County Kildare has some of Ireland’s most important early Christian heritage, take the Kildare Monastic Trail to discover the story!

County Kildare is at the heart of the story of the dawn of Christianity in Ireland, and some of Ireland’s most famous saints like Brigid, Colmcille and Patrick have strong links with the county. On our tour we will discover the final resting place of Arthur Guinness, unlock the secrets of the spectacular High Crosses, and climb the steps of an ancient round tower. It all awaits you on the Kildare Monastic Trail!

The trail also provides an insight into development of Kildare’s towns. Six of the seven places on our trail were important settlements, that grew around ecclesiastical centres. They developed even further, when they were granted borough status following the arrival of the Normans. Three of these – Kildare, Clane and Castledermot – are still significant settlements to this day, while the other three – Moone, Old Kilcullen and Oughterard – faded back into the rural landscape and today only reveal hints of their former status.

Our audio guide will lead you to atmospheric ruins from the time of Ireland’s ancient saints and scholars, including:

• Castledermot
• Moone High Cross
• Old Kilcullen
• St. Brigid’s Cathedral, Kildare
• Clane
• Taghadoe Round Tower
• Ougherard

The Kildare Monastic Trail

This audio guide is an Abarta Heritage Production on behalf of  Kildare County Council. The guide was written by Conor Ryan and Neil Jackman, and it is narrated by Kildare actor Liam Quinlivan, with music by Enda Seery. This audio guide was recorded in Bluebird Studios with sound engineer Declan Lonergan and producer Róisín Burke in 2014.