About County Carlow
County Carlow sits in the southeast of Ireland, a compact county of fertile river valleys and quiet market towns. The River Barrow runs along its western border, one of Ireland's great navigable rivers, and the Blackstairs Mountains form a dramatic backdrop to the east. Despite its small size, Carlow carries a deep history stretching back to Neolithic times.
History
Carlow was a frontier county during the Norman period, its castle one of the first built to control the southern approaches to the Pale. The county was heavily affected by the 1798 rebellion, the Battle of Carlow saw hundreds of United Irishmen killed in a single night. This history of resistance runs deep in the county's character.
How Carlow families left Ireland
Carlow families emigrated primarily during the Famine years, many through the port of New Ross in neighbouring Wexford. The county's close-knit farming communities were devastated by the combination of crop failure and eviction, scattering families to America, Australia and Britain.
Places worth visiting in County Carlow
- Brownshill Dolmen, the largest portal tomb in Europe, its capstone estimated at 100 tonnes
- Carlow Castle, the Norman stronghold that guarded the River Barrow crossing
- Altamont Gardens, one of Ireland's finest gardens, set in the Barrow Valley landscape
- The Barrow Way, the towpath walk along Ireland's second longest river
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