Carlow (county)

I

Introduction

Carlow (county), county in Leinster province, south-eastern Republic of Ireland, bounded on the north-west by Laois, on the north by Kildare, on the east by Wicklow and Wexford, and on the south by Kilkenny. This inland county is the nation's second smallest and has a land area of 896 sq km (346 sq mi). It is largely productive agricultural land apart from the Blackstairs mountains in the south-east, and is crossed by the rivers Barrow and Slaney.

II

Land and Resources

The terrain is composed of Carboniferous limestone that forms the basis for rich farmland and for coal deposits in the west. The highest of the Blackstairs mountains is Mount Leinster (796 m/2,610 ft). Ireland's climate is greatly influenced by the moderating effect of the Atlantic Gulf Stream and consists of mild summers and gentle winters with rain falling uniformly throughout the year. However, Carlow is significantly drier than the western coastal counties. Temperatures average 7° C (45° F) in January and 16° C (61° F) in July.

III

Population and Administration

The county has a population of 40,946 (1991). The county town of Carlow, which is on the River Barrow, has a population of 11,271 (1991): more than a quarter of the county's inhabitants. The market towns of Muinebheag (population 2,573), on the River Barrow, and Tullow (population 2,277), on the River Slaney, are the only other major towns. The county council is at Carlow and there are town councils at Carlow and Muinebheag.

Though most people speak English (the official second language), the Irish language (see Celtic Languages) is spoken by more than one third of the population. Although no Gaeltacht regions (regions where Irish is the first language) are located within the county, there were 16,115 Irish speakers living in Carlow in 1996.

IV

Places of Interest

The Browne’s Hill Dolmen, located on private land on the outskirts of Carlow town, is one of the largest Neolithic monuments in western Europe—its capstone weighs more than 100 tonnes. The village of Kildavin on Mount Leinster marks the beginning of the South Leinster Way along which hikers can walk for 95 km (60 mi) to Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. In Carlow town, the ruins of a 12th-century motte-and-bailey Norman castle are sited near the eastern bank of the Barrow. The Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption, designed by Thomas Cobden, was completed in 1833, and was one of the first Roman Catholic churches to be built after the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829. It is of Gothic design with a lantern tower 46 m (150 ft) high. On the bank of the Slaney near the village of Tullow, the 40-hectare (100-acre) estate at Altamont Gardens features a restored 18th-century manor house and extensive landscaped gardens.