Things to do in County Kildare

Barberstown Castle is situated 18 miles from Dublin in the village of Straffan on the east coast of Ireland. The original crenellated stone castle has had the additions of wings in the Victorian and Elizabethan periods and stands in a courtyard with a fountain in its centre and gardens stretching out over 20 acres. Facilities Barberstown Castle is now a four star county house hotel. The hotel has 59 bedrooms featuring both Irish and continental antique furniture, some with four poster beds. It also has a Tearoom Reception where guests can enjoy light snacks and drinks and a restaurant serving more substantial meals. The medieval banqueting hall or outdoor courtyard; with its gothic gazebo, are both popular locations where wedding receptions are hosted. The banqueting hall having beautiful vaulted ceilings, antique gothic furniture and medieval tapestries adoring the walls. The castle was built in 1288 by Nicholas Barby on land owned by a Norman family called Fitzgerald. It was built to protect the people of Barberstown from the Ui Faelin and other clans who tried to burn down the village. The castle was confiscated in 1689 by the Earl of Tyrconnel in the name of the King, and was handed over to the Commissioners of the Revenue. They proceeded to rent out the property to Roger Kelly. In 1703 the castle and its 335 acres changed hands again, this time it was purchased by Bartholomew Van Homreigh the ex mayor of Dublin. The last wing of the house was added two owners later in the 1830's. The castle remained a private residence until 1971 when the Huddleston family were forced to sell it due to the rising costs of its upkeep; it was purchased by Norah Devlin and changed into a hotel. One of the most famous owners is modern times was Eric Clapton who purchased the property in1979 and sold it in 1987 to its current owners. Legends It is said that the body of one of the previous owners is still interned in the tower of the keep. The lease of the castle would only end when the owners' body was buried under the ground and so his relatives; who did not want to pay an increased rent, left his body on top of the ground.

Carbury Castle stands on a prominent hill in County Kildare near the Offaly border, commanding panoramic views across the Bog of Allen and the midland plains. A substantial tower house associated with the Bermingham family sits alongside a medieval church ruin, a seventeenth-century house built into the castle remains, and traces of an earlier Iron Age hillfort, making Carbury Hill one of the most layered heritage sites in north Kildare. The castle is also linked to the Colley family, through whom Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington, had ancestral connections. The combination of prehistoric earthworks, medieval fortifications and post-medieval buildings gives Carbury Hill unusual historical depth.

Castletown House near Celbridge in County Kildare is the largest Palladian country house in Ireland and a landmark of European architectural importance. Built from around 1722 for William Conolly, Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, to designs attributed to Alessandro Galilei, it features a grand central block flanked by curving colonnades and pavilion wings of exceptional refinement. Outstanding interiors include a cantilevered staircase hall, a print room created by Lady Louisa Conolly and a Pompeian-style long gallery. The grounds contain Conolly's Folly and the Wonderful Barn. Saved from demolition by the Irish Georgian Society, the house is managed by the Office of Public Works.

Kilkea Castle is situated overlooking the Killeshin hills in 100 acres of woodland and gardens, 3 miles from Castledermot in the west of Ireland. Kilkea Castle is a refurbished grey stone crenellated castle built over four floors with two storey wings and is set in formal medieval gardens. Facilities The castle is now a hotel with an 18 hole golf course. It provides 35 unique guest bedrooms and suites. The hotel is furnished in traditional style and has its own leisure centre and swimming pool, sauna, steam room and gym as well as a choice of three dining rooms offering contemporary and traditional cuisine along with two bars. The hotel is able to arrange wedding receptions, for a truly grand affair the wedding couple and party can have exclusive use of the hotel and all its facilities. The hotel caters for up to 200 guests in a choice of reception suites and the hotel's wedding planner can also offer advice on all aspects of the special day. The bridal suite is situated high in one of the castle's turrets with traditional four poster bed and separate living rooms for extra luxury. The original motte and bailey were built in 1181 by Sir Walter de Riddlesford and through marriage the castle became the family home of the Fitzgerald's for over 700 years. When the family moved out of the castle to reside at Carton House the castle was leased to a number of different tenants including a Jesuit Order, Thomas Reynolds a silk merchant from Dublin and the 8th Duke of Leinster. One of the castle's most unusual inhabitants was Gerald the 11th Earl of Kildare. The Earl was sent away to be educated in Europe where he became interested in alchemy. On his return his neighbors believed that he possessed magic powers and gave him the name of the 'Wizard Earl'. The Fitzgerald family finally sold the castle in the 1960's when it was transformed into a hotel. Legends Legend has it that the castle is haunted by the 'Wizard Earl' who returns every 7th year riding on a white horse.

Maynooth Castle is situated in the historical village of Maynooth about 30km west of Dublin. The Castle is at the entrance to the South Campus of the National University of Ireland. The castle is in ruins. Only the ruins of the keep and the main entrance gateway on the southern side remain. Most of the surrounding curtain walls have now gone. The massive keep is one of the largest of this type in Ireland. The castle now forms an entrance to Maynooth College. Facilities The partly-ruined castle is a tourist attraction, and is open to the public. Guided tours are available, catering for groups of up to 50 visitors on the 40 minute tour. There is an exhibition on the castle history housed in the Keep. From time to time, Maynooth hosts various exhibitions, concerts and lectures. The castle is open every day from June to September (check with the castle for opening hours). It is also open on Sundays and Bank Holidays in October. Maynooth Castle was built in the early 13th century, and was the home of the Fitzgerald family (the Earls of Kildare) until 1535. The original keep, built around 1210, was one of the largest in Ireland. The castle was extended and remodeled in 1426 by the sixth Earl of Kildare. The Fitzgeralds extended their lands and influence, and became one of the most powerful families in Ireland. Maynooth Castle became one of the largest and grandest Earl's castles. In 1535, 'Silken Thomas' Fitzgerald rebelled against the English crown. Thomas Fitzgerald marched to Dublin Castle and declared himself an enemy of King Henry VIII. In response, English troops led by William Skeffington attacked the castle, severely damaging it with siege guns. The Castle was captured after a 10 day siege, and the castle defenders were executed. Thomas and several of his relatives were subsequently executed in London. Maynooth Castle became a royal castle and was used by the Lord Deputies of Ireland as a residence. It was granted to the eleventh Earl of Kildare in 1552. Maynooth was taken over by the Confederates in the Rebellion of 1641. After the Civil War the castle was destroyed. The castle was abandoned by and fell into disrepair. Maynooth was taken over by the State in 1991 and restoration commenced in 2000.

White's Castle is a well-preserved fifteenth-century tower house in Athy, County Kildare, built by the White family to control the strategically important River Barrow crossing. Athy was a significant medieval garrison town on the southern frontier of the Pale, where the Barrow crossing gave access between the settled Kildare lowlands and the more turbulent Gaelic territories of Carlow and Laois. The castle served both as a private residence and as a fortification contributing to the broader defensive infrastructure of the southern Pale frontier, where periodic raids from unconquered Gaelic lands were a persistent threat. Athy today is a market town on the Grand Canal and the Barrow, serving as a gateway to the heritage landscape of the south Kildare Barrow valley.