Maynooth, Co KildareThe spires of St Patrick's seminary proclaims Maynooth's noble origins to all who enter it. As the home town of the Fitzgerald family, Maynooth's historical significance is proudly on display throughout the town. The spectacular ruins of Maynooth Castle lie beside St Patrick's College, begun by Gerald Fitzmaurice, the Baron of Offaly in 1203, this huge structure housed generations of the Fitzgerald family, the rulers of Kildare. St. Patrick's College build in 1521 in an elegant gothic style was closed during the Protestant reformation by reopened in 1795 when the penal laws suppressing Catholicism were finally relaxed. The college now has full university status, teaching both lay and clergy students and is internationally reknowned as the university of Fr. Nicholas Callen, the inventor of the induction coil.
Maynooth MapReturn to Towns and Areas of Kildare | |||||||||