Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [179]
Carlow’s farmers market ( 9am-2pm Sat) fittingly sets up on the Potato Market – look out for Tom Malone’s mouth-watering freshly made jams and juices.
On Fridays, over 20 producers sell breads, tarts and preserves, free-range and duck eggs, butter, fruit and veg, flowers, and arts and crafts at the Askea Country Market (Askea Paris Centre; 10am-noon Fri).
Getting There & Away
BUS
Bus Éireann ( 051-879 000) runs buses to Dublin (€11, two hours, nine daily), to Cork (€21.50, 3½ hours, one daily) via Kilkenny (€8.20, 35 minutes), and to Waterford (€9.90, 1½ hours, seven daily).
JJ Kavanagh & Sons ( 059-914 3081; www.jjkavanagh.ie) has 12 buses per day to Dublin (€12, two hours) and Dublin Airport (€16, three hours). There are two buses per day Monday to Saturday to Kilkenny (€6, 50 minutes) and Portlaoise (€7.50, one hour).
Buses leave from the bus station located at the eastern end of Kennedy Ave.
TRAIN
The train station ( 059-913 1633; Station Rd) is to the northeast of town. Carlow is located on the Dublin–Waterford line with five trains daily in each direction Monday to Saturday (four Sunday). One way to Dublin’s Heuston Station or to Waterford (both 1¼ hours) costs €14.90.
TAXI
Carlow Cabs ( 059-914 0000) operate taxis around town and further afield.
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AROUND CARLOW TOWN
Browne’s Hill Dolmen
This 5000-year-old granite monster is Europe’s largest portal dolmen and one of Ireland’s most famous. The capstone alone weighs well over 100 tonnes. It’s signposted 3km east of town on the R726 Hacketstown Rd; a 300m path leads round the field to the dolmen. There’s no public transport. A cab will charge about €10 to €15 from Carlow, including a 20-minute wait.
Duckett’s Grove
Adjoining a foreboding ruined Gothic mansion, the original high brick garden walls of Duckett’s Grove (admission free; 10am-5.30pm Apr-Oct, 10am-4pm Nov-Mar) frame two sprawling, interconnected formal gardens. Filled with the scents of lavender and fruit blossom in spring and summer, they adjoin a shaded woodland area, covering some 11 acres all up. The remains of the 18th-century mansion – derelict since a fire in 1933 – may become accessible in the future. For now, facilities include toilets and wheelchair access; plans are underway for craft studios, a nursery and a cafe in the stables and outbuildings. Check with Carlow’s tourist office for the gardens’ program of events including a Christmas market, midsummer night celebration, concerts and outdoor plays. There’s no public transport; the gardens are signposted 12.5km northeast of Carlow.
Killeshin Church
Once the site of an important monastery with one of the finest round towers in the country, this medieval marvel was destroyed early in the 18th century by a philistine farmer worried that it might collapse and kill his cows. The ruins of a 12th-century church remain, including a remarkable Romanesque doorway dating from the 5th century. Look for the wonderful bearded face on the capstone. Killeshin is 5km west of Carlow on the R430. There’s no public transport. A cab will charge about €10 to €15 from Carlow, including a 20-minute wait.
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BALLON
pop 596
Grand estates and gardens envelop the small village of Ballon on the N80.
Altamont Gardens ( 059-915 9444; www.heritageireland.ie; admission free; 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 11am-6pm Sat & Sun Jan-Nov, 10am-6pm Mon-Fri Dec; ) is one of Ireland’s most magnificent old walled formal gardens. Run by the Heritage Service, the 40-acre garden has a design dating to Victorian times. To recreate the look in your own backyard, there’s a small onsite nursery selling plants. The gardens are 5km east of Ballon.
Just 600m south of Altamont Gardens, Sherwood Park House ( 059-915 9117; www.sherwoodparkhouse.ie; Kilbride, Ballon; s/d from €60/100; ) is a