| Caragh Cearthach
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Caragh
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Ireland | ||
| Province | Leinster | ||
| County | County Kildare | ||
| Elevation | 117.5 m (385 ft) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| • Urban | 751 | ||
| • Rural | 1,487 | ||
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) | ||
| Irish Grid Reference | N844218 | ||
| Website | www.caragh.net | ||
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1986 | 756 | — |
| 1991 | 742 | −1.9% |
| 1996 | 735 | −0.9% |
| 2002 | 901 | +22.6% |
| 2006 | 1,487 | +65.0% |
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Caragh or Carragh (Irish: Cearthach) is a village in County Kildare, Ireland. It is located on the R409 regional road between the River Liffey and the Grand Canal approximately 4 km north-west of Naas. The village is also 8 km from Clane and 15 km from Newbridge.
Caragh is also the name of the parish that includes the village itself, surrounding townlands and Prosperous village, about 3 km north-west from the village.
The main features in the village are a large Roman Catholic church (Our Lady & St. Joseph), a shop, a pub, a national primary school and Mondello motor racing circuit (approx. 1.5 km from village centre). As of March 2010, the church and school in the village are undergoing extensive redevelopment.
Kildare County Council, OSI and other government bodies and agencies use the spelling "Carragh". This spelling is used only on official maps, planning notices and other official documents.
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The village is situated in the northern half of County Kildare approximately 3 km north-west of junction 10 of the M7 motorway. The Liffey flows adjacent to the village. There is a single traffic lane bridge crossing the Liffey approaching Caragh on the R409 from the south. A local historian claims that it is the oldest bridge still in existence on the entire course of the river.[2]
The Bog of Allen, a peatland region that covers large parts of central Ireland, borders the village.
The Dublin to Cork railway line runs through the village, but there is no railway station. The Grand Canal also runs past Caragh, and nearby is the Leinster Aqueduct where the Grand Canal crosses over the river Liffey.
The village forms part of the Kildare South Dáil constituency for national elections. For County Council elections, Caragh is within the Naas Local Electoral Area of Kildare County Council.
Caragh village has seen many new building developments in recent years. In 2006 the population was 751 people, compared to 242 in 2002.[3] There are 221 houses in the village proper. The historical populations to the right are the census figures for the Electoral Division of Caragh.
Gaelic sports - There are two Gaelic Athletic Association clubs in Caragh, and a Ladies Football team. The football club is Raheens, and its grounds are located at Tom Lawlor Park, approximately 0.5 km from the village. The grounds consist of one floodlit pitch and purpose-built dressing rooms. The local community hall of Caragh is situated adjacent to the pitch which is also used for indoor training during winter. See also: Caragh GAA. There is a ladies football team, known as Robert Emmets, which is made up of people from Raheens and Sallins, and which trains in both Caragh and Sallins. They have been set up in the past few years. The local hurling club is Éire Óg/Corrchoill. This club is an amalgamation of the two former clubs associated with the two villages Prosperous and Caragh. The club has new grounds for underage teams at Donore.
Soccer - The football team in Caragh is called Caragh Celtic F.C. and they play their home games at a pitch in Donore. The grounds are very basic with no formal club house or dressing rooms.
Other sports and amenities - There is a fishing club in Caragh and they meet at the Liffey Bridge and on the Osberstown Road towards Sallins. There is also some recreational fishing on the Grand Canal. A couple of times each year there is a cross-country hunt which uses the land around the area of Caragh. They meet at Digby Bridge on the Grand Canal.
== See also ==