Introduction to Carlow
County Carlow is known as Mount Leinsters County. It lies in the province of Leinster, bounded on the North side by the counties Kildare and Wicklow, on the East by the counties of Wicklow and Wexford, and on the South by the counties of Wexford, and on the West side by Laois and Kilkenny. Excepting the county of Louth, it is the smallest county in Ireland, having an area of 221,424 acres, or about 346 sq. m. The surface of the county is in general level or gently undulating, and of pleasing appearance, except the elevated tract of land known as the ridge of Old Leighlin, (Gallows Hill Bog, 974 ft.), forming the beginning of the coal-measures of Leinster, and the south-eastern portion of the county bordering on Wexford, where the wild and barren granite elevations of Knockroe (1746 ft.) and Mount Leinster (2610 ft.) present a bolder aspect. Glacial deposits, which overspread the lower grounds, sometimes afford good examples of the ridge-forms known as eskers, as in the neighbourhood of Bagenalstown. There are no lakes nor canals in the county, nor does it contain the source of any important river; but on its western side it is intersected from north to south by the Barrow, which is navigable throughout the county and affords means of communication with the port of Waterford; while on the eastern border the Slaney, which is not navigable in any part of its course through the county, passes out of County Carlow into County Wexford at Newtownbarry.
Carlow is largely a granite county; but here the Leinster Chain does not form a uniform moorland. The mica-schists and Silurian slates of its eastern flank are seen in the diversified and hilly country on the pass over the shoulder of Mt. Leinster, between Newtownbarry and Borris. The highland drops westward to the valley of the Barrow, Carlow and Bagenalstown lying on Carboniferous Limestone, which here abuts upon the granite. On the west of the hollow, the high edge of the Castlecorner coalfields rises, scarps of limestone, grit, and coal-measures succeeding one another on the ascent. Formerly clay-ironstone was raised from the Upper Carboniferous strata.
A Brief History of Carlow
Carlow is one of the Irish Counties favoured by having much of it's Celtic past largely undisturbed. The first settlers to reach Ireland around 6000 BC left traces of their passing in the flint weapons and implements found along the Barrow valley. The legends of County Carlow began with the saga of the destruction of Dinn Righ, an immense to hill fort near Leighlinbridge. This fort was, according to tradition destroyed by Labraidh Loinseach who is said to have come from Gaul with the first wave of Celtic settlers about 300 BC Much earlier civilizations, however, built the great Dolmen at Browne's Hill and other notable specimens within the county. Excavations at the great stone fort of Rathgall just inside the Wicklow border have brought to light the sophisticated technology used by the Celts when making their bronze weapons.
After the Norman Invasion a great chieftain, Art McMurrough Kavanagh became King of Leinster and the most feared fighting man in the country. He attacked the Norman forces with such frequency that King Richard II came to Ireland personally to resolve the issue in 1394 with an estimated 10,000 men. A treaty was agreed and King Richard II returned to England but he had barely reached home when Art McMurrough Kavanagh struck again and a series of battles culminated in a peace engagement at Kellistown near Tullow where the King's cousin, Roger Mortimer was routed and slain. In fury King Richard II returned to Ireland to defeat Art McMurrough Kavanagh but he inflicted defeat after defeat on the King's forces. Richard's war in Ireland gave his enemies their chance. Bolingbroke usurped England's throne, the ill-fated Richard returned to his death and Art McMurrough Kavanagh of Borris won back his kingdom.
Carlow County remained a total Gaelic enclave for centuries after this until after the Cromwellian confiscation's of 1650, the later Penal Laws and the banishment of Gaelic Society.
Areas of Interest in Carlow
Burton Hall
The Demesne of Burtonhall lies across the Carlow-Kildare border, about half in each county for a total of 600 acres. The actual Burton Hall estate house which was completed in 1730 was well inside the county of Carlow south east of Burtonhall Demesne and about a quarter of a mile south of the border of County Kildare.
Incidentally, Burton Hall (now in ruins) is located about one and a quarter miles east Duckett's Grove estate house which is in the Demesne of Rainstown. Burton Hall gave its name to the townland of Burtonhall Demesne which is partly in Killerrig civil parish, partly in Urglin civil parish, (both in Carlow) and partly in Castledermot civil parish in Co Kildare. Ther was indeed an estate with a fine mansion of three stories high, the history of which is told in the book entitled "The Carlow Gentry" by Jimmy O'Toole. I.S.B.N. 09522544 0 9. There is an engraving of the house and details of the Burton family history in the book. Very little remains of the house today.
A man by the name of Benjamin Burton 1st purchased the property which was originally know as Ballynakelly, and other land in County Carlow in 1712. These were properties confiscated after the Williamite War and sold by the Crown during the reign of Queen Ann (1703-1713).
BROWNE'S HILL DOLMEN
The Browne's Hill Dolmen is a portal tomb dating from c.3300 - 2900 B.C. It has a very large granite capstone measuring 4.7 metres x 6.1 metres x 2 metres. The capstone rests on two portal stones, a door stone and a prostrate slab. The dolmen or cromlech is a type of pagan sepulchral monument. The capstone is the largest to be found in Europe. It has been calculated to weigh over 100 tons.
Milford Mill
The mills complex at Milford were built in 1790. They were also used for other purposes. The largest building (now completely gone) on the west bank of the Barrow ended its days as a tannery. It employed ninety people when it was destroyed by fire in July, 1965.
This was not the only fire in the complex because we read in the Carlow Post of November 11, 1862 - ³... fire destroyed the flour mills at Milford, extensive malt houses adjoining were saved - machinery valued c£20,000, the water wheel valued at £1,000 was saved - the mills were only recently reconstructed and refitted by Wm. Fairbairn of Manchester.²
The building, partly in ruin still standing was also used to generate electricity in 1891 and has been re-commissioned to feed power into the National grid since 1990.
Mr and Mrs. Hall's ³Ireland,² published in 1840, describes the Milford Mills complex ³as one of the most extensive and celebrated in Ireland.² ³It is situated about four miles from Carlow, on the Barrow, in the centre of a lovely valley, through which the river runs - surrounded by hills, and with the magnificent mountains, Leinster, Blackstairs and Brandon in the background.²
Duckett's Grove
Originally a Georgian home of noted Anglo Irish family, which was rebuilt in Gothic Revival style. Although burnt in 1933 the remaining towers and turrets, mostly ivy clad, give this enchanting structure a fairy tale air.
Built in 1830 by William Duckett in an estate covering more than 5,000 acres. During the Troubles, Duckett was occupied by soldiers from the Irish Republican Army and many Nationalist leaders sought refuge here. The last male heir died in 1908, but his widow lived in the house until 1912. At its entrance is the most stupendous castellated gateway in southern Ireland. located in Co. Carlow.
Ducketts Grove Rainstown, Carlow was designed in a Castellated Gothic revival style by Thomas A. Cobden for John Davidson Duckett circa 1825. The building incorporates numerous towers and turrets of varying shapes - round, square and octagonal. One tall octagonal turret rises from the structure. Duckett's Grove is elaborately ornamented with oriels and niches containing statues. Several statues on pedestals surrounded the building and lined the approaches. The house itself is situated in the townland of Rainstown, between Carlow and Tullow but the estate comprised several large townlands and parts of others. Following the departure of the Duckett's the estate was managed by an agent until 1921 then by local farmers and later by the Land Commission. The division of the lands was completed by 1930. Duckett's Grove was destroyed by fire in April 1933 but the cause of the fire has not been determined.
The entrance gate to Duckett's Grove was designed by John MacDuff Derick (1810-1859). It was built between 1853-1855 and is one of the most elaborate castellated gateways in Ireland. It comprises many battlemented towers and has two great archways leading to two distinct drives. The principal archway features a portcullis. Over this latter is found a very large armorial bearing. It was said to have been originally coloured. The gateway is a landmark in its own right even to this day. This close-up view shows on of the castellated towers in Duckett's Grove with tiered Gothic style windows. Three windows occur on the ground level, two in the central section and three narrower features on the third storey. Moulding and other detail can be seen over those windows on the ground floor. Duckett's Grove (now in ruins) is situated in Rainstown, near Carlow Town.
The Duckett family lived there until around 1915. The house was gutted by fire in 1933 and the Bishop Foley Schools were partly built with ashlar from the ruins. But the shell of the huge range of the building and the spiral staircase tower survived. Could it be the work of a mentally disturbed architect, or is it the result of a mentally disturbed patron? The New York Evening Post obituary, tells us that MacDuff Derick arrived in America in the Summer of 1858, so there is a gap between his last recorded building and his arrival. This may be the withdrawal from architect referred to, but would not allow time for its resumption. His death, 'recorded in the journals of the 20th instant' [September] 1859 must have occurred shortly before that date.
Traditional Music and Craic in Carlow
What could possibly be better after a walk than a traditional session and Carlow can offer you the very best .