County Dossier
Kildare
A county of plains, studs and early saints.
Kildare lies in the heart of Leinster on open fertile plains crossed by the Liffey, Barrow and their tributaries. Its broad lowland character makes it one of Ireland's classic inland pasture counties.
At a glance
Kildare at a glance
A county of plains, studs and early saints.
- St Brigid's county and the plains
- County by the 13th century
- The Curragh and horse country
- Area: 654 sq miles / 1,694 sq km
- Population: 210,312
- County Top: Cupidstown Hill (1,243ft / 379m)
County Geography
Kildare meets Meath to the north, Dublin to the east, Wicklow to the south-east, Carlow to the south, Laois to the south-west, and Offaly to the west. The county is shaped by its broad plain, the bog margins toward the west and north-west, and the river systems that draw its southern and eastern side into clear lines.
Kildare is easy to recognise through the Curragh grassland, the open plain, and the bog-edge west.
Map Reference
View Kildare on the map
Kildare is the county. The map shows its boundary, places, and neighbouring counties.
The county.
The county boundary.
Nearby counties and places.
Places and routes
Naas, Kildare, Newbridge, Athy, and Maynooth show the county from its central plain and Curragh side to its southern river district and eastern approach.
Connections
The county’s routes have long crossed the open plain through Naas and Newbridge, branched south to Athy, and run east toward Maynooth and Dublin. Movement follows the same plain, river, and Curragh pattern.
Names
- Kildare
- County Kildare
Cill Dara is the Irish form of Kildare. County Kildare is the formal historical style, the county name means the church of the oak, Saint Brigid remains central to its older associations, and the older political background reaches into Uí Dúnlainge and Leinster.
Kildare was a county by the thirteenth century, and the Curragh and surrounding plain still give the historic county one clear geographical frame.