22 May Carlow
The county of Carlow was made “shire-ground” by King John.
The town is in the fertile, limestone valley of the River Barrow.
This river was famous separating the English from the Irish clans.
Here, where a tributary, joins the Barrow River, a four angled lake is formed.
It’s worth a look on any tours of Ireland.
There is a prominent Anglo-Irish Norman Castle on the East bank.
It was built by Hugh de Lacy, Lord Deputy of Ireland, in 1180.
Norman, Saxon, and Gael fought bloody battles for it throughout the centuries.
There was not much damage to the structure.
Then in 1814 it came into the hands of a local doctor.
He wanted to make the walls more thin-skinned for his insane patients.
So, he set explosives in the foundations.
He succeeded where all the battles had failed and blew the castle to pieces.
Only the West wall and flanking tower now remain.
The church has an interesting steeple to look at, and the Catholic Cathedral has three fine stained-glass windows.
The Old Assembly Rooms were presented to the town by the writer Bernard Shaw, who had family connections with Carlow.
Check out Carlow with Ireland and Scotland Luxury Tours.