Kildare
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| Kildare Cill Dara |
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| Location | ||
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| Irish grid reference N726124 |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Leinster | |
| County: | County Kildare | |
| Elevation: | 116 m (380 ft) | |
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Population (2006) |
7,538 | |
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | %± |
| 1813 | 1,299 | — |
| 1821 | 1,516 | 16.7% |
| 1831 | 1,753 | 15.6% |
| 1841 | 1,629 | −7.1% |
| 1851 | 1,275 | −21.7% |
| 1861 | 1,399 | 9.7% |
| 1871 | 1,333 | −4.7% |
| 1881 | 1,174 | −11.9% |
| 1891 | 1,172 | −0.2% |
| 1901 | 1,576 | 34.5% |
| 1911 | 2,639 | 67.4% |
| 1926 | 2,116 | −19.8% |
| 1936 | 1,758 | −16.9% |
| 1946 | 2,109 | 20.0% |
| 1951 | 2,286 | 8.4% |
| 1956 | 2,617 | 14.5% |
| 1961 | 2,551 | −2.5% |
| 1966 | 2,731 | 7.1% |
| 1971 | 3,137 | 14.9% |
| 1981 | 4,016 | 28.0% |
| 1986 | 4,268 | 6.3% |
| 1991 | 4,196 | −1.7% |
| 1996 | 4,278 | 2.0% |
| 2002 | 6,893 | 61.1% |
| 2006 | 7,538 | 9.4% |
| [1] | ||
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, Ireland. Its population of 7,538 (2006 Census[2]) makes it the seventh largest town in Kildare and the 55th largest in the Republic of Ireland, with a growth rate of 32.4pc since the 2002 census. Although Kildare gives its name to the county, Naas is the county town. The town lies on the R445, 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.
Contents |
[edit] History
See also History of County Kildare
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] 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. The picturesque Woodstock Estate is located 15km southeast of Kildare.
Outside Kildare, just south of Athy[3], is Levitstown (originally Lyvetiston[4]), a hamlet along the diverted River Barrow with Levitstown Mill and Levitstown House, a country house.[5]
 The Japanese Garden |
 St. Fiachra's Garden |
 Ruins of Levitstown Mill |
[edit] People
- Alan Dukes: Former leader of Fine Gael and Irish government minister
- Bláthnaid McKenna: Miss Ireland 2007
- Damien Leith: Winner of Australian Idol 2006.
- Timmy Murphy: Winner of the 2008 Grand National.
- Ray D'arcy : Tv presenter and radio host.
[edit] Politics
Kildare Town lies in the Kildare South Dáil constituency and the Kildare Local Electoral Area of Kildare County Council.
[edit] Sports Clubs
- 62 Reserve Artillery Regiment, Curragh, 2 Eastern Reserve Brigade
- Round Towers GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association
- Cill Dara RFC, Rugby Union
- Kildare Dragons, Rugby League
- Kildare Town A.F.C.
- Kildare County F.C.
[edit] See also
- List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Kildare)
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
- Market Houses in Ireland
[edit] External links
- Kildare town
- Kildare Toastmasters
- Kildare railway station
- Kildare town history
- The Irish National Stud
- The Irish National Stud - Japanese Gardens
- kildare.ie
[edit] References
- ^ [ http://www.cso.ie/census and www.histpop.org for post 1821 figures, 1813 estimate from Mason’s Statistical Survey For a discussion on the accuracy of pre-famine census returns see JJ Lee “On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses Irish Population, Economy and Society edited by JM Goldstrom and LA Clarkson (1981) p54, in and also New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850 by Joel Mokyr and Cormac O Grada in The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Nov., 1984), pp. 473-488.
- ^ Census 2006 - Table 14A - Towns 10,000 population and over
- ^ The Parliamentary Gazeteer of Ireland: 1844-1845, A. Fullarton & Co., Dublin, 1846
- ^ The Beginnings of Modern Ireland, Philip Wilson, Norman, Remington & Company, Baltimore, 1913
- ^ Architectural Heritage, Kildare County Council, kildare.ie.countycouncil
