History & Culture
Discover History & Culture in and around Newbridge.
History & Culture
Castle Rag
Castle Rag is a compact medieval tower house at Jigginstown near Naas, probably dating from the 15th century. Standing in pasture west of Jigginstown Castle, it is a rare surviving example of the smaller fortified residences that once formed part of the defensive landscape around the Pale.
Naas · Naas
History & Culture
Broadleas Stone Circle
Broadleas Stone Circle, also known as The Piper’s Stones, is a large prehistoric stone circle near Ballymore Eustace in County Kildare. Set on a raised grassy platform and surrounded by ash, holly and hawthorn trees, it is one of the county’s most atmospheric ancient monuments.
Kilcullen · Kilcullen
History & Culture
Bran and Sceolan
Bran and Sceolan is a public sculpture in Kildare Town celebrating the legendary hounds of Fionn mac Cumhaill. The artwork connects the modern setting of Kildare Village with the Fenian Cycle, one of Ireland’s great bodies of myth and storytelling.
Kildare Town · Kildare Town
History & Culture
Black Abbey
Black Abbey, also known as Tully Preceptory, is a medieval Knights Hospitaller site near Kildare Town. Its surviving stone tower, ruined walls and graveyard setting make it one of the area’s most atmospheric historic monuments.
Kildare Town · Kildare Town
History & Culture
Tomb of Bishop Walter Wellesley
The Tomb of Bishop Walter Wellesley is a richly carved sixteenth-century monument now preserved in St Brigid’s Cathedral, Kildare Town. Originally from Great Connell Priory near Newbridge, it is one of County Kildare’s most remarkable surviving examples of late medieval stone sculpture.
Kildare Town · Kildare Town
History & Culture
Aylmer’s Folly / Tower of Allen
Aylmer’s Folly, also known as the Tower of Allen, is a nineteenth-century cylindrical stone tower on the Hill of Allen in County Kildare. Built by Sir Gerald George Aylmer, it remains one of the county’s most recognisable historic landmarks.
Newbridge · Newbridge
History & Culture
1798 memorial stone
A small but important monument marking Kilcullen’s connection with the 1798 Rebellion. The memorial offers families a simple way to explore local history, remembrance, and the story of the United Irishmen in County Kildare.
Kilcullen · Kilcullen
History & Culture
An Rath Ring Fort
An Rath Ring Fort is an earthen archaeological monument representing Ireland’s early medieval settlement landscape. Its circular bank and enclosure recall a time when raths served as protected farmsteads for local households, livestock, and everyday rural life.
Kildare Town · Kildare Town
History & Culture
Abbey Bridge
Abbey Bridge is a late eighteenth-century stone canal bridge in Naas, notable for its single elliptical arch, traditional masonry, and connection with the development of the Grand Canal. It remains an attractive and historically significant feature of the town’s canal landscape.
Naas · Naas
History & Culture
Newbridge Silverware Visitor Centre
Iconic Irish design, museum, and café.
Newbridge · Newbridge
History & Culture
Gibbet Rath
Gibbet Rath: Where Hope Met Tragedy on the Curragh Plain If you’re exploring the open, grassy expanse of the Curragh, a place not to miss is Gibbet Rath—a rath (ancient earthwork) that became forever linked with one of Ireland’s darkest moments: the 1798 Rebellion. What Happened Back in May 1798, after suffering a defeat at […]
Newbridge · Curragh
History & Culture
Father Moore’s Well
Father Moore’s Well – A Place of Healing and Memory Tucked off the Milltown Road near Kildare, down a quiet boreen, is Father Moore’s Well—one of County Kildare’s most cherished holy wells. It’s far more than a pool of water; it’s a living tradition, a place where faith, folklore, and hope come together. The Man […]
Newbridge · Kildare