St.Brigid• Our project is based around the key
attractions around county Kildare and how they are linked with St. Brigid. Our project is more towards the tourist part of the attractions in Kildare more so than the religious side of it.
• By Aisling, Eimear
and Aoife.
The Abbey• Kildare Abbey is a former monastery in Co. Kildare, founded
by St. Brigid in the 5th century, and destroyed in the 12th century.St. Brigid built the Abbey in Kildare around 480AD, on a Hill beside a great oak tree. It was the first ever abbey in Ireland. One half of the monastery being for women, the other for men. She asked St. Conleth to rule and ordain the monastery, and another bishop, St. Nadfraoich, to preach and teach the Gospel there.
• The Irish Celts believed in a Goddess, Brigid long before she became a Saint and this area was sacred to her. This was always an important gathering place and pilgrimage site in earlier centuries. Without Brigid, there would not be a modern town of Kildare.
The Abbey
Castletown House• Castletown is Ireland's largest and earliest
Palladian style house. Built between 1722 and 1729 for William Connolly, the wealthiest commoner in Ireland.
• It has just undergone refurbishments and is now open to the public.
Other great attractions in Co.Kildare
NUI Maynooth• The new college, under the influence of
the Duke of Leinster was to be founded in Maynooth and in time it became not only Ireland's national seminary, but also the largest seminary in the world.
• NUI Maynooth is one of the top universities of Ireland with graduates from all over the world.
• NUI Maynooth is today a rapidly developing university centre of some 8,800 students.
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The Curragh The Curragh is a flat open plain of almost 5,000 acres (20
km²) of common land in County Kildare, Ireland, between Newbridge and Kildare. This area is well-known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town. The Curragh is known as St.Brigid’s pastures. Legend has it that in about 480 AD, When St Brigid became set on finding a monastery in Kildare town, she asked the High King of Leinster for the land to build it on in return for reducing the size of his ears. The king granted her as much land as her cloak would cover. So St Brigid then placed her cloak on the ground to cover the entire Curragh plain. The King thought her cloak was small until her four helpers pulled each corner in all directions making it the whole size of the Curragh. The king and his household were amazed and now knew she was truly blessed by God. He later became a patron of her monastery and assisted St.Brigid with food, money and gifts.
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Source: www.curragh.info/landmarks/stbrigids.htm
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St Brigids wellThis well is reputedly a 'healing well', one of many in Ireland. The well is still a popular place of pilgrimage where healing liturgies are often held.
St Brigid's well is situated where the location of her double monastery once stood in Kildare Town, close to the Black Abbey.
