Toole">{{cite book |last=O'Toole |first=Leagues |year=2006 |title=The Humours of Planxty |location=Ireland |publisher=Hodder Headline |isbn=0-340-83796-9}}</ref>{{rp|4}}
* [[John MacKenna]]: playwright, author, actor
* [[Paul Mescal]]: actor<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/readers-expectations-are-the-biggest-source-of-anxiety-paul-mescal-on-tackling-role-of-connell-in-normal-people-38844346.html |title=Readers' expectations are the 'biggest source of anxiety' – Paul Mescal on tackling role of Connell in Normal People |work=[[Irish Independent]] |first=Maggie |last=Armstrong |url-access=registration |date=11 January 2020 |access-date=13 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531152244/https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/readers-expectations-are-the-biggest-source-of-anxiety-paul-mescal-on-tackling-role-of-connell-in-normal-people-38844346.html |archive-date=31 May 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Miracle Bell]], Indie-pop band, hail from [[Naas]].
* [[Damien Molony]]: actor<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/damien-molony-from-kildare-to-the-top-of-british-tv-1.3985174 |title=Damien Molony From Kildare To Top Of British TV |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |date=17 August 2019 |first=Shilpa |last=Ganatra |url-access=subscription |access-date=8 October 2021 |archive-date=25 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925211807/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/damien-molony-from-kildare-to-the-top-of-british-tv-1.3985174 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Christy Moore]], folk musician, was born in Newbridge.
* [[Devon Murray]]: actor
* [[Liam O'Flynn]] from the band Planxty is from [[Kill, County Kildare|Kill]]<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book |title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]] |editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]] |publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]] |date=1992 |edition=First |isbn=0-85112-939-0 |page=1854}}</ref>
* [[Jean Sophia Pigott]], Christian poet and hymn lyricist from [[Leixlip]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jean Sophia Pigott {{!}} Hymnary.org |url=https://hymnary.org/person/Pigott_JS |access-date=11 May 2023 |website=hymnary.org |language=en |archive-date=11 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511153234/https://hymnary.org/person/Pigott_JS |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Damien Rice]] was born in [[Celbridge]]<ref>{{cite web |publisher=DamienRice.com |url=http://www.damienrice.com/faq.html |title=FAQ – Where was Damien born and where did he grow up? |date=n.d. |access-date=24 April 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070502083031/http://www.damienrice.com/faq.html |archive-date=2 May 2007}}</ref>
* [[Heidi Talbot]] is from [[Kill, County Kildare|Kill]]

==Twinning==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland}}
County Kildare is [[town twinning|twinned]] with the following places:
* [[Deauville]], France<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kildaretwinning.ie/twinning/county-twinning-committee/ |title=County Twinning Committee |date=5 March 2019 |publisher=Kildare Twinning |access-date=8 October 2021 |archive-date=8 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008010721/http://www.kildaretwinning.ie/twinning/county-twinning-committee/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]], Kentucky, US<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lexingtonky.gov/about-sister-cities-commission |title=About the Lexington Sister Cities Commission |publisher=Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government |access-date=14 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215022526/https://www.lexingtonky.gov/about-sister-cities-commission |archive-date=15 February 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://dublin.usembassy.gov/sister_cities.html |title=Sister Cities – U.S. Embassy Dublin, Ireland |publisher=U.S. Department of State |access-date=14 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090802225732/http://dublin.usembassy.gov/sister_cities.html |archive-date=2 August 2009}}</ref>

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

==See also==
* [[List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland#County Kildare|List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Kildare)]]
* [[Lord Lieutenant of Kildare]]
* [[High Sheriff of Kildare]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage}}
* [http://www.intokildare.ie/ Kildare Fáilte's Tourism Pages]
* [http://www.kildare.ie/ County Kildare Community Network]
* [http://www.kildarecoco.ie Kildare County Council]
* [http://www.gaelscoileanna.ie/assets/Staitistic%C3%AD-2010-2011_Gaeilge.pdf Kildare Gaelscoil stats 2010–2011]
* [http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/census2006results/volume9/volume_9_irish_language_entire_volume.pdf Irish Census 2006]

{{Geographic Location
|North = [[County Meath]] [[File:Meath coa.svg|35px]]
|South = [[County Carlow]] [[File:Carlow County Crest.svg|24px]]
|East = [[County Wicklow]]|West = [[County Offaly]] [[File:Offaly crest.svg|30px]]<br />[[County Laois]] [[File:Laoiscocologo.png|36px]]
|Northeast = [[South Dublin]]
|Centre = County Kildare
}}

{{County Kildare}}
{{Ireland counties}}{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:County Kildare| ]]
[[Category:Leinster|Kildare]]
[[Category:Counties of the Republic of Ireland|Kildare]]
[[Category:Local government areas of the Republic of Ireland|Kildare]]