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Featured Hotel

Derby House Hotel

Kildare, Co. Kildare

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Ireland has a strong racing culture and thanks to a non-elitist image, the sport is enjoyed by all. Much of the thoroughbred industry centers around the Curragh, a grassy plain in County Kildare that stretches unfenced for over 5000 acres. 

This is home to many training yards and studs and every morning horses can be seen going through their paces on the gallops. Most of the major flat races including the Irish Derby take place at the Curragh Racecourse just east of Kildare town.

The county is also renowned for its many top-class golf courses as well as the quality angling to be had along the river Liffey.

• Athy Golf Club

  Geraldine, Athy, Co. Kildare

  2km's from Athy on the Kildare Road. New clubhouse. Excellent facilities. Visitors welcome.

  • Tel: +353 (0)59 8631729
  • Email: info@athygolfclub.com

• Carton House

  Maynooth, Co. Kildare

  The Montgomerie & O'Meara Courses. Both are championship standard courses. Visitors Welcome.

  • Tel: +353 (0)1 5052000
  • Email: reservations@carton.ie

• Moyvalley golf Club

  Balyna Estate, Moyvalley, Co. Kildare

  The Champions Cub designed by Darren Clarke. Less than a hour from Dublin, set on 500 acrec of parkland at Balyna Estate, Moyvalley.

  • Tel: +353 (0)46 954 8000
  • Email: info@moyvalley.com

• The Kildare Club (K Club)

  Straffan, Co. Kildare

  Venue for Ryder Cup of 2006. Georgian Estate, set on 300 acres. Ireland's only Five Red Star Resort.

  • Tel: +353 (0)1 6017300
  • Email: info@kclub.ie

Bodenstown Golf Club
Castlewarden Golf Club
Celbridge Golf Club
Cill Dara Golf Club
Clane Golf Club
Clongowes Golf Club
Curragh Golf Club
Highfield Golf Club
Kilcock Golf Club
Kilkea Castle Golf Club
Killeen Golf Club
Knockanally Golf Club
Naas Golf Club
Newbridge Golf Club
Woodlands Golf Club

Main Tourist Attractions

• Butterfly Farm - Straffan

  Located at Ovidstown, Straffan, come and walk through a tropical Butterfly House with colourful butterflies flying around you. View a collection of reptiles, stick insects, tarantulas and bird eating spiders - safely behind glass! You can also learn about the interesting life and conservation of butterflies in the Exhibition centre, featuring butterfly collections.
• Celbridge Abbey - Celbridge

  Located at Clane Road, Celbridge and set amid the magnificent Celbridge Abbey Grounds, features of the abbey include historical guided tours, nature study tours, flora and fauna, themed walks and a model railway. There's also a restaurant, children's playground, natural woodland gardens and garden centre.
• Coolcarrigan House & Gardens - Naas

  Located at Naas, these gardens are approached by a long, woodland avenue with a large collection of rhododendrons and azaleas. The formal gardens around the house have a good herbaceous border, rockeries and fine Victorian greenhouse. The rest of the garden, divided by various paths and covering some eight acres, has a very interesting collection of shrubs and trees, mostly chosen by plantsman, Sir Harold Hillier.
• Peatland World Museum - Rathangan

  Located at Lullymore, Rathangan, you can explore the fascinating history and science of Ireland's boglands at Peatlands World Museum. Housed in a beautifully restored nineteenth century courtyard, it helps to explain the development of bogs, their exploitation and future importance.  A series of trails have been established around the centre and guided walks are offered to visitors.
• Steam Museum - Straffan

  Located at Lodge Park Heritage Centre, Straffan, a Victorian Gothic building - once the Great Southern and Western Railway Church, has been rebuilt here and now houses the power hall of the museum. The model hall displays early locomotive prototype models. There is a memorabilia hall, an interactive area, courtyard and an 18th century garden.
• The National Stud & Japanese Gardens - Tully

  Located at Tully, The National Stud has 958 acres of land and operates to promote the interests of the Irish Bloodstock industry. On site, a museum serves as a historical archive of the Studs successes. In the Japanese Gardens the 'Life of Man' is beautifully symbolised through the landscape of the garden. The visitor centre at the stud has been developed to include a full restaurant and craft shop - there's also a "lego" area for the younger visitor. Saint Fiachras Garden is a new addition to the Stud and was built to celebrate the Millennium.

Heritage Sites

• Castletown House - Celbridge

  Located at Celbridge, the most significant Palladian style country house in Ireland. Built c.1722 for the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, William Connolly, the designs of a number of important architects were used, notably Alessandro Galilei, Sir Edward Lovett Pearce and later Sir William Chambers. The entire estate was sold by the Connolly-Carew family in 1965, and in 1967 the house and some parkland were purchased by Hon Desmond Guinness. Both Mr Guinness and subsequently the Castletown Foundation, who acquired the house in 1979, devoted considerable effort and resources to the maintenance and restoration of the principal rooms.