Carlow – Ceatharlach
Carlow Town, the county capital is strategically positioned at the meeting point of the Rivers Barrow and Burrin. This trail enjoys a strong association with St. Patrick, Ireland’s national saint. Relax and enjoy discovering its rich Christian heritage in settings which radiate peace and spirituality. St. Patrick’s Trail starts in Carlow Town with all sites within easy walking distance of the town centre. It is advisable to park your car in a central location and enjoy wandering through the winding streets and lanes at your ease.
Carlow Cathedral
Carlow Cathedral was built between 1828-33 to replace a parish chapel which had become too small for the growing population of the town. It was among the first Catholic cathedrals consecrated following the act granting Catholic Emancipation in 1829.The cathedral was built by Bishop James Doyle (known as JKL) and financed through public subscription. Bishop Doyle, viewed by many historians as the outstanding bishop of the nineteenth-century, was a church reformer, a prolific political writer on the state of Ireland and a prominent social activist. He was renowned for his evidence on Catholic Emancipation delivered before British Parliamentary committees. His impressive marble memorial statue, carved by the Irish sculptor John Hogan in Rome, represents the bishop with one arm aloft and the other resting on the shoulder of a figure symbolising Ireland, kneeling by his side in an attitude of hope.The cathedral’s architect was Thomas Cobden and it is generally regarded as his most outstanding church building. The granite, neo-Gothic exterior features a graceful entrance tower which rises some 46 metres and may have been modelled on the Cloth Hall in Bruges, Belgium and medieval towers in England. Open: Monday – Friday 7.15 am – 7.00 pm, Saturday 9.00 am – 7.30 pm and Sunday 7.45 am – 8.00 pm | Admission: Free www.kandle.ie
Carlow College
Carlow College, otherwise known as St. Patrick’s College is Ireland’s oldest third-level Catholic College. It was founded in 1782 and opened in October 1793 following the relaxation of the Penal laws which restricted Catholic education. Dr. James Keeffe, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin along with his successor, Bishop Daniel Delany,were the driving forces behind the foundation of the college. Its aim was to educate boys for the professions and for the priesthood. During the period 1793-2001 over 3,300 students of Carlow College were ordained priests and they have served all over the world. The college has also educated generations of politicians, poets and leaders.The chapel of the Sacred Heart in the Hiberno Romanesque style is particularly interesting. It was erected to mark the centenary of the college and now functions as the College Library. An exhibition relating to the history of the college can be seen in the corridor leading into the LibraryTo mark the bicentenary of the opening of the college an exact replica of the plain un-inscribed high cross from nearby Sleaty was erected in the grounds. Immediately opposite is a modern work entitled Sun Stone.This is by the German artist Paul Schneider and it is aligned with the sun at the summer solstice.Did You KnowLecture rooms in the college are named after famous alumni. The John England Room is named after the first bishop of Charleston, USA (1820 - 1842), while the Therry Room commemorates a pioneer of the Australian Church. Famous lay alumni include James Fintan Lalor, the agrarian agitator and social activist, the Fenian John O' Leary and Frank O' Meara, the impressionist painter.Open: Daily. Entry into the College buildings is restricted at certain times. Visitors should report to the receptionist at the main entrance.Admission: Free
The Presentation Convent now Carlow County Museum
In 1811 following an invitation from Professor Fr. Andrew Fitzgerald in Carlow College the Presentation Sisters arrived in Carlow town and founded a convent and school at the junction of Tullow Street and College Street. The building now houses the Carlow Library, Tourist Office and Carlow County Museum while the "nuns" graveyard adjoining Carlow Cathedral can still be visited. In 1960 the primary school was replaced by a new school on nearby Green Lane called Scoil Mhuire gan Smál. In 1983, the secondary school was replaced by a new post-primary co-educational school called Presentation College in the new parish of Askea in the town. The Presentation Sisters vacated the convent in 1989 which was purchased by Carlow County Council. The Museum displays the 1811 foundation chalice for the Convent while the front of the Library has a bicentenary plaque honouring the founding Presentation Sisters.The museum brings to life the story of Carlow's development through the ages. Items on display include the original gallows trapdoor from Carlow Gaol used to execute Lucinda Sly for murdering her husband in 1835; the smoking pipe of Captain Myles Keogh of the 7th US Calvary who died at the Battle of Little Big Horn; read about John Tyndall a 19th century scientist who discovered the greenhouse effect. The building also houses the Tourist Office, the County Library and Archive.Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 4.30 p.m. September - May Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. June - August Sundays and Bank Holidays 2 p.m. - 4.30 p.m. Free AdmissionOpening hours for Carlow Tourist Office Monday - Friday 9.30 a.m. - 5 p.m. year round Saturday 10 a.m. - 4.30 p.m. September - May and 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. June - August Sundays and Bank Holidays 2 p.m. - 4.30 p.m.
St. Leo’s Convent,
In 1837 the Sisters of Mercy founded St. Leo's Convent, which continues to provide education to the town.
Old Church
The 'Old Church' in the grounds of St. Dympna's Hospital, houses the Military Museum. The museum displays artefacts from the late 18th century and details the history of the Irish Army, Local Reserve Defence Forces, UN Peacekeeping, Carlow Militia, War of Independence and much more.
Scots Churches
Scots Churches are rare, with only four known to be in existence in Ireland. It was designed by architect Thomas A. Cobden, who was also responsible for Carlow Cathedral, Ballykealey House and Duckett's Grove, outside Carlow Town. It is a curiously proportioned building with a tall pediment and no windows on the façade.
Methodist Church
In 1892, this site was secured as the home of the Methodist chapel.The new site had been used as a quarry, so it had to be filled, before building could begin. The site was filled by using rubble from buildings being demolished in the town, for each load dumped at the site the carters were paid one penny, so it cost £5 to fill the site. In 1897, building work began and the church opened Friday, April 15th 1898.
St. Mary’s Church of Ireland
Carlow was an important medieval town and its parish church may have stood on the site now occupied by St. Mary’s Church of Ireland. The present building dates from the early eighteenth century although the spire was added in 1834 during extensive renovations overseen by Thomas Cobden.
St. Clare’s Church
St. Clare’s Church, Graiguecullen was originally built in 1852 as St. Anne’s Church of Ireland church on the Athy Road in Carlow. In 1927 after a period of disuse the church was sold to the Catholic Parish of Graiguecullen and stone by stone the church was brought across the River Barrow and rebuilt by local company Thomas Thompson.
Poor Clare Monastery
In 1893 the Poor Clare sisters came to the town – they moved into their present Monastery beside St. Clare’s Church in 1900. Although the order has limited contact with the outside world, visitors are welcome at certain times of the year.
Killeshin Romanesque Doorway
Romanesque Doorway St. Patrick introduced Christianity into Ireland in the fifth century and heralded a golden age of Christianity which produced a rich heritage of architecture and ecclesiastical art. Killeshin was the site of an early monastic settlement associated with saints Diarmait and Comgán. St. Mugen who was abbot there in the sixth century is believed to have taught St. Laserian (d.639) the first bishop of Leighlin. In the eleventh century the monastery suffered as a result of dynastic rivalry in Leinster. It was burned in 1042 and 1077 and thereafter went into decline.The present church was built c.1150 and is well worth visiting not just for its beautiful Romanesque doorway, one of the finest examples in the country, but for its scenic setting. Nestling in peaceful countryside, it has such wonderful views across the Barrow Valley to the Blackstairs Mountains that it has been called the ‘The Balcony of Carlow’. The doorway is also one of only a small number of doorways in Ireland with a triangular gable above the arches. Partially reconstructed, the doorway has four orders, with capitals bearing heads with intertwined hair and an arch with foliage and animal motifs. It appears that the sculpture was intended to be painted as was common in the twelfth century. Take some time to imagine the painstaking craftsmanship that went into the elaborate carvings on the doorway. Open: Daily, daylight hours. Admission: Free Parking: Limited
Killeshin Catholic Church
Down the hill on the right, Killeshin Catholic Church was built in 1819-20 to the design of Thomas Cobden. It is a modest but spacious building in stone and brick with Gothic windows and polygonal turrets on each cornerOpen: Daily from 11 a.m., daylight hours. Admission: Free Parking: Yes
St. Fintan's Catholic Church
The early nineteenth-century St. Fintan’s Catholic Church is a fine example of a spacious ‘barn-style’ building. Features of note include the marble altar which was presented to the church by Cardinal Moran. To the left of the church, in the car park, can be seen the tiny schoolhouse where John Conwill, a local teacher, taught John Tyndall, of nearby Leighlinbridge, between 1836 and 1838. Tyndall was an internationally famous scientist and inventor of the Light Pipe whose work in the 1860s opened up the debate on the greenhouse effect. Other famous figures taught by Conwill include Cardinal Patrick Moran and the brothers Patrick and John Foley who became respectively Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin and President of Carlow College.Open: Daily, 10.00am – 6.00pm | Admission: Free | Parking: Yes
St. Joseph's Catholic Church
St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, built in 1819, contains the striking stained glass window to the memory of Captain Myles Keogh who was born in Leighlinbridge in 1840 and was killed at the battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876. Keogh went to America in the 1860s to fight with the Union side in the Civil War. He had been promoted to the rank of Company Captain when he fell with General Custer in the famous battle. The Sioux Chief, Red Horse apparently remarked that Keogh was the bravest man they ever fought. Did you Know St. Joseph's claims to be the first rural church in Ireland to use electric light due to local man Mr. Paddy Dowling, who played an important part in bringing electricity to rural Ireland in the 1940s. Open: Daily, 9.30am – 5.00pm | Admission: Free | Parking: Yes
Kellistown Church of Ireland Church
Ruined nineteenth-century Church of Ireland church with remains of medieval church behind. Situated on an elevated site overlooking rich rural countryside, this ruinous First Fruits church dates from 1810. It has an austere simplicity and comprises a three-bay nave with lime rendered walls and pointed windows. The earliest church to occupy the site was a monastery associated with St. Osnadh and a round tower survived here until the nineteenth century.The site has strong associations with St. Patrick and the medieval church, whose remains can be seen behind the nineteenth-century church, was dedicated to him.The remains reveal a large rectangular structure built from granite boulders. In the thirteenth century St. Patrick’s, Kellistown was in the possession of the Augustinian Priory of Kells, Co. Kilkenny. Open: Daily, daylight hours | Admission: Free | Parking: Yes
Father Murphy Statue, Tullow
With its picturesque location on the banks of the River Slaney, Tullow is a lovely example of a traditional Irish Town and is known locally as the granite town because of the fine stone used in its walls and public buildings. Tullow’s enduring connection with ‘Brave Fr. Murphy’ of Boolavogue, Co. Wexford is commemorated by a fine statue in the town square. Described as the most wanted and notorious insurrection leader of the 1798 rebellion against British rule, Fr. Murphy was executed in Tullow. The famous song Boolavogue is dedicated to his memory.
St. Columba’s Church of Ireland church
Tullow was a location of ecclesiastical importance from at least the late fifth century when a monastery was founded by St. Fortiarnán (Fortchern). No traces of this remain although the large granite cross base and font in the churchyard of the present St. Columba’s Church of Ireland church may have been associated with the early monastery. In the fourteenth century an Augustinian Friary was founded on the south side of the River Slaney but again there are no substantial remains.
Catholic Church of the Holy Rosary
In 1798 Bishop Daniel Delaney took, without lease, the ground for the present parish church along with a small house adjoining. The house is now incorporated in the Brigidine convent and the lease was later secured from the landlord Mr. Doyne. He built a cruciform church which was completed in 1805. The church was known as the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1833 the spire was added by Fr. Nolan, Adm. In 1847 the organ which was in use until the 1970s was built and in 1857 two side altars and the two stained glass windows were installed.
Brigidine Convent and Bishop Daniel Delany Museum
The main focus of the museum, located in the grounds of the Brigidine Convent is a display of artefacts relating to Bishop Daniel Delany and to the educational work of the Brigidine Sisters and the Patrician Brothers. Both religious orders were founded in Tullow in 1807 and 1808 respectively. During the early years of the 19th century, the then Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, Daniel Delany saw education as a pathway to a fuller and better life for all. In 1807 to progress his vision he founded a congregation of sisters, the Brigidine Sisters, named in honour of St. Brigid, the patroness of both Ireland and the diocese. In 1808 he founded the Patrician Brothers, named in honour of the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. Over the past 200 plus years both congregations have founded many schools not only in Ireland but also in England, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, America, Ghana, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Mexico and China. For many years the nearby Mount Wolseley estate (now a hotel) was the Patrician Brothers world headquarters.Did You Know: During the 1960s Cork born Patrician Brother Colm O' Connell was educated at the Patrician Colleges of Mount Wolseley and Ballykealy. Since 1976 he has been based at their school at Iten, Kenya from where he has trained more international and Olympic athletes than any other school in the world. Open: The museum is open on Corpus Christi, Saturday 28th May from 8.30 p.m. – 9.30 p.m.; Heritage Week, Sun August 21st and 28th 12 - 4 p.m.For access to the museum at other times please pre-book by contacting the Tullow Parish Community Centre at 059-9151277 or tullowparish@eircom.net during office hours.Admission: Free Parking: Yes
Clonmore
Clonmore is one of Carlow’s most important early Christian sites with a wealth of history for visitors to discover. The present road cuts through the monastery founded by St. Maedóc around 600 A.D. No traces of the monastic buildings remain but the importance of the site is attested by the presence of two large crosses, nineteen cross-inscribed stones, an ogham stone and two bullaun stones. The monastery of Clonmore flourished from the seventh to the eleventh century and at least six saints were associated with it. As well as St. Maedóc (also called Mogue), these included St. Fionnán Lobhair and St. Oncho who is said to have been buried in the cemetery along with a substantial collection of relics. The monastery was an important pilgrimage site and it also attracted less welcome visitors in the form of Viking raiders who attacked the monastery on Christmas Night 836. Clonmore houses a fascinating collection of crosses featuring exceptional examples of craftsmanship including one very unique piece. This unusual slab dated to the ninth or tenth century with a distinctive ‘tree of life’ motif is situated at the back, on the right. St. Mogue’s Well is now protected by an enclosure and surrounded by a pleasant garden area through which a stream runs. Look out for the fine tripled-holed bullaun stone nearby at the side of this stream.
Bennekerry
Frank O’Meara (1853-88), an internationally famous nineteenth-century impressionist artist is buried in St. Mary’s Catholic Church. His tomb is designed after the medieval doorway at Killeshin. Frank spent his early years in Dublin Street, Carlow where his father Dr. Thomas J. O’Meara was medical officer and honorary professor of animal physiology and zoology at Carlow College. O’Meara studied at Carlow College before moving to Dublin to complete his education. In the early 1870s he moved to Paris to study art. He became associated with the Plein-Air or Open Air style of painting and is regarded as the most noted Irish painter in that style. The Hugh Lane Gallery on Parnell Square in Dublin carries a selection of his important works.Frank O’Meara returned to Carlow in the spring of 1888. He was suffering from malaria which he had had for approximately seven years. He died at the family home with his father present. He was only 35 years old. He was buried at the family graveyard in Bennekerry where his family erected this impressive tomb.Did You Know A brother, a sister and Frank's mother died before he was 20 and these tragedies had a lasting effect on him. His paintings are beautiful but there is a sadness and loneliness involved which reflects this loss. Some refer to the atmosphere created by his paintings as a silent and dreamlike Celtic twilight. Open: Daily, daylight hours Admission: Free Parking: Yes
