County Kildare
The inland county of Kildare is famous as a sporting, racing and hunting region. Bordering Dublin to the west, it is situated on the edge of the central plain. The county's main features are big open grasslands, lush green pastures and large tracts of ancient bog-land all interspersed with trees and gentle rolling hills. This charming countryside can be seen when travelling from Dublin to Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford.
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 flatraces including the Irish Derby take place at the Curragh Racecourse just east of Kildare town.
In the surrounding area, Maynooth is home to the impressive St Patrick's College (which over the centuries has trained over 11,000 Irish priests). St Patrick's house, located within the college grounds, is a fine Victorian gothic building with one of the world's largest choir chapels, capable of housing more than 450 choristers.
