20 Attractions to Explore Near St. Brigid's Cathedral & Round Tower

Grey Abbey is a ruined abbey in County Kildare, Ireland. It was run by Franciscan friars. It was founded in 1260 by William de Vesci, however it was completed by Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Offaly. Gerald FitzGerald, 5th Earl of Kildare was buried here.

St. Fiachra's Garden was created to celebrate the Millenium at the Irish National Stud. St Fiachra is the Patron Saint of Gardeners and the garden seeks to capture his love of nature. There is a strong focus on rock and water. A Waterford Crystal sculpture in the floor of the hermitage reflects the rocks, ferns and other natural elements of the surrounding garden.Water, trees and rocks are the basic natural elements within which the garden was created.

The Irish National Stud is a Thoroughbred horse breeding facility in Tully, Kildare, County Kildare, Ireland. It was formally established by incorporation on 11 April 1946 under the National Stud Act, 1945 and is owned by the Irish Government. The gardens at Tully are a living monument to the meeting of Eastern and Western cultures in a Western setting. The symbolism of life the garden portrays traces the journey of a soul from Oblivion to Eternity

The historic Curragh Racecourse is the home of Flat racing in Ireland and the venue for all five Irish Classic races and the second day of Longines Irish Champions Weekend. It has a busy schedule of race meetings between March and October every year. It is also home to the Curragh Training ground which has seen many stars of the track including Sea The Stars, Vintage Crop, Hardy Eustace and Sinndar.

Pollardstown Fen is the largest remaining spring-fed fen in Ireland and is a very important site nationally and internationally. It is a post-glacial fen which began to develop approximately 10000 years ago when the area was covered by a large lake.

Kildare Castle is a ruined castle located at Kildare in County Kildare, Ireland. Built in the 12th century as a motte and bailey castle by Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. The remains of a tower are the only above ground remains of the castle. This elegant and spacious Irish Castle is ideal for family gatherings, private weddings, civil partnerships and corporate events. The 11-bedroom castle also has a Drawing Room, Restaurant and of course its very own Castle Bar for you to enjoy.

The hill of Allen is situated four miles to the north-west of Newbridge, Co. Kildare. Also known as the hill of Almhuin "the Great Neck", it rises 676ft in height and is surrounded by the Bog of Allen. The site is currently part-owned by Roadstone Dublin Limited and extensive quarrying has noticeably changed the profile of the hill.

The Dun Ailinne site is a large circular enclosure located on the hill of Knockaulin in County Kildare Ireland. Documentary sources traditionally refer to it as one of four Irish ‘royal’ sites–significant pre-Christian social and political centers. Excavations in the 1960s indicated that the site was an important center of ceremonial and ritual activity during the Irish Iron Age.

The 200-acre amenity area is a mixed hardwood conifer forest with very diverse flora and fauna. Killinthomas Wood is like something straight from a fairytale. This is truly a beautiful and relatively undiscovered area of Co Kildare.There are picnic tables and benches dotted throughout so it is also a great place for families to visit.

The tower is approximately 40 ft high and the top parts suffered a lot of damage in 1798. An account written in 1782 tells of there being four large windows in the upper part of the tower but only the semblance of one now remains. The present remains at the complex include small portions of a Romanesque church, two high-cross shafts and a round tower

Old Kilcullen is the site of a round tower and a decorated High Cross. Another, much older, historic site, Dun Ailinne, is located approximately one kilometre away to the north at Knockaulin. It was formerly the site of a walled town, and before that of an ecclesiastical settlement dating from the 5th century. The original settlement gave its name to the substantial surrounding civil parish and barony.

This is an international centre for peatland education, conservation and research run by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council. Peatlands are made up of dead plant material and they are home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Raised bogs have been growing in Ireland for the past 10,000 years.

Jigginstown Castle is a ruined 17th-century house and National Monument near Naas, County Kildare, Ireland. It was constructed in the late 1630s when Ireland was under the reign of Charles I. At the time it was one of the largest buildings in Ireland, and the first to be constructed of red brick: the plans provided for a pavement and columns of Kilkenny marble.

Mullaghmast is a very large standing stone, and is located about 3km west of Ballitore in County Kildare. The site includes earthworks, ringforts, barrows. The overall site is dominated by Rath Mor, or ancient fort. This site includes earthworks, ringforts, barrows and a standing stone, with the overall site being dominated by Rath Mor. A rath in Irish means an ancient fort.

Saint David's Castle is a 13th-century Norman castle located in Naas, Ireland. It dates from the early Hiberno-Norman era, perhaps as early as 1200. John visited Naas in 1206. He visited again in 1210, when he held a form of Parliament in the town. About this time County Kildare became a separate county.

The Barrow Way is a 114km long distance walking trail along the River Barrow in the South East of Ireland. It rises in the Slieve Bloom Mountains in the southern midlands, and flows to join its two ‘sisters’, the Nore and the Suir, before flowing into the Celtic Sea at Waterford Harbour. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Waterways Ireland.

White Castle was built in 1417 by Sir John Talbot the Viceroy of Ireland to protect the newly built bridge over the River Barrow. It is located in the centre of Athy, on the east bank of the River Barrow, overlooking Crom Abú Bridge.It is three-storey tower house with a battered base. On the right of the main doorway is a depiction of coat-of-arms of the Earl of Kildare.

The Punchestown Standing Stone is the tallest and most remarkable of several long stones in County Kildare. It's overall length when measured on the ground was 7m and it weighed 9.22 tons. Out of around 600 standing stones in southwestern Ireland, this is the tallest. It fell over in 1931, and was re-erected three years later.

Emo Court is a quintessential neo-classical mansion, set in the midst of the ancient Slieve Bloom Mountains. Designed by noted architect James Gandon, it features magnificent gardens and is located just 2.5 km from Emo village and 7 km from Portarlington Railway Station. Architectural features of the building include sash-style windows, pavilions, a balustrade, a hipped roof, and large dome. It is one of the few houses to have been designed by Gandon.

Athgreany is a picturesque circle of 16 grey granite stones and an outlier. Some of these pillars and boulders are up to two meters high and enclose an area of about twenty two meters across. Now the site is composed of 16 granite boulders, with 5 remaining in their original placements.