Carlow Castle, near Monavea
A short stop that makes more sense once you know why half the castle is missing.
The story behind Carlow Castle
Built in the early thirteenth century and attributed to William Marshal, the castle originally had four corner towers. Its most dramatic damage came much later: an attempted conversion in 1814 used blasting charges, bringing down a large part of the structure. Two towers and the wall between them survive.
What you will see
Come to read the outline of the lost building and its position near the meeting of the Barrow and Burrin. This is an open-air ruin, not a collection of rooms to tour. It fits naturally into a walk around central Carlow.
Resized and converted to WebP. Display may be cropped; the full photograph is linked.
Unguided exterior visit
OPW identifies it as an unguided national monument. A complete current gate timetable was not confirmed; use public approaches and observe barriers. No interior admission, dedicated parking or step-free route is promised. Wear footwear suitable for an outdoor historic site.
Check the official visitor information ↗Sources and checks
- Office of Public WorksVisitor access and historical context. Checked .
- Fáilte IrelandHistorical context and visitor experience. Checked .
- Kind
- Castles
- County
- County CarlowThe county boundary encloses it, taken from the OpenStreetMap administrative boundaries. It is listed on this site under Monavea, which is the nearest settlement and is in County Laois.
- From Monavea
- 9.9 km east, in a straight line
- Wheelchair
- Recorded as partly accessibleOne tag covering the whole place. It does not say whether the entrance, the inside, the toilets or the route to the door are step free, and this page will not say so either.
The map does not yet record a phone number for Carlow Castle. Anyone can add it on OpenStreetMap, and this page picks the change up at the next refresh.
Getting to Carlow Castle
About these directions
Public transport times come from National Transport Authority. Timetables cover 2026-09-18 to 2027-09-19. These are scheduled services; check with the operator for cancellations and changes before travelling.
Walking and driving times are estimates. A town search starts at its centre; choose your location or a point on the map for a more precise starting point. Eircode search is not available.
How journey planning worksDestination, access and nearby stops
Carlow Castle is in Monavea, County Laois. Routes here end at the point the map records for this place. No entrance has been verified, so the last few metres are for you to judge.
The nearest scheduled stop is Carlow Cstl (111281), 50 m away in a straight line. Use the planner to check walking connections for your journey.
- Carlow Cstl 50 m
bus CW2Scheduled departures from this stop
- Maryborough Street 200 m
bus CW2Scheduled departures from this stop
- Kennedy Avenue 290 m
bus CW2Scheduled departures from this stop
- Sleaty Street 440 m
bus CW2Scheduled departures from this stop
- Carlow Bus Stn 650 m
buses CW1, CW2, 365 and 880 among othersScheduled departures from this stop
Getting to Monavea covers the journeys into the town itself.
Events nearby
Not at Carlow Castle. These are at other venues within a few hundred metres of it.
- 27 September to 22 December 2026TicketedAutumn / Winter Cinemas at VISUALVISUAL Carlow
- 2 October 2026TicketedThanks For The Dance - The Leonard Cohen StoryVISUAL Carlow
- 22 October to 1 November 2026Free and ticketed partsSamhain Festival 26 at VISUALVISUAL Carlow
- 8 November 2026TicketedDerek Ryan - Songwriter ShowVISUAL Carlow
Other castles in Monavea
Nearest to Carlow Castle first, and the figure beside each one is how far it is from Carlow Castle, in a straight line. Same point, same measure.
Questions people ask
Where is Carlow Castle?
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Where this comes from
- From the map
- The name, the kind of place, the address where the record carries one, and any website, phone or opening hours shown as recorded on the map are tags on OpenStreetMap way/1133922462, and can be corrected there.
- Worked out here
- Every distance, the nearest road where the record has no address, which car park and which stop are nearest, and the order of the lists are this site’s own calculations from those records. Distances are straight lines between two points, not walks along the footpaths, and the map will route the real walk on request. A mistake in any of this is a mistake here rather than on the map.