Curragh

The Curragh (Irish: An Currach, [ənˠ ˈkʊɾˠəx]) is a flat open plain of almost 5,000 acres (20 km²) of common land in County Kildare, Ireland, between Newbridge and Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the famous Japanese Gardens. Also located here is Pollardstown Fen, the largest fen in Ireland. This area is of particular interest to botanists and ecologists because of the numerous bird species that nest and visit there. There are also many rare plants that grow there.

It is composed of a sandy soil formed after an esker deposited a sand load and as a result it has excellent drainage characteristics. This makes it a popular location for training racehorses.

History

Used as a meeting site during Pre-Christian societies, the Curragh is shrouded in a mist of mythology. The hill north of the Curragh is called the Hill of Allen (Almhain) and is the meeting place of the mythical Fianna. Legend has it that in about 480 AD, when St Brigid became intent on founding a monastery in Kildare town, she asked the High King of Leinster for the land on which to build it. When he granted her as much land as her cloak would cover, she then placed her cloak on the ground to cover the entire Curragh plain.

Curragh (disambiguation)

The Curragh is a plain in County Kildare, Ireland.

Curragh or Curraghs may also refer to:

Note: There are more than 20 other townlands in Ireland with the name Curragh.

Curraghs

The Curraghs or Ballaugh Curraghs are a wetland in Ballaugh parish in the north-west of the Isle of Man. The area has a rich and varied biodiversity and is also the location of the Curraghs Wildlife Park, a zoo and nature reserve that incorporates the wetlands.

History

During the Ice Age the area was covered in sheets of ice. When this ice retreated, a depression was left at the bottom of the Northern Hills and the wetlands were formed in this basin.

Over the years the land has been used to graze animals and grow hay, one of the few exploitable crops suited to the conditions of the wetlands. The Curraghs has also been a valuable resource for humans, as well as providing aesthetic appeal; the area is rich in peat, which was used as a fuel in the island's homes. The nearby town of Kirk Michael was a great consumer of the peat in the Curraghs.

It was the exploitation of peat that made the land slightly drier than it is today. When the practice of peat cutting was discontinued, the ditches in the area filled with water and bogs were formed.