Naas

Naas An Nás / Nás na Ríogh
Town
View of the town and of Naas General Hospital
Seal
Motto: Prudens ut Serpens  (Latin) Wise as a Serpent
Naas Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°13′01″N 6°39′47″W / 53.217°N 6.663°W / 53.217; -6.663Coordinates: 53°13′01″N 6°39′47″W / 53.217°N 6.663°W / 53.217; -6.663
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	Kildare
Council	Kildare County Council
Dáil Éireann	Kildare North
European Parliament	Midlands-North-West
Elevation	114 m (374 ft)
Population (2011)
• Urban	20,713
Irish Grid Reference	N893196
Website	www.naas.ie

Naas (/ˈneɪs/; Irish: Nás na Ríogh, or An Nás [ən̪ˠ n̪ˠaːsˠ]) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2011, it had a population of 20,713, making it the largest town in the North Kildare Suburban region . Naas is also a major commuter suburb, with many people residing there and working in Dublin.

The Irish language name for Naas, Nás na Ríogh, literally translates as Meeting Place of the Kings. The town historically hosted meetings of pre-Norman Irish kings from the Kingdom of Leinster. After the Norman invasion in 1169–71 AD, some meetings of the Parliament of Ireland were held in the town. Many of the earlier settlers in Kildare were Cambro-Normans from Wales therefore the medieval church was dedicated to Saint David.

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. Naas features on the 1598 map by Abraham Ortelius as "Nosse". (It is worth noticing the "O Byrne" and "O Tolo" (O'Toole) names appearing prominently on the map).

A mayor and council were selected by the richer merchants and landowners. The mayor was titled the "Sovereign of Naas" and carried a ceremonial mace until the post was abolished in 1840. Naas became known as the "county town" of County Kildare because of its importance as a place for trading, public meetings, local administration including law courts, racecourses and the army's Devoy Barracks (closed 1998).