- “And straight I will repair / To the Curragh of Kildare / For it’s there I’ll find tidings of my dear.” — Traditional folk ballad assembled form fragmentary ballads by Donal Lunny and performed by the Johnsons and Christy Moore (b. 1945),
- And where will they have their camp,” says the Shan Van Vocht/”On the Curragh of Kildare and the boys they will be there/With their pikes in good repair,” says the Shan Van Vocht. – Traditional.
- “You’ll be proud to be married to Rosie, Who was reared on the roads of Kildare.” — Joihn Duggan, The Roads of Kildare
- “How are th8ng sin Klldare? Stable.” – Barry Murphy, Comedian
- “as pale as the Ordnance Survey map of Kildare.” Neil Delamere, comedian.
- Three non pareils Kildare can claim/ Honourable clean and manly/ Whose names would grace the scroll of fame/ Dempsey, Conneff and Stanley – Verse composed by Members of New York Business and Social Association, November 22 1919.
- So rich was the Kildare area in Franciscan, Augustinian and Carmelite monasteries and so coveted by recurrent forces of disorder that from the Danish invasion until the dissolution of the monasteries, the story of this area is stippled with gore. – Bryan MacMahon 1909-1998), Here’s Ireland (1971).
- Oh, do you remember the low white house / With its coating of yellow thatch, / The earthen floor and the open door, / That swings to a ready latch.” — Teresa Brayton (from The Old Fireside, reflecting her Co. Kildare upbringing).
- “The work of angelic, and not of human skill.” — Gerald of Wales (referring to the lost Book of Kildare produced in St. Brigid’s scriptorium).
- The Curragh of Kildare, the principal raceground in Ireland. It is a fine undulating down, about six miles in length and two in breadth, and is unequalled, perhaps, in the world, for the exceeding softness and elasticity of the turf; the verdure of which is ” evergreen,” and the occasional irregularities of which are very attractive to the eye. – Samuel Carter Hall and Anna Maria Hall, Ireland, its scenery and character (1841-43)
- The Curragh of Kildare constitutes 5,000 acres of cropped grassland in an area as yet unenclosed. The Curragh Sweeps Derby is one of the richest races in the world. When the summer sun has set, bleating sheep rove off the commonage to lie on the warm tarmac of the roadway. In the pubs of Kildare town, knowledgeable tipsters whisper from their mouth corners. Patriotic songs are sung about the arrival of aid from France in 1798: And where will they have their camp? /Says the Shan Van Vocht./On the Curragh of Kildare/And the boys will all be there /With their pikes in good repair /Says the Shan Van Vocht, – Bryan MacMahon 1909-1998), Here’s Ireland (1971).
- “I love Celbridge, I love Rathangan, I love Newbridge Silverware, but I’m fed up to my hoop being stuck here in Kildare”– Christy Moore during lockdown (2020).
- Kildare although famous for centuries as a ” city renowned for saints,” has dwindled into comparative insignificance; some remains of its ancient grandeur, however, still exist, the ruined cathedral retaining marks of its original beauty, extent, and magnificence; and the ” round-tower,” one of the ” tallest ” in the kingdom, still attracting the attention of the curious, and the veneration of the antiquary. – Samuel Carter Hall and Anna Maria Hall, Ireland, its scenery and character (1841-43)
- Kildare, as I entered it, looked one of the wretchedest wild villages I ever saw; and full of ragged beggars this day (Sunday), like a village in Dahomey, men and church both. Knots of worshipping people hung about the streets, and every-where around them hovered a harpy-swarm of clamorous mendicants, men; women, children: as if a flight of harpies had alighted in it. – Thomas Carlyle, Reminiscences of My journey in Ireland in 1849, 1882
- Those who visit the county of Kildare in search of the picturesque, will do wisely to pursue the course of the Liiffey; indeed it would be almost criminal to have sojourned in Dublin without examining Leixlip , one of the most beautiful places within reach of the metropolis. The village is neat and pretty; but the leading object of attraction is the Salmon Leap, about half a mile from the road. After passing along two or three green fields, through which a footway has been generously made, the roar of the waterfall greets the ear, and through some skillfully-formed breaks among the foliage that skirts the river, occasional glimpses of it are caught. The cataract is of great width, and very picturesque in character; the waters glide onwards in a smooth but rapid current, and dash down the rocky steep — a mass of spray and foam. The whole neighbourhood is beautiful; t he river is lined with graceful trees, from its borders up the slopes of hills that descend from either side. – Samuel Carter Hall and Anna Maria Hall, Ireland, its scenery and character (1841-43)
- In mid-Kildare town a fingerpost indicated a Japanese garden laid out in the demesne now associated with the National Stud. I reached this arboreal depiction of man’s peregrination through life on a day when it rained as if in prelude for the Deluge. Streams ran where streams never ran before. Trees dolorously dripped. I skittled through a watery life, a watery birth, a watery prime and finally reached a watery grave, whence at last I emerged deeply depressed. – Bryan MacMahon 1909-1998), Here’s Ireland (1971).
- And his reverence in fact finds it fixed in the mortar/To the wonder of all, a full inch and a quarter/Where the mark of it still to this day may be seen/Or if not, they can show you where once it has been/And if, after that, any doubts on it seize you/All I can say ‘tis not easy to please you. – MJ Barry poem about the appearance of the Devil at Castletown House.
- Robertstown a village ‘geographically coy’ about 28 miles from Dublin and almost ten miles due north of Droichead Nua. At Robertstown I spent a delightful Georgian afternoon in the rejuvenated Grand Canal Hotel in the company of period-costumed beauties on whom candelight shed its benediction. Three miles to the south-east of Naas is Punchestown, a racecourse beloved of those addicted to steeplechasing-an Irish invention this since it had its origin in County Cork where the squires most ferociously rode their horses in cross-country free-for-all scrambles from one village steeple to another – Bryan MacMahon 1909-1998), Here’s Ireland (1971).
- These the men your fathers spoke of in the game your fathers loved/ These the men who blazed the trail and made it fair/ In my dreaming now I see them as I saw them long ago/ Green and Gold and White limbs leaping when our Kerry played Kildare. – Sigerson Clifford.
- Oh Lads this Kildare is a wonderful sight/ Where the boys and the girls in the flax take delight/ We have worked at it morning and evening as well/ And now that it’s finished the tale we will tell. – The Flax Harvest 1919.
- Who killed Kildare? Who dared Kildare to kill/ I killed Kildare; and dare kill whom I will“ – Traditional.
Famous quotes from Ireland’s counties
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
Musicians
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
Novelists
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
Poets
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
Writers
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
County Kildare:
Ireland’s county Kildare blends historic sites with lush countryside, with the National Stud and Japanese Gardens offering a unique mix of equine heritage and serene landscapes. Castletown House, a grand Palladian mansion, provides historical insights, while the Curragh’s open plains are ideal for walking. The ancient Hill of Allen adds archaeological depth, making Kildare an engaging stop for culture and nature. The new Shackleton Experience has opened in Athy. Kildare is Ireland’s eighth smallest county by size (1,694 square km) and seventh largest by population (247,774). Population reached its lowest point, 57,892 in 1936. In terms of hospitality, Kildare is Ireland’s 15th most visited tourist county with around 168,000 international visitors per year.
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