Staycation Special: "Home at different times to various Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Marianne Faithfull, Kildare has quite the rock and roll pedigree"

Kildare

Home at different times to various Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Marianne Faithfull and plenty more stars, Kildare has quite the rock and roll pedigree. Also getting in on the act last summer was Oasis’s Noel Gallagher, who stayed in Maynooth’s five-star Carton House during the band’s rapturously received two-night stand in Croke Park.

Having also hosted training camps for Real Madrid, Chelsea and most recently Man Utd, as well as being visited by the Brazil national team, Carton House’s sporting facilities also include a golf course, with a spa and fine dining among the other attractions on the stunning estate.

The Boat House at Carton House

Maynooth also boasts its share of movie history, with the town making headlines in recent years as the home of Oscar nominee, and former Kildare football star, Paul Mescal. For good measure, Carton House was also among the filming locations for Stanley Kubrick’s 1975 classic, Barry Lyndon.

When not appreciating the town’s cultural attractions, it’s well worth checking out local pub Brady’s Clockhouse, where Noel Gallagher himself stopped off for a pint last year. In the centre of Kildare, Newbridge is home to the famed Newbridge Silverware, where the Museum of Style Icons regularly hosts film and music-themed exhibitions.

A major highlight came in 2018, when the museum hosted an exhibition of Kurt Cobain memorabilia, for which members of the Cobain family – including Kurt’s daughter Frances – were in attendance. Newbridge is also an ideal base to explore local attractions, including the Bog of Allen, immortalised by Joyce in The Dead, and the Curragh Racecourse, which each summer hosts the internationally famous Irish Derby.

The Curragh Racecourse

Newbridge, of course, is the home of folk legend Christy Moore, and Kildare’s illustrious music history is further enhanced by Athy in the south of the county. Famously, the families of two Manchester music icons, The Smiths’ Johnny Marr and the late, great Mani of The Stone Roses, both came from the same street in the town.

Both musicians were honoured with plaques as part of the Made of Athy initiative celebrating the town’s musical heritage, with Marr even gigging at the local Dreamland Ballroom. Other Athy attractions worth checking out, meanwhile, include local landmark White’s Castle and the Shackleton Experience, devoted to the titular explorer.

Shackleton Experience

Where To Stay:

Lawlors in Naas and Keadeen Hotel in Newbridge both offer ideal central locations from which to explore Kildare. If staying in Newbridge, it’s also worth checking out the Whitewater Shopping Centre, as well as close-by local pubs Judge Roy Beans and McDonnells.

Where To Eat:

Housed within a restored flourmill at Cliff at Lyons in Celbridge, the Shackleton Mill Restaurant is a wonderfully atmospheric spot for a meal. There are delicious beef, chicken and fish main courses, while Sunday lunch is also very popular.

Shackleton Mill Restaurant

Don’t Miss:

Check out the Curragh filming locations for the 1995 blockbuster Braveheart, including Braveheart Hill.

Read the full Staycation Special in the current issue of Hot Press: