31 July 2018 to 6 August 2018
Maynooth University
Europe/Dublin timezone

Tourist information

Maynooth is a town with a population of 15000 situated just 22 km west of Dublin. It is home to the National University of Ireland Maynooth, and to St. Patricks College Maynooth (Catholic Seminary and Pontifical University). Maynooth has a number of good restaurants (Avenue, Oak Alley, Stone Haven, Bistro 53, Gatehouse, Donatello's, etc.), pubs (The Roost, O'Neill's, Saint's Bar, Brady's Clock House), cafes (Brewery, Willow and Wild, Cafe Bon Bon, Shona Market Cafe and others) and shopping centres (Manor Mills, Tesco).  You can find more information at this site.

In the nearby town of Celbridge is Castletown House, Ireland's largest and earliest Palladian style house, built between 1722 and 1729 for William Conolly, Speaker of the Irish House of Commons.  Other nearby places of interest include the Arthur's Way Heritage Trail, connecting Leixlip, the site of the original Guinness brewery, Castletown House, and the birthplace of Arthur Guinness in Oughterard.

Golf courses in the vicinity of Maynooth are at Carton House, with the Montgomery and O'Meara Courses, and at the Kildare Golf and Country Club (the K Club) with the Palmer and Smurfit Courses, which are considered two of Europe's finest championship courses.  For those interested in thoroughbred horses and racing, the Irish National Stud and the Curragh are also worth a visit.

Situated in the heart of Ireland's Ancient East, Maynooth is an excellent base for exploring ancient and historical sites including Brú na Boinne and Newgrange, Hill of Tara, Glendalough, Clonmacnoise and more.

Delegates staying for a few extra days should consider using Maynooth as a base for exploring Dublin and the Wicklow Mountains. There are regular train services to Connolly Station in the centre of Dublin. Bus routes from Maynooth to Dublin are 66 and 67 (via Celbridge). Note that bus routes 66a and 66b do not go as far as Maynooth. For more information on Dublin visit www.visitdublin.com.