Carlow (Ceatharlach in Irish, meaning "four-part lake") is an inland town in the south-east of Ireland in County Carlow, 84 km from Dublin. The River Barrow flows through the town. The town numbers about 20,000 people - 3,000 of whom are students.

History

The Carlow area has been settled for thousands of years. St Mullins monastery is believed to have been established in the vicinity in the 7th century. 1180 saw the construction of Carlow Castle by William the Marshall, Earl of Pembroke and Lord of Leinster to guard the vital river crossing. Over the following centuries many other historic buildings were erected. Ballyloughan Castle, Ballymoon Castle, Leighlinbridge Castle and Tower House were all built in the 14th century. Saint Patrick's College dates from 1793 and the Carlow Courthouse was constructed in the 19th century. There are still many old estates and houses in the surrounding areas, among them Duckett's Grove and Dunlecky Manor. St Mullins today houses a Heritage Centre.

The town is recalled in the famous Irish folk song, "Follow me up to Carlow",

Growth

Carlow lies on the N9 road from Dublin to Waterford. The town is also connected to the national rail network. These transport links have helped Carlow to become a successful satellite town of Dublin in recent years. The establishment of the Institute of Technology, Carlow, has also helped drive growth in the area and encouraged many school leavers to remain in the town.

Economy

Carlow industry has come a long way since the early 20th century, when the town became the centre of Ireland's slow process of industrialization with the creation of the Irish Sugar Company - then the cutting edge of industry in Ireland, the sugar factory opened in 1926 as a private enterprise and eventually became nationalised before reverting to privatisation. The sugar factory was closed on March 11, 2005 as the management of Greencore decided that it was no longer economical to run the factory nor was it viable to upgrade the facility - some have said that the decision was politically biased.

Today the principal employers in Carlow are Braun, which has a large factory producing mostly hair dryers, and Läpple which produces car components. The Institute of Technology is also a significant employer in the town. However apart from these the town shares problems associated with other provincial towns in Ireland - the inability to attract significant new industry.

See also

• List of towns in the Republic of Ireland

External links

• Carlow Local Authorities
• Institute of Technology, Carlow
• Carlow Tourism
• Surf Carlow
• The Carlow People Newspaper
• Visit Carlow
• Carlow County Enterprise Board