Donadea facts for kids
Donadea (which in Irish is called Domhnach Dheá) is a special area in the north of County Kildare, Ireland. It's a bit like a historical district, and it has seven smaller areas called townlands. Donadea isn't a big town, but it's famous for its amazing public forest park. This park is one of the most popular places to visit outdoors in County Kildare. The closest villages are Staplestown, about 4 kilometers away, and Prosperous, about 7 kilometers away. The name Donadea comes from an old church that people say was started by Saint Patrick himself! There's still a small church from the 1600s, called St Peter's, inside the Donadea estate.
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Donadea's Townlands
Donadea is made up of seven smaller areas called townlands. These are:
- Cooltrim North
- Cooltrim South
- Donadea
- Donadea Demesne
- Kilmurry
- Kilnamoragh North
- Kilnamoragh South
Donadea Castle and History
The Normans, who were powerful people from France, arrived in Donadea way back in the 1100s. They set up a large estate here. The very first castle was built around where the current castle stands today. Over many years in the Middle Ages, several castles were built on this spot.
In 1558, a family called the Aylmers took over the estate. In 1581, Gerald Aylmer started building a new tower at Donadea. This tower wasn't finished until 1624, but it's now the oldest part of the castle you can see today. Gerald Aylmer was later given a special title, becoming the first Baronet of Donadea.
St Peter's Church
History books like the Book of Armagh tell us that Saint Patrick visited a nearby place called Dunmurraghill in 455 AD. He marked out the spot for a religious settlement there. The area where St Peter's Church now stands was also chosen at the same time. The very first churches built here were made of wood.
Sadly, the Danes destroyed the church at Dunmurraghill in 832 AD. The Normans later rebuilt the church at the St Peter's site. In 1550, the Aylmer family bought the Donadea estate. Then, in 1626, Sir Gerald Aylmer, the first Aylmer baronet, rebuilt the church again. Today, St Peter's Church is part of the wider group of churches known as the Clane Union of Parishes.
For people who are part of the Catholic Church, Donadea is in the "Clane and Rathcoffey" parish. The main churches for this parish are St Patrick and St Brigidin in Clane, and the Church of the Sacred Heart in Rathcoffey.
Donadea Forest Park
Donadea Forest Park first opened its doors to the public in 1981. It is now looked after by Coillte, which manages forests in Ireland. The park is huge, covering about 2.43 square kilometers (or 600 acres) of different types of trees. This land used to be part of the old Aylmer family estate. The last person from the Aylmer family, Miss Caroline, passed away in 1935. She left the property to the Church of Ireland, who then sold it to the Irish government.
The park is full of interesting historical things to see. You can find the remains of the old castle, beautiful walled gardens, the church, a tower, an ice house (used to store ice long ago), a boat house, and a lovely path lined with lime trees. There's also a lake that's about 2.3 hectares (or 5.7 acres) big. It's home to many ducks and other birds, and in the summer, you can see beautiful water-lilies floating on top. Small streams flow through the park, helping to drain the land.
Donadea Forest Park has many different paths for walking. These include the 5-kilometer Aylmer loop, a lake walk that's easy for wheelchairs, and a nature trail with interesting stops along the way. There's also a small café that serves snacks and drinks, and it's open all year round. The park is officially recognized as a National Heritage Area because of its importance.
Inside Donadea Park, there's a special memorial for "9/11". This memorial was created to remember Sean Tallon, a young firefighter whose family had moved from Donadea to America.
Images for kids
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Donadea Castle
