Kildare Town

Kildare Town is one of the oldest towns in Ireland.

It 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.