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Town in County Carlow, Ireland
Photo: Poleary91, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Carlow (Ceatharlach) is the county town of County Carlow, some 85 km south of Dublin. It's become a commuter town for the city and in 2022 had a population of about 27,000; it's fairly compact and has preserved its old centre.
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Cathedral of the Assumption
Built 1828-1833 in neo-Gothic, and embellished by its 46 m spire. The interior has been renovated several times, and in 1997 a parishioner went to the Supreme Court to try to block changes recommended by the Second Vatican Council, but those went ahead.
This is housed in the beautifully renovated Presentation Convent, a former convent school; the nuns' chapel has a gold-leaf ceiling and stain glass windows. The museum is bigger than it first looks as it's over four floors (full wheelchair access) covering the area from prehistory to modern times.
Small volunteer-run museum within the former church of St Dympna's Hospital. Various military memorabilia and a reconstructed World War I trench.
Gardens centred on the shell of an 1830 neo-Gothic mansion, which was unoccupied from 1912 and burnt out in 1933. In 2005 the County Council acquired the estate, stabilised the ruin and re-established the gardens as a public park. The Upper Walled Garden was planted with roses and other flowering shrubs, the Lower Walled Garden was restored as an orchard.
St Fiacc's
Church-run heated 25-metre swimming pool, plus kiddy pool.
Children's entertainment centre with arcade games and bowling alley.
Inland links course on the former Oak Park estate. The 18-hole Deerpark course is 6025 yards off blue tees, par 70, and there's a 9-hole Oak Park course.
Driving range in tranquil surroundings at the foot of the Killeshin Hills.
18-hole par-3 golf course. Club hire available.
formerly Lemongrass
Good standard of Thai food.
This Indian place near the bus park was closed down for hygiene breaches in 2024 and again in 2026, but they soldier on and get mostly good reviews.
Mixed reviews for this Chinese near the bus park.
Good central spot for breakfast, lunch or coffee.
Takeaway for pizza, burgers, kebabs and so on.
Lively gastropub with à la carte menu and extensive wine list, plus outdoor dining area.
Gets great reviews for its modern European cuisine.
Restaurant in "Cell 38½", they also have rooms.
Traditional bar and lounge with food, near the bus park.
Authentic trad bar with old-style interior.
Good midtown bar with decent food.
Smart but lively late-night bar, the DJ gets buzzing after dark.
Long established trad bar, has rooms.
Trad sports bar.
Within Dinn Rí entertainment complex in the centre of town. Comfy and central, but the "Dinn" comes from the nightclub.
Modern hotel with 89 bedrooms and leisure centre with pool. Friendly helpful service and they can cater for vegans.
Comfy clean place a 10-minute walk from town centre.
Pleasant B&B ten minutes from town by foot. Wheelchair accessible.
Smart efficient hotel on N80 bypass north of town, with fitness centre.
On the banks of the River Barrow 3 km south of town, this smart hotel has 93 rooms, great reviews for comfort and service.
By road
From Dublin take N7 / M7 onto M9 and follow it to Exit 4 for R448 into town; an hour should do it. M9 continues to Waterford. From Rosslare ferry port, take M11 to Enniscorthy then N80 northwest.
By bus
JJ Kavanagh Bus 736 runs hourly from Dublin Airport and city, taking two hours to Carlow and continuing to Paulstown, Kilkenny and Waterford. They have two overnight runs.
By boat
Carlow is on the national waterways network.
Walk, town centre is compact. The historic main streets are Dublin St north, Castle St and Bridge St west, and Tullow St east.
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