Province of Leinster

County Carlow

Known as The Dolmen County. For Browneshill dolmen outside Carlow town, whose capstone weighs something like 100 tonnes and is believed to be the heaviest in Europe. How Neolithic farmers raised it is still an open question.

Did you know? The capstone of Browneshill Dolmen weighs roughly 100 tonnes — believed to be the heaviest in Europe. How Neolithic farmers raised it remains an open question.

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Through the ages — who held Carlow

8,000 BC – 4,001 BC Mesolithic hunter-gatherers The First Irish

4,000 BC – 2,501 BC Neolithic farming communities The Tomb Builders

2,500 BC – 501 BC Bronze Age Ireland The Age of Gold & Bronze

500 BC – AD 99 Iron Age Ireland The Iron Age

AD 100 – AD 399 Coriondi Ptolemy's Ireland

AD 400 – 1013 Laigin (Leinster) The Five Fifths Patrick & the Rise of the Uí Néill Saints & Scholars The Viking Storm Norse Cities & the Rise of Brian

1014 – 1168 Kingdom of Leinster (Mac Murrough) Kings with Opposition

1169 – 1333 Anglo-Norman Lordship of Ireland The Norman Invasion High Tide of the Colony

1334 – 1541 MacMurrough Kavanagh The Gaelic Resurgence The Kildare Ascendancy

1542 – 1607 Kingdom of Ireland (Tudor crown) The Tudor Conquest

1608 – 1640 Kingdom of Ireland The Plantation of Ulster

1641 – 1652 Confederate Ireland Confederate Ireland & Cromwell

1653 – 1800 Kingdom of Ireland Ascendancy Ireland

1801 – 1915 United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland The Act of Union An Gorta Mór — The Great Famine Land & Liberty

1916 – 1921 Irish Republic (declared, contested) The Revolution

1922 – 1936 Irish Free State Partition — Free State & Northern Ireland

1937 – 1948 Ireland (Éire) Éire

1949 – 2026 Republic of Ireland The Republic & the Troubles Peace & the New Ireland

Clans & surnames of Carlow

Brophy Ó Bróithe Gaelic sept · “descendant of Brothe” Kavanagh Caomhánach Gaelic dynasty · “follower of St Caomhán” Kinsella Cinnsealach Gaelic dynasty · “of the Uí Cheinnsealaigh — the royal line of south Leinster” Nolan Ó Nualláin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Nuallán, 'famous, noble'” Wall de Bhál Norman · “du val — 'of the valley'”

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On the ground in Carlow

Brownshill dolmen · dolmen
Lorum High Cross · high cross
Nurney Cross · high cross
St Mullin's · round tower · incomplete · 1 m
9 castles · Ballyloughan Castle, Ballymoon Castle, Carlow Castle, Castlemore Moat, Clogrennane Castle and more

Every pin is placed by its documented coordinates. All the monuments of Ireland →

Quick answers

What is the Irish name for County Carlow?

Ceatharlach. Carlow is one of the 12 counties of Leinster (Cúige Laighean).

Who ruled County Carlow in the Middle Ages?

Around 1014 it was held by Kingdom of Leinster (Mac Murrough); by 1450, MacMurrough Kavanagh. The full era-by-era chronology is on this page.

What surnames come from County Carlow?

Names historically associated with Carlow include Brophy, Kavanagh, Kinsella, Nolan, Wall.

Trace your ancestors in Carlow

Free, from the holding institutions. How to begin: the six-step guide → · Spotted an error on this page? Suggest a correction.