Kilkea

Not to be confused with Kilkee, County Clare.

Kilkea (Irish: Cill Chá)^[1] is a village and civil parish in County Kildare, Ireland, about 75 km (47 mi) from Dublin, and 15 km (9.3 mi) from the town of Carlow. The R418 regional road from Athy to Tullow passes through the village.

Memorial outside the village

House in Kilkea

Kilkea Cill Chá
Village
Kilkea Castle
Kilkea Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°56′52″N 6°53′34″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	County Kildare
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))

History

Formerly the land of the Ó Tuathails (O'Toole), after the Norman invasion, Sir Walter de Riddlesford built a motte and bailey castle there about 1180. It is part of the barony of Kilkea and Moone. Walter de Riddlesford's granddaughter, Emmeline Longespee, married Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly in 1273, and so the land passed to the Geraldine Earls of Kildare. Its importance as a town diminished after the rebellion of "Silken Thomas", the 10th Earl of Kildare, in 1534.

People

• Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874–1922), Antarctic explorer, was born and spent his childhood at Kilkea House.
• Lorcán Ua Tuathail (1128–1180), Archbishop of Dublin, was born in Kilkea

See also

• Kilkea Castle
• Kilkea and Moone, the barony
• List of towns and villages in Ireland