Pluckerstown

Looking For The

Old Town & Countryside

Of Pluckerstown

In County Kildare and in the Province of Leinster. Named after the town of Kildare. County Kildare is known for its horses and horse racing.

The Town of Kildare

Kildare means “church of the oak”. Kildare Town dates from the 5th century, when it was the site of the original ‘Church of the Oak’ and monastery founded by St. Brigid. This became one of the three most important Christian foundations in Celtic Ireland.

St. Brigid

• Brigid learned dairying and the care of the cattle.
• Brigid made a vow to love a life of holy chastity.
• Brigid established a community beneath an oak tree, on a hill on the edge of the Curragh. Hence the name Cill Dara, the church of the oak.
• The King of Leinster lived on Dun Ailinne who donated the site to the holy woman. A story told was that the King offered Brigid as much land as her cloak would cover. When she spread her garment it miraculously stretched out to embrace the entire Curragh. True to his promise, the King gave her the fertile plain. There the new community grazed their sheep and cows.

Kildare also saw the birth of British motor racing. On July 2, 1903 the Gordon Bennett Cup ran through Kildare. It was the first international motor race to be held in the United Kingdom.

The Country Town of Naas

The Irish language name for Naas, Nas na Riogh, literally means Meeting Place of the Kings. The place historically hosted meetings of pre-Norman Irish Kings from the Kingdom of Leinster. After the Norman invasion in 1169 to 11 71, some meetings of the Parliament of Ireland were held in the town. In the Middle Ages, Naas became a walled market town.

Looking for Pluckerstown

Cemetery #1

Truck Rumbling By With Peat Bricks.

Cemetery #2

The Bar Near Cemetery #2

(Photos by RSheridan)