The Curragh (An Currach)

A great open plain of grassland, the historic home of Irish horse racing.

The Curragh is one of the largest areas of semi-natural grassland in Europe, grazed by sheep and used for centuries for assemblies, army training and racing. The Curragh Racecourse hosts all five Irish Classics.

At a glance

• Vast open grassland plain
• Home of the Curragh Racecourse
• Hosts the five Irish Classic races

In County Kildare

The Curragh is in County Kildare, Cill Dara in Irish, which means “church of the oak”.

More in Kildare

• The Hill of Allen (Almhain): A lone hill rising from the Bog of Allen. In legend it was the seat of the warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill.
• Maynooth (Maigh Nuad): A university town home to Ireland's national seminary and a Norman castle.

Other places of this kind

• The Burren (Boireann): A vast, silvery limestone landscape in County Clare, where Arctic and Mediterranean flowers grow side by side.
• The Cooley Peninsula (Cúailnge): A mountainous peninsula in County Louth, and the setting of Ireland's great epic, the Táin Bó Cúailnge.
• The Glens of Antrim (Glinntí Aontroma): Nine green valleys running from the Antrim plateau down to the sea.
• The Glen of Aherlow (Gleann Eatharlaí): A lush valley between the Galtees and Slievenamuck.
• Sliabh Beagh (Sliabh Beagh): A wild upland of blanket bog and heather where three counties meet.
• Gougane Barra (Guagán Barra): A serene mountain lake and island oratory, source of the River Lee.

The Irish name

The Irish form of The Curragh is An Currach. You can hear it spoken, and take apart names like it, in the Placename Explorer. The authoritative record for any Irish place-name is logainm.ie.