Carlow

Carlow stands beside the River Barrow, where a substantial medieval castle and river crossing helped establish a town in the southeast of Ireland. The castle became a centre of royal authority in a district frequently troubled by conflict. Markets and streets developed around the fortified settlement, linking it to the surrounding agricultural country.

At the outbreak of the Irish rebellion in 1798, insurgents assembled to attack the Crown garrison stationed at Carlow. They entered the town on 25 May but were driven back in heavy fighting. Houses were burned and hundreds of attackers were killed. The defeat was one of the bloodiest early encounters of the rising, leaving the streets of Carlow scarred by a struggle that had spread across the region.