Rethinking Rural - Kildare

Inspiration for Buyers

Inspiration for Buyers

Rethinking Rural - Kildare

Rethinking Rural goes to County Kildare, where the proximity to Dublin might make you think it’s all about the commute, but once you’ve discovered the golf, horse riding and racing, shopping, heritage trails, canal-side walks and other scenic spots, you may never look further east again.

Living in Kildare

It might be the fifth most populated county in Ireland, but you’ll find plenty of space to make your home here. With an average house price for a three-bed semi detached in at around €290,000 (as opposed to over €400,000 in Dublin city), and with lower costs in the more rural parts of the county, you definitely get more choice from your chequebook. At the other end of the scale, Kildare is also home to some truly spectacular homes, such as the €4 million-plus Rathmore, sitting on ten acres, with seven bedrooms and stables too. This is because Kildare has always been a wealthy county, and its distance to Dublin meant that hostorically many of the big houses kept their lands – beautifully.

Major towns are Celbridge, Leixlip, Naas, Maynooth, Athy, Kildare and Monasterevin, while you’ll also find charming and historic spots including Kilcullen, Johnstown, Carbury, Castledermot and Ballymore Eustace. There is a wide range of schools, from Educate Together, Gaelscoileanna and community schools, to the long-established Clongowes Wood in Clane.

Exceptionally well connected, Kildare has four motorways: the M4, M7, M8 and M9. Trains have regular Arrow commuter connections to Dublin, and all points south and west via inter city rail. Depending on when – and where you’re starting from, Dublin airport can be reached in less than half an hour.

Working in Kildare

Career options in Kildare are astonishingly diverse. The horse racing and breeding industry is a major player and employer with an estimated 800 breeders and 180 trainers registered in the county. RACE, based at the Curragh is a training school for young jockeys. Golf courses are big business too with 22 clubs, while luxury hotels include the K Club, Carton House, Killashee and The Cliff at Lyons. On the business front, major multinationals include Intel, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Pfizer, P&G and IFS State Street.

Retail is also huge, with Kildare Village, the Whitewater Shopping Centre in Newbridge, and the shops and centres in and around Naas. Aldi Ireland have headquarters at Millennium Park, where you’ll also find the Kerry Group. The IDA have acquired a major site just outside Newbridge, and the Local Enterprise Office at Kildare Co Council are developing a string of innovation hubs across the county, as part of the Mid-East Regional Enterprise Plan. These include a Think Space and an Equine Innovation Hub. Another hub is planned for the food and drink sector, based in Athy.

Maynooth University is also a major draw, both as an employer, and as a source of a well-educated workforce.

Playing in Kildare

Known as The Thoroughbred County, Kildare is the heart of horse racing in Ireland. The plains of the Curragh host the famous racecourse, and you will also find racecourses at Punchestown and Naas. The National Stud is a gorgeous spot, including the Japanese Gardens and a new interactive racing experience. Golf is huge, with world-renowned courses at the K Club, and at Carton House, which has just reopened following a multi million euro refurbishment.

Of course Kildare is also famous as the home of Kildare Village, where you can pick up designer brands at smaller costs, and wile away happy hours browsing the shops. On the heritage front, Castletown House hosts exhibitions and concerts, while the Arthur’s Way Heritage Trail takes you by Leixlip Castle, and other places where the Guinnesses used to play.

Find good restaurants including the Ballymore Inn, the Michelin Starred Aimsir, the Vie de Chateaux, the Orangery at Lyons, and the new Morrison Room at Carton House. All this and plenty of lovely cafés and pubs too, what are you waiting for?

You Might Miss…

It’s hard to picture missing anything in Kildare, and if you do have a yen for Dublin, you’re only a short hop over. There are river walks along the Barrow and Liffey, and canalside strolls on the Royal and the Grand. You have the infrastructure and the amenities, and across the county you can take your pick in terms of housing. So whether “Estate” means a lovely clutch of houses and friendly neighbours, or a sprawling pile of your own on hundreds of acres, Kildare has something for you.

Contact your local Sherry FitzGerald agent to help you make the move. Click here to find your local agent.

Take Five: Five rural gems for sale right now

Rathmore House, Rathmore, Naas, Co. Kildare