Carlow

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For Carlow in Germany, see Carlow, Germany.
Carlow
Ceatharlach
Coat of arms of Carlow
Location
Location of Carlow
centerMap highlighting Carlow
Irish grid reference
S724771
Statistics
Province: Leinster
County: County Carlow
Elevation: 57 m
Population (2006) 20,724 
Website: www.carlow.ie

Carlow (Irish: Ceatharlach, meaning City on the 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. The river forms the historic boundary between County Laois and Carlow: the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 included the town entirely in Carlow. Carlow town is County Carlow's main town.

Contents

[edit] Name

Ceatharlach, the Irish for Carlow, originated from the Irish word Catherlough and, contrary to popular belief, has nothing to do with four lakes, as there were never 4 lakes in Carlow. Ceatharlach (Carlow) means "the city on the lake", but the sheet of water from which it has derived its name has disappeared.

[edit] 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. Carlow Castle was constructed by William Marshal, Earl of Striguil and Lord of Leinster, c1207-13, to guard the vital river crossing. 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 Liberty Tree fountain in Carlow town centre commemorates the 1798 Defeat of the United Irishmen
The Liberty Tree fountain in Carlow town centre commemorates the 1798 Defeat of the United Irishmen

The town is recalled in the famous Irish folk song, Follow me up to Carlow, written in the 19th century about the Battle of Glenmalure, part of the Desmond Rebellions of the late 16th century. In 1650, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Carlow was besieged and taken by English Parliamentarian forces, hastening the end of the Siege of Waterford and the capitulation of that city. During the 1798 rebellion Carlow was the scene of a vicious massacre of 600 rebels and civilians following an unsuccessful attack on the town by the United Irishmen, known as the Battle of Carlow. The Liberty Tree sculpture in Carlow, designed by John Behan, commemorates the events of 1798. The rebels slain in Carlow town are buried in the 'Croppies Grave', in Graiguecullen, County Carlow.[1]

Carlow Cathedral, seat of the Catholic Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin
Carlow Cathedral, seat of the Catholic Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin

[edit] Places of interest

  • One of Carlow's main landmarks is the Brownshill Dolmen, situated on the Hacketstown Road (R726).
  • Carlow Courthouse is situated at the end of Dublin Street. It was designed by William Vitruvius Morrison in 1830 and completed in 1834. It is built of Carlow granite and gives the impression of being a temple set on a high plinth. The basement contains cells and dungeons. A cannon from the Crimean War stands on the steps.[2]
  • Carlow Castle was probably built between 1207 and 1213 by William Marshall on the site of a motte erected by Hugh de Lacy in the 1180s. Only the western wall and two towers now survive. It is located on the banks of the River Barrow near Carlow town centre.[3] The castle is now the imposing centrepiece of a major urban renewal programme.[4]
  • Carlow Town Hall is situated on the north side of the Haymarket, was the trading centre for Carlow. A number of other markets were located around the town, including the Potato Market and Butter Market. The Town Hall was designed by the church architect William Hague in 1884.[5]

[edit] Transport

[edit] Communications

  • In April 2007, Carlow became the first town in Ireland to be completely wireless broadband enabled, by deploying a Wi-Fi mesh network [7].

[edit] 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. The country's remaining plant at Mallow, County Cork closed in 2006.

Today the principal employers in Carlow are OralB Braun, which has a large factory producing mostly hair dryers and electric toothbrushes and Burnside which produces hydraulic cylinders. The Institute of Technology is also a significant employer in the town. Since opening its doors in October 2003 Fairgreen Shopping Centre has also played a large part in employment in the area, with Tesco, Heatons, Next, New Look and River Island being the main tenants of the shopping centre. However apart from these the town shares problems associated with other provincial towns in Ireland - the inability to attract significant new industry. The German appliance manufacturer, Braun Ireland Ltd and engineering specialist, Lapple Ireland Ltd, both have substantial plants in Carlow and are principal employers in the area.[8]

[edit] Education

[edit] Religion

  • Carlow Cathedral was started in 1828 and completed in 1833, in Gothic style. The main architect was Thomas Cobden, but the Cathedral was the brain-child of the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, James Doyle (J.K.L.), a prominent champion of Catholic Emancipation, who died the year after the Cathedral was opened and is interred in its walls. A sculpture, by John Hogan, in memorial to the Bishop was finished in 1839.[10]
  • St. Mary’s Church of Ireland dates from 1727, though the tower and spire, built to a height of 59 m (195 ft) were added in 1834. The interior retains its traditional galleries and there are several monuments, including some by neo-classical architect, Sir Richard Morrison.[11]

[edit] Media

[edit] Sport

[edit] Sister Cities

Carlow has a sister city with Tempe, Arizona, in the United States of America.[12] Every year, four Irish students are paired with four American students, and they each spend five weeks in one another's country. This student exchange is with the Tempe Sister Cities organization, which has been voted "Best Overall Sister City Program" in both 1998 and 2004.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Liberty Tree. Carlow Town.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  2. ^ Carlow Courthouse. Carlow Town.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  3. ^ Carlow Castle. Carlow Town.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  4. ^ Carlow Castle, Carlow town. Carlow Tourism - Castles. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  5. ^ Carlow Town Hall. Carlow Town.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  6. ^ Carlow station. Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  7. ^ Article on Ireland's first Wi-Fi town
  8. ^ County Carlow. Irelandwide.com - Ireland by Region. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
  9. ^ St Patrick's College. Carlow Town.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  10. ^ Carlow Cathedral. Carlow Town.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  11. ^ St Mary's Church. Carlow Town.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  12. ^ Official Tempe Sister Cities Website

[edit] External links