Maynooth

Maynooth, a small town in county Kildare, Ireland, about 15 miles N.W. of Dublin on the river Ryewater. It contains the ruins of the castle of the Earls of Kildare and Carton, the modern residence of the Dukes of Leinster. Here in 1795 the Irish Parliament founded the Royal College of St. Patrick for the training of Roman Catholic priests. At the Union Government acknowledged its duty to this institution and passed an Act, for its regulation, whilst in 1845 a grant of £30,000 for building and of £26,000 annually for maintenance was made by the Legislature. In 1871 the grant ceased in accordance with the Act for disestablishing the Irish Church, compensation being given. The building was seriously damaged by fire in 1878. It accommodates about 500 students.