By Barry Coughlan
In my research for this journey throughout Ireland which will eventually bring me back to all of the 32 Counties I have visited, I have been pleasantly surprised by the upsurge in tourism attractions available in 2022.
My trip to Carlow some decades back (although I have since passed through a number of times) was short and, well, not quite, sweet. Our stay in a lauded hotel on the outskirts of Carlow town was disappointing – ultra poor restaurant service and very arrogant management with a take it or leave it attitude.
Even back then this wasn’t the accepted norm and it certainly wouldn’t be today. That same hotel on the outskirts of Carlow town is still in business so management there, hopefully, must have moved with the times as well.
Certainly Carlow has moved on with the development of a tourism infrastructure and the highlighting of attractions, many of them in areas of natural beauty, to bring tourists in and keep them there for a more than just a passing while.
The combination of my research and a recent whistle -stop tour through this small county was revealing; it brought back memories of chasing cyclists (race) many years ago through a hugely picturesque countryside.
It won’t take long to ramble through the county by the way; it’s the second smallest by area in the country, and you’re unlikely to encounter too many traffic jams except, perhaps, in Carlow town itself where 25,000 of the total population of 63,000 reside.
That imbalance of people with other towns and villages – Tullow (4,500) and Bagnelstown (2,900) are next biggest – is somewhat down to the fact that Carlow has a considerable student population thanks to the presence of the Institute of Technology Carlow and Carlow College (St. Patrick’s).
But the small county-wide population can boast links with the famous. One of them was Walt Disney, whose great grandfather Arundel was born in Carlow. Other famous movie/stage stars of more recent vintage include Michael Flatley (his mother Eilish was from Carlow) and young movie star Saoirse Ronan.
In the world of science Carlow hasn’t forgotten the name of John Tyndall, the legendary 19th century physicist born in Leighlinbridge.
In sport, there are Carlow links through his mother for the former Liverpool, Sunderland and Republic of Ireland football international Phil Babb.
However, perhaps the biggest name in the list of those associated with Carlow was George Bernard Shaw. He was born in Dublin but inherited property from a relative and ultimately donated some of that back to the town.
Shaw is famous for his role in revolutionizing comedic drama. He was also a literary critic and a prominent British socialist. His most financially successful work, Pygmalion, was adapted into the popular Broadway musical My Fair Lady. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925.
Today, however, his philanthropy has been recognized in Carlow, which is home the Visual Center for Contemporary Art and the George Bernard Shaw Theatre.
The $20 million development was a joint project of the Carlow Local Authorities, made possible through the allocation of funding by the Local Authorities and a grant of $3.17 million by the Department of Arts, Sport & Tourism under the ACCESS Program.
Carlow town acts as a base for those into walking or other ways of exploring the great outdoors. From here, for instance, you could discover a section of the Barrow Way, one of Ireland’s best known walking routes. In a stunning, unspoiled landscape visitors can enjoy excellent flat walking, with a plethora of plant and bird life.
A bank side stroll brings a pleasure all of its own – the river’s story unfolds quietly but leading one around the next bend. It is the stretch from here to Milford (4 miles) that you’ll discover the Barrow Way towpath alongside the river where once horses pulled barges and goods for transport in former times.
The path offers much of architectural and historical interest to visitors – bridges, many arched, and pretty lock houses, some still in use. Here too you’ll learn the fascinating story of Carlow Castle, dating to the 13th century, while below the town, the ruins of Clogrennane Castle and Clogrennane House, seat of the Rochfort family can be seen on the right bank.
Milford was once a thriving industrial hub. With an excellent power source in the River Barrow and access to the country’s main cities through a network of inland waterways, this was one of Ireland’s most significant industrial sites and was Ireland’s largest milling site in pre-Famine times.
Nowadays, visitors can hop aboard a traditional Irish open boat through BoatTrips.ie back to Carlow where another option is a visit Delta Sensory Gardens, which feature no less than 16 interconnecting gardens set on 2.5 acres. That’s just one garden of many featuring in the Carlow Garden Trail.
Open all year round, the Carlow Garden Trail currently features 21 different gardening attractions with an additional three gardens in the surrounding counties of Kildare and Wexford. The trail includes great old gardens that have been lovingly restored and maintained throughout the years, and smaller gardens which are maturing beautifully with time.
The Carlow Garden Trail ranges from small to very large, it has garden centers and forest parks and from old to new, so there is something to stimulate both the novice and experienced gardener in an area known for a mild and temperate climate perfect for the development of such great attractions.
Known for its mild and temperate climate, Carlow is approximately 55 miles from the ferry and airports of Dublin, Rosslare and Waterford.
Visitors staying there can also enjoy a one hour self-guided walking tour of the town featuring identifiable finger signposts and storytelling map boards, which bring its past history to life in the winding streets and lanes.
Carlow is fast establishing a growing identity as the Celtic Center of Ireland, present day Carlow offers a warm and welcome face to visitors. Tranquil Saint Mullins is a tiny settlement, located in a picturesque river valley. This year marks the 1,300 anniversary of the death of Saint Moling who apparently with his own hands carved out the channel for the winding watercourse still visible today.
Near the town of Carlow, tiny Sleaty Church is the reputed place of origin for perhaps Ireland’s oldest manuscript, the Life of Saint Patrick. The two rivers that run through Carlow are, the navigable Barrow and the fish rich Slaney.
For those few people who think Carlow hasn’t had a noteworthy past, it should be noted that it was capital of Ireland from 1361 to 1374. It’ll never have that honor again but with tourism interests ever growing it undoubtedly has a role to play in keeping the crowds visiting Ireland turning over and over….
One official brochure describes it thus: “Discover the timeless and unspoiled Carlow landscape. Picturesque villages, meandering rivers, rolling hills combined with the colorful tales of our people, past and present. Explore our rich heritage and vibrant present. Feel inspired. Feel free. Wander off the track and uncover a world of hidden gems.”
Believe me, you will, find out where to start on discovercarlow.com.