Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Kildare Town is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. It was originally the site of a shrine to the Celtic goddess Brigid in pre-Christian times. Following the introduction of Christianity in the 5th and 6th centuries it became the foundation of the Christian Saint Brigid who founded a unique monastery of monks and nuns on the site of the present cathedral. The name Kildare comes from the Gaelic Cill Dara, meaning the church of the oak tree. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.