Heritage · Co. Kildare

Historic buildings and monuments in Co. Kildare

County Kildare has 3,086 recorded archaeological monuments in the national Sites and Monuments Record; the 29 buildings below are the county's entries in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) rated International or National, out of 1,581 recorded post-1700 structures county-wide.

Monuments to visit

Please note that many of these monuments may be on private land and may not be publicly accessible. When setting out to visit monuments please ensure that you wear appropriate footwear and clothing. Access to monuments without Visitor Services may be across uneven ground which may not be suitable for everyone and, in particular, wheelchair users.

Castle - Anglo-Norman masonry castle
Maynooth Castle
This great stone castle was founded in the early 13th century and became the principal residence of the Kildare branch of the Geraldines.
Ecclesiastical site
Old Kilcullen Monastic Site, Co. Kildare
The ancient church of Old Kilcullen is situated on a high hill with panoramic views over the surrounding countryside.

NIAH buildings rated International or National

National Inventory of Architectural Heritage entries for Co. Kildare, curated to buildings rated International or National.

Name	Type	Period	Rating
(unnamed record)	shop/retail outlet	1755–1770	National
Athy Library	library/archive	1960–1970	National
Cassidy and Company	mash house	1780–1820	National
Castlemartin	demesne walls/gates/railings	1725–1775	National
Catholic Church of Our Lady and Saint David	church/chapel	1825–1830	National
Catholic Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul	church/chapel	1845–1850	National
Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart and Saint Brigid	church/chapel	1865–1875	National
High Bridge	bridge	1790–1810	National
Leixlip Castle	country house	1835–1840	National
Monasterevin Charter School	charter school	1755–1760	National
Moore Abbey	convent/nunnery	1765–1775	National
Naas Courthouse	court house	1805–1810	National
Naas Town Hall	town/county hall	1795–1800	National
Newabbey Catholic Chapel	graveyard/cemetery	1680–1720	National
Saint Brigid's Cathedral	cathedral	1890–1900	National
Saint Conleth's Catholic Church	church/chapel	1845–1860	National
Saint David's Church (Naas)	church/chapel	1810–1850	National
Saint James's Church (Castledermot)	church/chapel	1830–1835	National
Saint John's Cemetery	graveyard/cemetery	1500–1900	National
Saint Mary's Church (Laraghbryan)	church/chapel	1855–1860	National
Saint Mary's Church (Leixlip)	church/chapel	1780–1820	National
Saint Michael's Old Cemetery	graveyard/cemetery	1800–1820	National
Saint Patrick's College	university	1796–1815	National
Saint Patrick's College	church/chapel	1875–1891	National
Saint Patrick's College	building misc	1845–1851	National
The Abbey	monastery	1760–1790	National
White Abbey Catholic Church	church/chapel	1880–1890	National
White Castle	house	1500–1600	National
Wonderful Barn	folly	1740–1745	National

Plan a visit around Co. Kildare

NIAH Buildings Open Data, captured June 2026; NMS Monuments to Visit, captured June 2026. Both data.gov.ie, CC-BY 4.0 (Dept of Housing, Local Government and Heritage). See methodology for the curation rule.