Donore, Naas, Co. Kildare
Tel: 00 353 45 860 200
Email: info@mondellopark.ie
GPS: 53° 15’ 21″ N, 6° 44’ 34″ W

Mondello International Race Circuit

Mondello, open since 1968 is located just outside Naas, Co. Kildare and is Ireland's only FIA Licenced Motor Racing Circuit. The race park has two circuit options for Race Events, the National rack and the International Track. Visitors to Mondello International Race Circuit also have the opportunity to try other track formats such as a separate Rallycross layout for Driving Experiences and Track Days.

There is also a museum on site to keep visitors occupied. The Mondello Park museum houses iconic F1 cars,  Indy cars, thundering NASCAR racers and many more rare and wonderful cars. Why not go and take a tour!

Find out about Mondello Park here...

The Gordon Bennett Route

A scenic and historic route which can be driven at any time of year, the Gordon Bennett Route is a popular tourist attraction.  It follows the original course of the The Gordon Bennett Cup Race that took place in 1903 through Laois, Kildare and Carlow.

Today drivers can follow this route by use of an interactive map or by taking part in the commemorative classic car rally that takes place each summer.

Find out about The Gordon Bennett Route here...

Palmerstown House, Johnstown, Naas, Co. Kildare
Tel: 00 353 45 891 100
Email: bookings@offroaddriving.ie

OffRoadDriving.ie

Located in the scenic Palmerstown House Estate, Offroaddriving.ie provide the experience of driving an off road 4×4 vehicle through really extreme terrain.  Visitors can manoeuvre through natural obstructions such as rivers, mud runs, steep assents, enormous pot holes and gravity defying drops. An off road driving instructor accompanies each vehicle around the course which is essential as some of the obstacles are quite daunting the first time round.

Behind the wheel of these resilient modified Land Rovers is a real blast. It is a real adrenaline rush and should be on everyones bucket list.

Find out about Offroaddriving.ie here...

• Truli Scrumptious Craft & Food Fair
  When: 1st Sunday of each month, 11am - 5pm
  Where: GAA Club, Clane.

• Naas Farmers Market
  When: Every Saturday, 10am - 3pm (Craft on 1st Saturday of every month)
  Where: Trax Brassiere, Friary Lane, Naas.

There are many markets in each week in towns all around Kildare.  We have included all we know about below, please let us know if there are more!

• Kildare Town General Market
  When: Every Thursday, 8am - 2pm
  Where: Market Square, Kildare Town.

• Athy General Market
  When: Every Tuesday, 8am - 2pm
  Where: Emily Square, Athy.

• Whitewater Farmers’ Market
  When: Every Friday, 11am - 3pm
  Where: Whitewater Shopping Centre, Newbridge.

• Maynooth Food & Craft Market
  When: Every Saturday, 10am - 2pm
  Where: The Square, Maynooth.

• Castletown Market & Craft Fair
  When: Every Sunday, 11am - 5pm
  Where: Castletown House, Celbridge.

Rent My Barge
Donadea, Co. Kildare
Tel: 00 353 87 296 7112.

Based at Lock 15, Kilcock, RentmyBarge offers the chance to rent, Anam Cara, a family owned barge for hire. For a unique holiday experience with very little boating experience required, the chance to skipper your own barge promises unique and memorable holiday for people with all and any interests.

BargeTrip.ie
Sallins, Co. Kildare
Tel: 00 353 87 646 5465.

Why not experience over 250 years of history in just an hour or two by taking one of Bargetrip.ie's three scheduled canal cruises?  Visitors can relax while listening to stories of Great Famine escapes and Landed Gentry or just sit at the helm with a drink while soaking up the tranquil Kildare countryside.

Athy Boat Tours
Athy, Co. Kildare
Tel: 00 353 87 433 5350.

Based in the South of the county, Athy Boat Tours offer many different options to suit every one. Their cruises, which are from one to five hours long run over the Grand Canal and the Barrow Line. All situations are catered for such as corporate events, parties and meetings.

Athy Rowing and Canoeing

Monasterevin Road, Athy, Co. Kildare
Tel: 00 353 85 139 3478
Email: athyrowingandcanoeing@gmail.com.

Celbridge Paddlers Canoe Club

Aylmer Bridge, Celbridge, Co. Kildare
Tel: 00 353 87 234 4 276
Email: cpaddlers@hotmail.com.

Kilcock Canoe Polo Club

Kilcock, Co. Kildare
Tel: 00 353 87 645 0544
Email: secretary@kilcockcanoepoloclub.com

Kilcullen Canoe Club

Kilcullen, Co. Kildare
Email: webmaster@kilcullencanoeclub.com

Salmon Leap Canoe Club

Barnahll, Leixlip, Co. Kildare
Email: salmonleapracing@gmail.com.

The Horse and Racing

The horse is synonymous with Ireland and especially County Kildare which is known as the thoroughbred County.

Kildare contains, The Irish National Stud & Gardens, three racecourses, the Curragh Plains, RACE Academy and the Bloodstock Agency.

The Irish National Stud

Founded in 1900 by Colonel Hall Walker who believed a horse’s birth date could determine its ability on the racetrack, the Stud quickly gained a prominence and prestige it maintains to this day. Horses born and bred here have won some of the world’s greatest races and thanks to the stud’s magnificent resident stallions not to mention support from the Government and the Irish people, its influence remains as great as ever.

Curragh Racecourse

The name "Curragh" comes from the Gaelic word Cuirreach, meaning "place of the running horse". The first recorded race on the plain took place in 1727, but it was used for races before then. The first Irish Derby was held in 1866, and in 1868 the Curragh was officially declared a horse racing and training facility by act of parliament. It is still the premier racecourse of the Country and in 2015 it celebrated 150 years of the Derby. A new development will commence in 2017 which will transform the racecourse into a world class state of the art venue. Racing will continue at the Curragh during the development project.

Punchestown Racecourse

Punchestown racecourse is one of three located in Co. Kildare. Punchestown in the small parish of Eadestown is the home of Irish jump racing. The first meeting in 1868 was attended by one spectator while today, the annual Hunt Festival attracts thousands of racing enthusiasts from all over the world. The racecourse is a popular venue for many types of events along with horseracing such as music and exhibitions.

Naas Racecourse

Naas Racecourse has long been associated with Irish Race hosting both flat and hunt.  It is unusual as it has a left handed run-up and up hill finish.  Naas Racecourse is within easy reach of Dublin and is a popular venue with race-goers from Kildare and elsewhere.  The racecourse hold many different events including family event days, music gigs and of course, racing throughout the year.

Race Academy: Racing Academy & Centre of Education

Race Academy evolved over 40 years to a broad-based national academy for the horse racing industry. It has become an invaluable academy for training jockeys and now includes the Irish School of Farriery. RACE has had students from more than 25 countries who come to Ireland to learn horsemanship skills.

The Royal Curragh Golf Club

There are records of golf being played at The Curragh since 1852, and Ireland's oldest golf club and course, The Royal Curragh was established in 1858.  The golf course is situated in a beautiful scenic location in the heart of the Curragh Plains set within rolling landscape and many mature native Irish trees dotted around the course.

Find out more about Royal Curragh Golf Club here

Cill Dara Golf Club

Cill Dara Golf Club is a great course for both beginners and experienced golfers.  Founded in 1920, the club boasts fast greens, particuluarly in the summer months. The clubhouse at Cill Dara Golf Club is modern and comfortable with a relaxed atmosphere and tasty food under chef, Hugh Rintoul.

Find out more about Cill Dara Golf Club here

The K Club

Arguably Ireland's most famous golf club, The K Club has hosted many famous golf tournaments including, The Ryder Cup in 2006, and the Smurfit European Open. Set in 550 acres of idyllic Kildare countryside,  The K Club offers golfers 36 of the most exciting and dramatic holes and the promise to challenge and excite players with treacherous rough, water hazards in abundance, long greens and undulating fairways.

Find out more about The K Club here

Lougharbour, Athy, Co. Kildare

Email: info@harbourhouseshooting.com
Phone: Toby - 00 353 87 2733837 / Tommy - 00 353 87 2733834

Harbour House Sports Club

Located in South Kildare between Athy and Kildare Town, and with fully wheelchair accessible ranges, Harbour House Sports & Shooting Club offer the opportunity for individuals and groups to participate in many different disciplines. The Club is open to visitors and also offers membership for those who wish to visit more often.

The disciplines that are available in a safe and controlled environment at Harbour House Sports Club are:

• Target Rifle shooting
• Clay Pigeon shooting
• Target Pistol shooting
• Archery.

So if you have ever wanted to brush up on your clay pigeon shooting game or try a new sport such as Archery (Harbour House has it's own Archery Club), why not contact them to find out more!

Find out more about Harbour House Sports Club here

Kildare Town, Co. Kildare

Email: info@redhillsadventure.ie
Phone: 00 353 87 2481246

Red Hills Adventure

Red Hills Adventure is located just outside Kildare Town, County Kildare.  The activities offered here are suitable for many different groups such as Family Groups, Birthday Parties, Corporates Groups, Stag and Hen Parties and School Tours. Individuals are not forgotten about either with regular open skirmishes being held.

The three activities to choose from are:

• Archery Tag (mobile, so they can come to you too)
• Splatmaster
• Airsoft Combat Games.

Find out more about Red Hills Adventure here

Clane, Co. Kildare

Email:  daragh@abbeyfieldfarm.com
Phone: 00 353 86 816 4130

Abbeyfield Farm Country Pursuits

In Clane, in North County Kildare one of Ireland's leading Outdoor Country Pursuits Centres, Abbeyfield Farm offers many different activities for all to enjoy.  This picturesque centre welcomes all groups from corporate to families and friends to come and try something new in one of their many activities.

Abbeyfield offers the below activities:

• Clay Pigeon Shooting
• Air Rifle Range
• Archery
• Horse Trekking
• Pony Camps
• Horse Riding.

Find out more about Abbeyfield Farm Pursuits here

Fish the Rivers

1. The River Liffey is particularly popular for fly fishing. The links below provide useful information regarding permits and also, when and where to fish the Liffey in Kildare.

• Fishing in Ireland
• Ireland Fly Fishing
• Click here for a list of Liffey fisheries in Kildare

2. The Enfield Blackwater is another popular fly fishing spot and has good stocks of Brown Trout. The river rises in Prosperous in the north of the county and flows north west into Co. Meath.

3. Coarse fishing takes place frequently on the River Barrow in Athy. A wide array of fish lie within The Barrow waters such as, roach, perch, rudd, bream, dace and pike. The rare shad, a herring like fish which enters the river from the sea in May, can be fished close to the village of St. Mullins.

4. The Rye River is another river in the north of Kildare and is for fly fishing only. It flows for 12 miles to Leixlip where is joins the Liffey.  The Rye is known to have some large trout and so is a popular spot.

* Please ensure to check what licenses are required before river fishing in Co. Kildare.

Canal Fishing in Kildare

The canals in Ireland are well established and so are known as having some of the best coarse fishing available in Europe.  Not only do three canals, The New Barrow Line, Royal Canal and Grand Canal, run through the county but there are some other bonuses to fishing the canals like, no licence required, easy to drive (by car) banks, free fishing, small amount of boat traffic and peaceful rural settings.

The Irish Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI) have put together a comprehensive list of where the canals in Kildare are most accessible - see the article here.

Fisheries in Kildare

1. Lyreen Angling Centre
   Maynooth, Co. Kildare
   Tel: 00 353 1 629 3202.
2. Curragh Springs Fishery
   The Curragh, Co. Kildare
   Tel: 00 353 87 246 2028 / 00 353 45 441 184..