Oughterard Uachtar Árd
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Town | |
Location in Ireland | |
Coordinates: 53°16′40″N 6°33′55″W / 53.27789°N 6.56528°WCoordinates: 53°16′40″N 6°33′55″W / 53.27789°N 6.56528°W | |
Country | Ireland |
Province | Leinster |
County | County Kildare |
Elevation | 121 m (397 ft) |
Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
• Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
Oughterard (Irish: Uachtar Árd, a high place) is an ecclesiastical hilltop site, graveyard, townland, and formerly a parish, borough and royal manor in County Kildare, nowadays part of the community of Ardclough, close to the Dublin border. It is the burial place of Arthur Guinness.
The round tower and ancient monastery is associated with a nunnery established circa 605 AD by foundress Saint Briga (feast day 21 January).
Bríga, daughter of Congall, who is also associated with Brideschurch near Sallins (53°14′36″N 6°41′28″W / 53.24344°N 6.69102°W.), and possibly with Kilbride in County Waterford (52°11′24″N 7°09′51″W / 52.18993°N 7.16424°W.), is not to be confused with Brigit of Kildare daughter of Dubhthach, the famous St Brigid whose feast day was 1 February St Brigid, daughter of Doma, whose feast day was 7 February or the earlier St Brigid, daughter of Neman, also associated with Kildare and said to have been veiled by St Patrick, whose feast day was 9 March (Seathrún Céitinn's History of Ireland 1841 edition edited by Dermod O'Connor lists 14 Saints gleaned from the martyrologies and heroic literature each called Brigid, not including Bríga or Brigit of Kildare). The Martyrology of Donegal lists Brighit daughter of Diomman (feast day 21 May), Brighit of Moin-miolain (feast day on 9 March), and what may be five more: Brigid the daughter of Leinin (associated with Killiney, feast day 6 March), Brighit of Cillmuine (12 November), Brighe of Cairbre (feast day 7 January). and two other Brighits (feast days 9 March, the second Brigit of that date, and 30 Sept).