Michael Naas Popular Books

Michael Naas Biography & Facts

Naas ( NAYSS; Irish: Nás na Ríogh or an Nás [ən̪ˠ ˈn̪ˠaːsˠ]) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2022, it had a population of 26,180, making it the largest town in County Kildare (ahead of Newbridge) and the fourteenth-largest urban center in Ireland. History The name of Naas has been recorded in three forms in Irish: Nás na Ríogh, translating as 'Place of Assembly of the Kings'; An Nás, translating to 'the Place of Assembly'; and Nás Laighean, translating to 'Place of assembly of the Leinster Men'. Irish mythology suggests that the name arose as the burial site of Nás (a wife of Lugh of the Tuatha De Danann). It is also said to be where Lugh held his royal court. Nás was said to have been buried on The Moat Hill (Dún Nás). The Book of Leinster contains the Dindsenchas (lore of places) of Naas with the following verses discussing where the name supposedly came from.:“(Nás)… claims of right the brow and the beauty of the spot, since she is gone, with the noise of combat, how should ye know at all the spot where she died? “Nás took in hand a deed unwise: (truth and not folly) death o’erwhelmed her; ‘tis from her Nás was named, famous perpetually for stern law. “Nás of the Leinstermen, bright with splendid bounty, ‘tis there the lady was buried; from her it is called with clear certitude: the lore of the ancient hides not this.”In the Middle Ages, Naas became a walled market town and was occasionally raided by the O'Byrne and O'Toole clans from the nearby area which became County Wicklow. To guard against this danger, town walls were built in around 1415. Naas features on the 1598 map by Abraham Ortelius as Nosse. A mayor and council were selected by local merchants and landowners. Naas became known as the "county town" of County Kildare because of its use as a place for trading, public meetings, local administration including law courts, racecourses and the army's Devoy Barracks (closed 1998). In the Middle Ages, before it settled permanently in Dublin, the Parliament of Ireland occasionally met in Naas, as in 1441. Saint David's Castle, a 13th-century Norman castle, was first built c. 1210, although the present structure is a fortified house of the 18th century. On 3 March 1577, Lord Rory O'More burnt Naas, to avenge his relatives who had been killed by English authorities. Lord Deputy Sir Henry Sidney wrote later the same month:Rory Oge O'More and Cormock M'Cormock O'Conor have burnt the Naas. They ranne thorough the towne lyke hagges and furies of hell, with flakes of fier fastned on poles ends.One of the first battles of the rebellion of 1798 took place in Naas on 24 May 1798. During the Battle of Naas, a force of about 1,000 rebels were defeated in an unsuccessful attack on the town. In 1898, the Local Government Act established Naas Urban District Council (later called Naas Town Council). Naas Town Council was abolished in June 2014, when the Local Government Reform Act 2014 dissolved town councils and designated Kildare County Council as the administrative local authority for the entire county. Naas Town Hall was commissioned as a gaol and completed in 1796. Amenities Naas has a hospital Naas General Hospital, Naas Racecourse, Mondello Park International Motor Racing Circuit, a library, the 200-seat Moat Theatre, five-screen 3D Odeon cinema, RSA driving test centre, a tax office, a district court, local authority offices, five supermarkets, several pubs, and a number of schools, hotels and nightclubs. Economy Local industrial enterprises include Kerry Group's Global Technology and Innovation Centre, and International Fund Services (a State Street company). The town centre of Naas includes shops, restaurants, nightclubs, boutiques and shops. Other retail outlets have been developed in new retail parks and shopping centres on the outskirts of the town. A shopping centre on Monread Road was completed in 2010 with Ireland's largest Tesco Superstore as the anchor tenant. Other retail parks serve the town on both ends – northern and southern – with outlets such as Harvey Norman, PC World, B&Q, Smyths Toys, and Halfords. The Naas/Sallins area is served by two Aldi supermarkets, two Lidl stores, two Supervalu supermarkets, a Tesco Extra supermarket, a smaller Tesco Metro in the town centre, and (as of August 2019) a new Dunnes Stores food hall. Danish home retail group JYSK, a competitor for Sweden's IKEA, opened their first Irish store Newhall Retail Park in Naas during April 2019. Several smaller foodstores are scattered around the town. Aldi has a distribution centre in Jigginstown, Naas. Religion The town has two Roman Catholic churches, one Church of Ireland church, and one Presbyterian church. The original parish church, St David's Church, is Church of Ireland. The Roman Catholic parish church, the Church of Our Lady and St. David, dates from 1827. The Augustinian Friary was founded in the late 14th century. In 1997, the second Catholic Church opened in Ballycane on the east side of town and is dedicated to the Irish Martyrs. Naas is part of the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin which is run by Bishop Denis Nulty since August 4, 2013. Naas Presbyterian Church was built in the Victorian period on the site of the old tholsel. Maudlin's Cemetery, a Church of Ireland graveyard near the town, is noted for its two Victorian-era pyramids. Media County Kildare's local radio station Kfm 97.3FM – 97.6FM is based in Naas. The Leinster Leader, a regional newspaper, and Kildare TV, a local station, are also based in the area. Transport The nearby N7 Naas Road connects Naas with Dublin and the M50 motorway (Ireland). Additionally, the M7 Motorway connects Naas with the South and South West. Naas railway station, which opened on 22 June 1855, closed for passenger traffic on 27 January 1947 to be re-purposed for goods trains. It reopened on 10 March 1947, but was closed 12 years later on 1 April 1959. The Sallins and Naas railway station, located in nearby Sallins, is used by residents of the Naas area who commute to Dublin. The main bus transportation companies serving the area are Go-Ahead Ireland, JJ Kavanagh and Sons and Dublin Coach. Naas's main bus routes include the Go-Ahead Ireland route 126 from Kildare to Dublin city centre (which passes through Naas), a JJ Kavanagh route to Blanchardstown, and Dublin Coach and JJ Kavanagh services to Dublin Airport. The N7 Naas Road was upgraded in 2006 to a six-lane carriageway with grade-separated interchanges. As of April 2021, Junction 9a of the M7, a new junction for Clane, Millennium Park, and the Sallins Bypass, has been completed and is now open for public use. M7 Motorway – Connects Naas with Limerick, as well as Cork (via M8) and Waterford (via M9) N7 (R448 N From Monread Boulevard to Maudlins Interchange) – Connects Naas with Dublin. R410 – Connects Naas with Blessington R411 – Connects Naas with Ballymore Eustace R448 – Connects Naas with Kilcullen R445 – Connects Naas with Newbr.... Discover the Michael Naas popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Michael Naas books.