Naas


 * See Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT for the Naas in Canberra

Naas is the county town of County Kildare. It's within 30 min travel of Dublin and has become a commuter suburb for the city. The main reason to visit is for Punchestown Racecourse.

Understand
Naas was founded as Nás na Ríogh — "meeting place of the kings", meaning the petty kings or landowners, under the High King of Leinster. Along with Dublin it was colonised by the Normans from the 12th century; many of these were Welsh hence the dedication of the medieval church to Saint David. Naas was fortified with town walls when the native Irish counter-attacked; in the 13th and 14th centuries they ousted the Normans from much of the midlands but Naas was part of the "Dublin Pale" which held firm. Nothing remains of these fortifications.

It was sufficiently secure in the early modern period to evolve into the county town, astride the roads to Waterford, Cork and Limerick. Newbridge and Kildare had the military bases and Maynooth became a religious centre but Naas had the county courts and administration. It was also connected by canal then by railway to Dublin and the rest of Ireland. By the 20th century it was part of the Dublin commuter belt, boosted by better trains and the M7. It lost its town council when these were abolished nationwide in 2014 but it remained the seat of Kildare County Council. In 2016 the population of Naas was about 21,000.

By train
Commuter trains from Dublin Heuston run hourly to Sallins, taking 30 min with stops at Dublin Park West & Cherry Orchard, Clondalkin, Adamstown and Hazelhatch (for Celbridge). They continue from Sallins to Newbridge, Kildare, Monasterevin, Portarlington and Portlaoise. Inter-city trains don't stop here, change at Kildare for trains towards Cork, Limerick, Galway and Westport. A walk-up single from Dublin was €5 in 2021: see Irish Rail for timetables, fares and online tickets.

is 3 km north of Naas town centre. On race days a shuttle bus plies to the racetrack.

By bus
Dublin Coach 726 / N7, aka "The Green Bus", runs hourly round the clock from Dublin Airport via Red Cow Luas (for Dublin city trams) to Naas, taking an hour. It continues to Newbridge, Kildare, Monasterevin and Portlaoise.

GoAhead Commuter Bus 126 runs every 30 min from Dublin Docklands and Heuston station via Rathcoole and Kill to Naas, taking an hour, and continuing to Newbridge and every hour or two to Kildare.

Kyanitedale Bus 826 runs M-F every hour or two from Monasterevin to Kildare, Newbridge and Naas.

JJ Kavanagh Bus 139 runs every couple of hours M-Sa from Corduff and Blanchardstown at the northwest edge of Dublin to Castaheaney, Leixlip, Maynooth, Clane, Sallins and Naas.

There isn't a bus station. The is on Main St by the Post Office.

By car
From Dublin follow N7 to junction 9. This section hasn't been upgraded to motorway but is a fast dual-carriageway, 30 min should do it.

Get around
Naas is a small town and most places are within walking distance, including Naas Racecourse though not Punchestown.

There are taxi ranks in Poplar Square and by the town hall on Main St. Operators include N Town +353 45 831 010, Tom Clancy +353 45 879 664, Eights Taxis +353 45 888 888, and MW Taxi +353 87 116 5600.

Enterprise Car & Van Hire have a base south of town centre on Kilcullen Rd R448, tel +353 45 895 756.

Europcar are based west on R445, tel +353 45 257 441.

See

 * : the Naas Branch is a spur off Grand Canal completed in 1788. It branches off at Soldier's Island near Sallins 3 km north, runs into town ascending 3 locks to the basin, then makes a hairpin turn and heads west towards Corbally. It carried mostly mill goods; its extension into Wicklow never happened. It remains navigable (but check with Waterways Ireland) from Sallins to the basin and 1 km west then is blocked by R445. Beyond for 3 km is in water but derelict, acting as a feeder, then it disappears altogether beneath the motorway.
 * St David's Castle next to the church was built in the early 13th century. It's a three-storey turret.
 * Church of Our Lady and St David is the Roman Catholic church nearby on Sallins Rd, built from 1827.
 * was decommissioned in 1998 and became an industrial estate and council buildings, but its fine arch and clocktower survive. In 2021 the land was sold for housing and is fenced off as a construction site.
 * is the scrappy ruin of a mansion built in 1630 only to be wrecked in the Confederate and Civil wars of the 1640s. It's on Newbridge Rd west side of town.
 * Punchestown Longstone is a standing stone 7 m tall, just off Craddockstown Road at the north edge of the racecourse. It's of local granite and is a burial marker from the Beaker era, say 2000 BC. It toppled over in 1933 to reveal a burial cist, and in 1981 another cist was discovered 700 m east. Craddockstown or Forenaghts Great Stone at the racecourse entrance is 5 m tall and of similar date, as the wristband found in its burial cist was typically Beaker. The Topographia Hibernica of 1188 AD would have you believe that "giants brought it from the furthest parts of Africa into Ireland and set it up, partly by main strength, partly by artificial contrivances, in an extraordinary way...."
 * , 2 km north of the railway station, has the ruin of a 14th-century church, an outpost of Great Connell Priory at Newbridge. It's best known as the burial place of Theobald Wolfe Tone (1763-1798), leader of the United Irishmen, who sought to liberate and reform Ireland along the lines of the republican United States and France. But their rebellion of 1798 was already crushed when Wolfe Tone was captured in a French landing attempt in Donegal: he was sentenced to hang but committed suicide. A remembrance parade is held around his birth date, 20 June.
 * is a village 9 km north of Naas. Its ruined abbey was built from 1272 over a monastery of 520 AD. It is now a garden and community centre, which you can stroll around. Its 7th century Saint Ultan was so unspeakably holy, he kept a stone in his mouth throughout Lent, little realising that he was sounding just like an English aristocrat. He can't be buried here as claimed, as he went to East Anglia and established a monastery, which was attacked so he fled to Namur. King Mesgegra's Mound on Moat Commons south end of the village is a bosky knoll, once a palisaded motte. Mesgegra was a mythical king of Leinster beheaded here, whereupon his brain-from-Clane (once slain) embarked on even weirder posthumous adventures than that of Einstein.
 * is a village 9 km north of Naas. Its ruined abbey was built from 1272 over a monastery of 520 AD. It is now a garden and community centre, which you can stroll around. Its 7th century Saint Ultan was so unspeakably holy, he kept a stone in his mouth throughout Lent, little realising that he was sounding just like an English aristocrat. He can't be buried here as claimed, as he went to East Anglia and established a monastery, which was attacked so he fled to Namur. King Mesgegra's Mound on Moat Commons south end of the village is a bosky knoll, once a palisaded motte. Mesgegra was a mythical king of Leinster beheaded here, whereupon his brain-from-Clane (once slain) embarked on even weirder posthumous adventures than that of Einstein.

Do

 * What's on? For local events listen to KFM Radio on 97.6 and 97.3 KM, or read Leinster Leader or Kildare Now.
 * Walk: alongside the Naas canal is a busy, narrow road, mostly with no sidewalk, so it's not much fun to stroll or jog. A quieter circular walk in town starts at Fairgreen and follows the park and ponds south, then returns along a former railway track, about 2.5 km.
 * Cinema: the Odeon is on Dublin Rd near the N7 junction.
 * Moat Theatre is on Abbey Road, box office +353 45 883 030.
 * Golf: several courses are nearby, all parkland in nature:
 * - Naas GC is 2 km north of town, follow R407 north to the canal then turn right.
 * - Killeen GC is another 2 km northeast on Barberstown Rd.
 * - Millicent GC is south side of Clane, with Clane GC north side.
 * - The K Club is a championship course further northeast, see Maynooth.
 * - Castlewarden GC is 10 km northeast off N7 towards Dublin.
 * - Craddockstown G C is 2 km southeast of Naas on R410.
 * - Newbridge GC: see Kildare, but it's closer to Naas.
 * - Newbridge GC: see Kildare, but it's closer to Naas.


 * The Curragh is the other famous nearby track, between Kildare and Newbridge. Meetings are flat-racing April to October, including all five Irish classic events.
 * The Curragh is the other famous nearby track, between Kildare and Newbridge. Meetings are flat-racing April to October, including all five Irish classic events.
 * The Curragh is the other famous nearby track, between Kildare and Newbridge. Meetings are flat-racing April to October, including all five Irish classic events.

Buy

 * Tesco in town centre is open M-F 7AM-10PM, Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 9AM-9PM.
 * Tuckmill Gallery at 3 Dublin Rd has crafts and giftware. It's open M-Sa 09:30-18:00.
 * Newhall Retail Park is 3 km west at the junction of R445 and M7.
 * South Main Street has large chain stores and small businesses also. There is lots of second hand charity shops
 * South Main Street has large chain stores and small businesses also. There is lots of second hand charity shops

Eat

 * Others along Naas Main St are Regatto's, Rustic, Lemongrass, Amaya Fusion and Swapna.
 * Others along Naas Main St are Regatto's, Rustic, Lemongrass, Amaya Fusion and Swapna.
 * Others along Naas Main St are Regatto's, Rustic, Lemongrass, Amaya Fusion and Swapna.
 * Others along Naas Main St are Regatto's, Rustic, Lemongrass, Amaya Fusion and Swapna.
 * Others along Naas Main St are Regatto's, Rustic, Lemongrass, Amaya Fusion and Swapna.
 * Others along Naas Main St are Regatto's, Rustic, Lemongrass, Amaya Fusion and Swapna.

Drink

 * Main St also has O'Connor's, Tommy Fletcher's, the bar of Court Hotel (see below) and One New Row.
 * Main St also has O'Connor's, Tommy Fletcher's, the bar of Court Hotel (see below) and One New Row.
 * Main St also has O'Connor's, Tommy Fletcher's, the bar of Court Hotel (see below) and One New Row.
 * Main St also has O'Connor's, Tommy Fletcher's, the bar of Court Hotel (see below) and One New Row.
 * Main St also has O'Connor's, Tommy Fletcher's, the bar of Court Hotel (see below) and One New Row.

Connect
As of July 2021, Naas has 5G with Eir and Three, and 4G from Vodafone.

Naas Public Library may have internet access. It's a block west of town centre on Harbour View.

Go next

 * Blessington 12 km southeast has grand Russborough House, a Palladian mansion with a big-name art collection.
 * Glendalough across the Wicklow mountains from Blessington is a medieval monastic complex in a scenic valley.
 * Trains and buses for the west of Ireland come through Naas / Sallins - you may have to change, but you can quickly reach Athlone, Galway, Limerick and Cork.