Cill Dara

Kildare's name derives from the Irish Cill Dara, meaning "church of the oak," referencing the oak tree beneath which Saint Brigid established her monastic community around 480 AD. The legendary account describes how Brigid received land from the High King of Leinster—supposedly as much as her cloak would cover—which miraculously extended to encompass the entire Curragh plain, a fertile grasslan...