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heritage · Saturday 22 August 2026 · 10:30 AM 
Castledermot: Exploring the Medieval Heart of a Modern Town
At St James's Church and Graveyard · Church Lane, Castledermot, Co. Kildare
At St James's Church and Graveyard · Church Lane, Castledermot, Co. Kildare
Archaeologist Dr Sharon Greene leads a guided walk through the medieval remains of Castledermot on Saturday 22 August 2026, starting at St James’s Church and graveyard on Church Lane. The walk is organised by Castledermot Local History Group for National Heritage Week and lasts about ninety minutes.
The town grew from the old monastery of Diseart Diarmada. After the Anglo-Norman invasion the surrounding land was granted to Walter de Riddlesford, who established a borough that had grown into a walled town by the end of the thirteenth century. It survived the Black Death and attacks by Edward the Bruce and went on to host royal councils and parliaments. Greene walks the surviving fabric of that town while making a second argument alongside the history: that modern development is a genuine risk to Castledermot’s built and archaeological heritage, but that excavation ahead of development is also one of the main ways new information about the medieval town comes to light. Admission is free.
Castledermot is in south Kildare on the R448, the old main road between Kilcullen and Carlow, and is reached from the M9 motorway. Parking is available at Teach Diarmada Community Centre, Eircode R14 YF61, and there is on-street parking nearby. Athy is about 13 km to the north-west and Carlow town roughly 14 km to the south. Bus Eireann services on the Dublin to Carlow and Waterford corridor stop in the village, but Saturday frequency is limited, so check the timetable.
Heading to St James's Church and Graveyard in Castledermot? Kildare has plenty more to see. Read the Castledermot area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.