Kildare - 33 Attractions You Must Visit

Types of Attractions in Kildare

Old Ruins (19)

Iconic Buildings (10)

Churches (4)

Outdoors - Other (4)

Botanical Gardens (2)

Forests (2)

Museums (2)

1 Day Treks (1)

Popular Activities And Trips in Kildare

List of Attractions in Kildare

Beach Castletown

Beaches

A beautiful sandy beach which was located in the west of the harbour mouth and at higher tides consists largely of fairly unwelcoming pebbles. It is a fantastic beach to walk along with your beloved pooch. Castletown beach is within walking distance of local shops and caravan parks, which makes it a top pick among travellers.

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Bog of Allen Nature Centre

Outdoors - Other

This is an international centre for peatland education, conservation and research run by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council. Peatlands are made up of dead plant material and they are home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Raised bogs have been growing in Ireland for the past 10,000 years.

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Carbury Castle and Motte

Old Ruins

A majestic castle situated in the townland of Carbury, on the borders of Kildare and Offaly. The area is dominated by the ruins of this great Tudor mansion set atop Carbury Hill, which was also known as Fairy Hill. It is a typical tower house- a single, multi storied rectangular building, with various annexes containing staircases and latrines.

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Castledermot Abbey

Churches

Old Ruins

Castledermot Abbey is a ruined Franciscan friary in Castledermot, County Kildare, in the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in about the year 1300. A previous monastery was founded on the same site by Diarmait, a son of Áed Róin, King of Ulster, in the ninth century AD. The solid stonework is well preserved, seeming as secure and strong as the day it was first constructed.

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Castledermot Round Tower and St. James' Church

Churches

Old Ruins

This ancient church at Castledermot was formerly known as Díseart Diarmada, meaning Dermot’s hermitage. The monastery was raided by the Vikings in the 9th century, but continued its existence at least until the 12th century. All that is left today is a splendidly reconstructed Romanesque doorway, which came from a church that has since vanished.

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Castletown House

Iconic Buildings

Old Ruins

A majestic country house set amongst beautiful eighteenth-century parklands on the banks of the Liffey in Celbridge, County Kildare.It formed the centrepiece of a 550-acre estate. Sold to developers in 1965, the estate is now divided between State and private ownership. It was home to a significant collection of paintings, furnishings and objets d’art. Highlights include three eighteenth-century Murano-glass chandeliers and the only fully intact eighteenth-century print room in the country.

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Connolly's Folly

Monuments

The Connolly's Folly is an obelisk structure and National Monument located between Leixlip and Maynooth in County Kildare, Ireland. The folly was built just outside Castletown Estate, which contains two follies, both commissioned by Katherine Conolly, the philanthropic widow of Speaker William Conolly

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Donadea Castle

Iconic Buildings

Old Ruins

The first Manor house was built by the Normans in the 12th Century and many castles were built on the site throughout the Middle Ages. The castle was extensively damaged in the 1641 rebellion, then rebuilt in 1773, and gothicised in 1827 by the architect Sir Richard Morrison. By the mid 1800s the Donadea estates were one of the largest in Co. Kildare, amounting to almost 16,000 acres.

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Donadea Forest Park

Parks

Forests

Donadea Forest Park is situated in northwest Kildare and comprises of approximately 243 hectares of mixed woodland. It is part of the old Aylmer family estate. There are many historical features including the remains of the castle, walled gardens, church, tower, ice house, boat house and Lime Tree Avenue.

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Dún Ailinne

Old Ruins

The Dun Ailinne site is a large circular enclosure located on the hill of Knockaulin in County Kildare Ireland. Documentary sources traditionally refer to it as one of four Irish ‘royal’ sites–significant pre-Christian social and political centers. Excavations in the 1960s indicated that the site was an important center of ceremonial and ritual activity during the Irish Iron Age.

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Grange Castle

Iconic Buildings

Old Ruins

Grange Castle,is in Grange West, County Kildare, Ireland. It is an Irish National Monument. It was now in ruin stage and therefore visitors are very less here.

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Hill of Allen

1 Day Treks

Mountain Peaks

The hill of Allen is situated four miles to the north-west of Newbridge, Co. Kildare. Also known as the hill of Almhuin "the Great Neck", it rises 676ft in height and is surrounded by the Bog of Allen. 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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Irish National Stud & Gardens

Outdoors - Other

The Irish National Stud 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. The gardens at Tully are a living monument to the meeting of Eastern and Western cultures in a Western setting. The symbolism of life the garden portrays traces the journey of a soul from Oblivion to Eternity

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Jigginstown Castle

Iconic Buildings

Old Ruins

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. At the time it was one of the largest buildings in Ireland, and the first to be constructed of red brick: the plans provided for a pavement and columns of Kilkenny marble.

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Kildare Castle

Iconic Buildings

Old Ruins

Kildare Castle is a ruined castle located at Kildare in County Kildare, Ireland. Built in the 12th century as a motte and bailey castle by Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. The remains of a tower are the only above ground remains of the castle. This elegant and spacious Irish Castle is ideal for family gatherings, private weddings, civil partnerships and corporate events. The 11-bedroom castle also has a Drawing Room, Restaurant and of course its very own Castle Bar for you to enjoy.

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Killinthomas Wood

Forests

The 200-acre amenity area is a mixed hardwood conifer forest with very diverse flora and fauna. Killinthomas Wood is like something straight from a fairytale. This is truly a beautiful and relatively undiscovered area of Co Kildare.There are picnic tables and benches dotted throughout so it is also a great place for families to visit.

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Maynooth Castle

Iconic Buildings

Old Ruins

This majestic stone castle was founded in the early thirteenth century. The castle was built at the junction of two streams and became the home of the Fitzgerald family before its expansion by Sir John Fitzgerald in the 15th century. It became the seat of power for the FitzGeralds, the earls of Kildare, as they emerged as one of the most powerful families in Ireland. Now a main attraction in this area and attracts a lot of tourists to this history.

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Maynooth University Museum

Museums

The National Science and Ecclesiology Museum at Maynooth is a science museum and museum of ecclesiology, located on the joint campus of St Patrick's College, Maynooth and Maynooth University, Ireland. It is an institution of the college, having begun as an ecclesiological museum. The museum holds various artefacts from the history of science in Ireland.

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