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/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 cathederal. The name Kildare comes from the Gaelic Cill Dara, meaning the church of the oak tree.