Ceatharlach · Leinster
Carlow has perhaps the densest scatter of megalithic monuments in Ireland — standing stones, bullauns, cairns and dolmens, which give it the name the Dolmen County; the Brownshill Dolmen is reputed to be the largest in Europe. Holding both the navigable Barrow and the Slighe Cualann, one of the great roads to Tara, the area was vital to anyone who wanted to be king of Leinster, and by the 11th century the Mac Murchada branch of the Uí Ceinnselaig held that kingship.
| Province | Leinster |
|---|---|
| County town | Carlow |
| Population | 61,931 (2022) |
| Area (km²) | 897 |
| Population change in the Famine, 1841–51 | -21% |
| Daily Irish speakers | 464 (2022) |
| Highest point (m) | 794 — Mount Leinster |
| Townlands | 601 |
| Baronies | 7 |
| Civil parishes | 47 |
| Recorded monuments | 1,940 |
| Ringforts | 130 |
| Holy wells | 48 |
| Historic buildings recorded | 291 |
| Castles on the site | 9 |
| Battles and sieges | 1 |
| Workhouses | 1 |
| Railway stations (with an article) | 2 |
| Towns on the site | 4 |
| Surnames on the site | 6 |
Every figure is from a page on myireland.ie that names its source — see https://myireland.ie/counties/carlow/. Printed from myireland.ie, the atlas of Irish history.