Carlow is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin, with a population of 27,000. The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic boundary between counties Laois and Carlow. The settlement of Carlow is thousands of years old and pre-dates written Irish history. The town has played a major role in Irish history, serving as the capital of the country in the 14th century.
Carlow Cathedral is known for its beautifully detailed 151 ft (46 m) spire which is one of the highest points in the town. The foundation stone of the cathedral was laid in 1828 by Bishop James Doyle. The Cathedral of the Assumption is the second oldest Roman Catholic cathedral built in Ireland.
Carlow Courthouse was completed in 1834. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage facing the corner of Athy Road and Old Dublin Road; there was a flight of steps leading up to a large octastyle portico with Ionic order columns. A Russian artillery piece, which had been used in the Crimean War, was brought back to Ireland and placed on the steps of the building in 1858.
Set on the spectacular grounds of Carlow College, VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art & The George Bernard Shaw Theatre has welcomed thousands of visitors since it was opened in 2009. VISUAL hosts artwork from local, national and international artists in five different gallery spaces. Admission is free of charge to all of the gallery spaces.
Brownshill Dolmen is a very large megalithic portal tomb situated 3 km east of Carlow. Its capstone weighs an estimated 150 metric tons, and is reputed to be the heaviest in Europe. The tomb is listed as a National Monument. Known as the Kernanstown Cromlech, sometimes spelled as Browneshill Dolmen, it is sited on the former estate house of the Browne family from which it takes its name. The tomb was built between 4000 and 3000 BC.
Duckett’s Grove was built c.1745 on an estate covering more than 5,000 acres (20 km2) of the County Carlow countryside. The interior of the house was destroyed by a major fire in the 1930s and is now inaccessible. The surrounding gardens, including two inter-connecting walled gardens, are now managed by Carlow County Council and open as a public park.
SETU was formed in 2022 from the amalgamation of two existing institutes of technology – Waterford IT and IT Carlow and now has over 18,000 students enrolled. The Carlow Campus spans approximately 30 hectares and includes 16 buildings, covering around 37,500m², as well as playing pitches and car parking facilities.
