Naas

Naas is an old market town in the fertile country west of Dublin. Once associated with the kings of Leinster, it became a fortified Anglo-Norman borough with a parish church and castle. Its position made it a centre for the surrounding district and left it vulnerable when wars reached the Pale. James I confirmed and extended its charter in 1609.

On 24 May 1798, at the opening of the Irish rebellion, United Irishmen led by Michael Reynolds attacked Naas. The town had a substantial defending Crown garrison under Lord Gosford, including militia, cavalry and two field guns, and the assault was repulsed. The fighting brought the wider rising into the streets of a town whose older defences had already witnessed centuries of conflict.