Carlow 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 river forms the historic boundary between County Laois and Carlow: the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 included the town entirely in Carlow.
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. One of Carlow's main landmarks is the Bennekerry Dolmen, situated on the Hacketstown Road.
The town is recalled in the famous Irish folk song, "Follow me up to Carlow", written in the nineteenth 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.