20 Attractions to Explore Near Donadea Castle

Donadea Forest Park is situated in northwest Kildare and comprises of approximately 243 hectares of mixed woodland. It is part of the old Aylmer family estate. There are many historical features including the remains of the castle, walled gardens, church, tower, ice house, boat house and Lime Tree Avenue.

The Steam Museum & Lodge Park Walled Garden is a steam museum and tourist destination in Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland.This fine Victorian gothic building once stood near Inchicore Railway Works. In the Model Hall the Collection consists of Early Inventor's models, Scientific Engineering Models, and Historic Works of Mechanical Art. The museum is open to visitors from Wednesdays to Sundays during the summer.

The National Science and Ecclesiology Museum at Maynooth is a science museum and museum of ecclesiology, located on the joint campus of St Patrick's College, Maynooth and Maynooth University, Ireland. It is an institution of the college, having begun as an ecclesiological museum. The museum holds various artefacts from the history of science in Ireland.

This majestic stone castle was founded in the early thirteenth century. The castle was built at the junction of two streams and became the home of the Fitzgerald family before its expansion by Sir John Fitzgerald in the 15th century. It became the seat of power for the FitzGeralds, the earls of Kildare, as they emerged as one of the most powerful families in Ireland. Now a main attraction in this area and attracts a lot of tourists to this history.

The Connolly's Folly is an obelisk structure and National Monument located between Leixlip and Maynooth in County Kildare, Ireland. The folly was built just outside Castletown Estate, which contains two follies, both commissioned by Katherine Conolly, the philanthropic widow of Speaker William Conolly

Tea Lane Graveyard is a Christian cemetery located in Celbridge, Ireland. The site is located 500 m northwest of the River Liffey and is the reputed burial site of Saint Mochua of Timahoe. Mochua built a wooden church on the site and was the first abbot of Clondalkin. It stood on the Slighe Mhor, an ancient roadway which ran from Dublin to Galway.

A beautiful sandy beach which was located in the west of the harbour mouth and at higher tides consists largely of fairly unwelcoming pebbles. It is a fantastic beach to walk along with your beloved pooch. Castletown beach is within walking distance of local shops and caravan parks, which makes it a top pick among travellers.

A majestic country house set amongst beautiful eighteenth-century parklands on the banks of the Liffey in Celbridge, County Kildare.It formed the centrepiece of a 550-acre estate. Sold to developers in 1965, the estate is now divided between State and private ownership. It was home to a significant collection of paintings, furnishings and objets d’art. Highlights include three eighteenth-century Murano-glass chandeliers and the only fully intact eighteenth-century print room in the country.

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.

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.

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.

A majestic castle situated in the townland of Carbury, on the borders of Kildare and Offaly. The area is dominated by the ruins of this great Tudor mansion set atop Carbury Hill, which was also known as Fairy Hill. It is a typical tower house- a single, multi storied rectangular building, with various annexes containing staircases and latrines.

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 Wonderful Barn in Ireland’s County Kildare is a distinctive, corkscrew-shaped building on the grounds of the Castletown House Estate. Based on the design of an Indian rice store, the 70ft-high conical grain store is encircled by a cantilevered staircase with a crow’s nest viewing gallery. The site stands next to a crescent-shaped piece of development land, where a housing project by Albany Homes was abandoned in the noughties.

Dangan Castle is a former stately home in County Meath, Ireland, which is now in a state of ruin. It was the childhood home of Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. The modern house was originally built in the early 1700s as Dangan House by Richard Colley, who demolished the old castle. Colley had inherited the estate from the childless Gerald Wesley, on condition that he changed his surname.

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.

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.

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.

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.