County Carlow

The capstone of the Brownshill Dolmen is estimated to weigh over a hundred tons and is considered one of the heaviest in Europe. A trip to County Carlow takes you to one of Ireland's smallest counties, which surprises visitors with river landscapes, gardens, and old villages at the foot of the Blackstairs Mountains.

Landscape and County Town

Carlow lies between the rivers Barrow and Slaney, bordered in the southeast by the Blackstairs Mountains and Mount Leinster. The town of Carlow is a university and market town with the ruins of a Norman castle on the river, a 19th-century cathedral, and the VISUAL arts center. Tullow and Bagenalstown are small market towns, while Borris, on the slope above the Barrow, has an imposing railway viaduct and a manor house belonging to the McMorrough Kavanaghs.

Sights in County Carlow

The Brownshill Dolmen, a megalithic tomb about 5,000 years old, stands in a field just a few miles east of the town. The Barrow Way, a towpath along the river, leads through villages such as Leighlinbridge and St Mullins with its monastic ruins; the Barrow Blueway opens up the same stretch for kayaks. Carlow promotes itself with the Carlow Garden Trail, which includes Altamont Gardens and Huntington Castle in Clonegal. From Mount Leinster, a popular spot with paragliders, the view stretches all the way to Wexford and Wicklow.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

Carlow is on the Dublin–Waterford rail line, and the trip takes a little over an hour. The best time to visit is between April and September, when the gardens are in bloom and the river invites you to paddle. Carlow also has a lively cultural scene: the Carlow Arts Festival takes place in June, and the local brewery makes beers under the name O'Hara's, which you'll find in many pubs around the country. Around Tullow and Rathvilly, riding stables and quiet country roads beckon cyclists. In Old Leighlin, a small cathedral stands at one of the oldest episcopal seats in Ireland. In the evenings, students and locals fill the pubs along Tullow Street, where live music is often played on weekends, and the cafés along the River Barrow serve cakes made with regional ingredients.