Kildare

Kildare (Irish: Cill Dara) is a town in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland. The name Kildare comes from the Irish Cill Dara, Cill meaning church, and Dara, of the oaks. Despite providing the name of the county, it is not the county town, this honour going instead to Naas. The town is in the central region of the country, west of Dublin. Although a town in its own right, many commute from Kildare to Dublin and its environs.

Kildare is home to the Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens. Much of the surrounding countryside in County Kildare is used for horse breeding. The Curragh racecourse is near Kildare town.

The town has good rail links, been a major interchange point for Iarnród Éireann outside Dublin, trains to the south west (Cork, Limerick, Tralee), south (Waterford), west (Galway, Mayo) and east (Dublin). The town is located near the main Dublin to Cork/Limerick motorway, the upgraded N7 road route.

Kildare was originally the site of a shrine to the Celtic goddess Brigid in pre-Christian times. 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. The name Kildare comes from the Gaelic Cill Dara, meaning the church of the oak tree.