Clane is located on the crossroads of the R403 and R407 regional roads. The town most probably owes its origin to the foundation of Clane Friary in the sixth century, from about 520 A.D., when Ailbe of Emly, Bishop of Ferns, founded an Abbey in Clane and made St. Senchel the Elder its first Abbot. Saint Ultan Tua, who used to put a stone into his mouth to prevent him from speaking during Lent, and his brother Fotharnaise, are said to have been buried in Clane. They were brothers of Maighend, Abbot of Kilmainham, from whom the parish and church of Mainham, near Clane, were probably called. King Mesgegra's Mound claims links to the legendary first-century AD king Mesgegra of Leinster and was later used by Normans. The ruins of the Franciscan monastery founded at Clane by Sir Gerald FitzMaurice, 3rd Lord Ophaly, in 1272 still exist. In 1542, Henry VIII’s Commissioner granted the site and precincts of this House of Friars, manor or preaching-house of the preaching Friars of Clane to Robert Eustace, Roger Roche and Ed. Brown for £177. Besides about of land in the neighbourhood - its possessions consisted of a church, cemetery, chapter-house, dormitory, store, kitchen, two chambers, stable and orchard. The dormitory and other buildings probably stood on the north side of the Abbey Church, and have long since completely disappeared. The parish of Clane has the distinction of being the place where the rebellion of 1798 broke out; a battle between the United Irishmen and the Yeomen forces led by Richard Griffith took place on Coiseanna Hill by the modern Woods Centre. The rebels were easily defeated, and the survivors fled to Timahoe with the rest of the North Kildare rebels.
Features and amenities
Clane has two Liffey tributaries, the Butter Stream at the south west, with a small park, and the Gollymochy River at the eastern side. Sections of The Pale remain as ditches and hedgerows in private fields to the north of Clane. Clane Friary and Abbey Cemetery lie to the south of the village. The Abbey, on Main Street, was formerly a church, then a ruin, and has since been restored into a community centre and garden of remembrance. The Wogan Mausoleum and churchyard lies at Mainham. The Liffeyside Nature Park is a small wilderness area leading to a paved path by the River Liffey. Clane General Hospital is a private hospital, founded in 1985, offering surgical and outpatient procedures, including a fertility clinic.
Demographics
Clane is something of a commuter town for Dublin, which lies to the east. As of the 2016 census, Clane had a population of 7,280 people, an increase from 6,702 in the 2011 census. According to the 2011 census, 2,565 people then spoke Irish in Clane. 984 people speak a language other than English or Irish, with Polish the most common foreign language.
Transport
A commuter railway station in Sallins, approximately from Clane, has a service to Dublin. The town is also served by Bus Éireann, which operates regular bus service between Edenderry and Dublin. A rapid town link service, provided by private operator JJ Kavanagh and Sons operates hourly between Clane, Sallins and Naas, while a route to Maynooth University served by the same company operates on weekdays.
Primary schools serving the area include Hewetsons N.S., Scoil Bhríde G.N.S., and Scoil Phádraig B.N.S.. Seconddary schools serving the area include Scoil Mhuire Community School and Clongowes Wood College. According to the 2011 census, 53% of residents of Clane have completed second level education and 38.4% had gone on to third level.
