Carlow Town & Environs
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Carlow / Graiguecullen
Carlow Town (Ceatharlach – “city of the lake” / “four lakes”), the county capital, stands at the confluence of the Rivers Barrow and Burrin; tradition has it that the junction once formed four lakes, and the town is still subject to frequent flooding.
Graiguecullen is on the western side of the Barrow, and thus technically in Co. Laois. Popularly referred to as Graigue, it belongs to the old Civil Parish of Sleaty, and its correct full name was Sleatygraigue until 1922, when it was renamed in memory of Fr Hugh Cullen, a much-loved local priest who died in 1917.
The combined urban entity of Carlow / Graiguecullen & Environs (pop. 21,000) has grown rapidly in the last few years and is now largely a commuter dormitory satellite for DUBLIN.
Carlow’s old streets are bustling and friendly, with something of the feel of a university town. St Patrick’s College (founded 1789) was the first ecclesiastical college in Ireland, and the modern Regional Technical College caters for a large student population. The grassy quays and the huddle of warehouses beside the Barrow evidence the pivotal role Carlow had for the commerce that long used this waterway. Currently undergoing a ‘riverside renaissance’, the town boasts a fine modern marina below the lock. Live music is played in many of the town’s pubs.
Carlow Castle
Carlow Castle was once one of the most impressive Norman castles in Ireland. Built between 1207 and 1213 by Stronbow’s successor William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, Lord of Leinster and Seneschal of Ireland, on the site of a motte erected by Hugh de Lacy in the 1180s, it appears to have been directly inspired by French examples, notably Nemours (Seine-et-Marne), completed in 1180, and may be the earliest example of a four-towered keep in the British Isles.
It was captured by James FitzGerald in 1494, again by Silken Thomas in 1535, and changed hands a number of times before being purchased by Donough, Earl of Thomond in 1616. It fell to the Kilkenny Confederates in 1642 but was later returned to Thomond after being taken by Cromwellian troops under General Ireton in 1650, hastening the end of the Siege of Waterford and the capitulation of that city.
Only the western wall and two towers now survive, the remainder having been accidentally blown up in 1814 by “a ninny-pated physician of the name of Middleton” who leased the building for use as a lunatic asylum and “applied blasts of gunpowder for enlarging the windows and diminishing the walls, and brought down two-thirds of the pile into a rubbishy tumulus in memory of his surpassing presumption and folly“.
A few years ago some interesting documents came to light locally, which appeared to indicate that a majority of the populace of the county capital had signed some kind of Oath of Allegiance or declaration of Protestantism in the C18th. The documents mysteriously vanished before they could be analysed.
The 1798 Rebellion saw an unsuccessful attempt on 25th May by the local United Irishmen to oust the Crown troops garrisoned in the town, who were informed in advance of the plan. The rebels were mown down or roasted alive as the houses where they sought refuge were torched, and by the end of the day the smouldering ruins were littered with charred corpses. A government “mopping up” followed, during which a character who became known as “Paddy the Pointer” helped to identify surviving insurgents by riding around the town and pointing at them, whereupon they were summarily hanged. 640 rebels and civilians were buried in a pit at the stone quarries near Graiguecullen, known as the Croppy Hole, marked by a monumental cross. The events of 1798 are also commemorated by a John Behan sculpture / fountain called the Liberty Tree in the town centre.
St. Mary’s church (CoI) dates from 1727, though the 59 m (195 ft) tower and spire were added in 1834. The interior retains its traditional galleries and there are several monuments, including some by neo-classical architect, Sir Richard Morrison.
The graceful Courthouse was designed in 1830 by William Vitruvius Morrison, funded by the Bruen family of Oak Park. It is based on the Temple of llissus in Athens; a Crimean War cannon guards the entrance. Locals claim there was a mix up with the plans and that Carlow got Cork’s Courthouse and Cork got Carlow’s, but such stories are common all over Ireland.
Carlow’s impressive Gothic Cathedral (RC), completed in 1833 to a design by Thomas A. Cobden, based on the Beftroi tower in Bruges, is also notable for its magnificent lantern, and a striking memorial sculpted by John Hogan to James Doyle, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin.
Carlow Town Hall, designed by the church architect William Hague in 1884, was originally the town’s main trading centre. Until recently it housed the Carlow County Museum, operated by the Old Carlow Society, which is due to move to new purpose-built premises beside the Tourist Office on College St.
Carlow Town Park is an attractive amenity linked by a pedestrian bridge across the River Barrow. It is a good place to watch the annual Carlow Regatta, run every June by the Carlow Rowing Club.
The Little Theatre is quite famous; there are frequent shows during the season.
The Carlow Brewing Company, a highly regarded microbrewery, is housed in The Goods Store, a superb old stone building which in days gone by was the scene of the unloading of provisions for the town traders. The beautifully restored and converted bar area looks out onto the main brewing area and the brewing and fermenting vessels. Tours of the brewery are available by appointment.
County Carlow Military Museum on the Athy Road is housed in a late C19th church. The museum features a wide range of exhibits relating to Carlow military history including the 10th Infantry battalion, Irish UN Peacekeeping in Congo, Lebanon and Somalia, Carlow Militia, Carlow in the Great War / WWI and an exhibition about Captain Myles Keogh of the 7th US Cavalry, killed with General Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, whose horse Commanche became a national hero as the only survivor of the event.
Oak Park (Painestown)
Oak Park, property of the Bruen family from 1775 (when they bought 6000 acres from Sir Beauchamp Bagenal) to 1954, is now the headquarters of the State agricultural research body Teagasc.
Oak Park House is a splendid Georgian mansion. remodelled c.1835 for Colonel Henry Bruen MP by William Vitruvius Morrison, who also designed he impressive Triumphal Arch at the entrance to the demesne. The C18th farmyard and stable block are interesting.
Since 2006 the woodlands beside the artificial lake on the estate have been landscaped with colour-coded loop paths, picnic areas and other amenities.
Hermitage Gardens are charming old world gardens set within a backdrop of mature trees and surrounded by stone walls They are divided into specific areas, each with a distinct planting and colour scheme.
The Barrow Way and the Slieve Margy Way are two long-distance walking trails in the area.
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