Overview

County Carlow or Ceatharlach in Irish which translates to mean “place of cattle”. It  is one of the twenty-six counties that make up the Republic of Ireland, and it is also one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Located within the province of Leinster, It was named after the town of Carlow. Carlow town  has an estimate population of 50,349 and the town is built on the River Barrow.

The River Barrow flows through the town, forming the historic boundary between counties Laois and Carlow: Carlow town is the County’s largest town and its administrative centre. The settlement of Carlow is thousands of years old and its history pre-dates any written evidence. The town played a major role in Irish history, even serving as the country’s capital during the 14th century.

History

Carlow has seen settlers for thousands of years, evidence of this human occupation extends back thousands of years,  with the most notable and dramatic prehistoric site being the Browneshill Dolmen just outside the  town of Carlow.Several early settlements like the site found outside Carlow can  be found out  all over the country with the most popular been Newgrange in county Meath.

St Mullin's monastery is believed to have been established Christian settlement in Carlow dating back to  around the 7th century, the ruins of which can still be seen today. Another monastery  built by St Comhgall  in the Carlow area in the 6th century, consisted of an old church building and burial ground  all survive today at Castle Hill known as Mary's Abbey. With these two monasteries in place Carlow became an Irish stronghold for agriculture earning  the county the nickname of the scallion eaters.

Carlow Castle was constructed by William Marshal the Lord of Leinster, to guard the vital river crossing. The castle  was also used to serve as the capital of Ireland, or more precisely the Lordship of Ireland under King Richard II  until 1374. The castle  survived largely intact until 1814 when it was mostly destroyed in an attempt to turn the castle  into a insane asylum. All that  remains of this pnce great castle is the West Wall with two of its cylindrical towers.

The bridge over the river Barrow - Graiguecullen Bridge, dates back to 1569 it’s original structure was largely replaced and widened in 1815 when it was named Wellington Bridge in celebration of the defeat of Napoleon's army by the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo in June of that year.

After Catholic Emancipation in 1829, Carlow Cathedral, designed by Thomas Cobden, was the first Catholic cathedral to be to be built in Ireland. Its construction cost £9,000 and was completed in 1833.

Carlow was one of the earliest towns to be connected by train, the mainline for Carlow in opened 1846, and this was extended further to reach Cork in 1849. At the peak of railway transport Ireland, Carlow County was also served by a railway line to Tullow town. The Public supply of electricity to Carlow town was first provided from Milford Mill, situated about 8 km south of Carlow, in 1891. This power station in Milford Mill still generates electricity feeding into the national grid.

Now that you know a little more  about Carlow why not avail of a great Carlow Hotel Deal and book a hotel with  iHotels Carlow and experience all Carlow  has to offer.