Carlow Cathedral

Counties Wexford, Waterford, Carlow & Kilkenny


This elegant Regency Gothic cathedral dating from 1833 was the brainchild of Bishop James Doyle, a staunch supporter of Catholic emancipation. On the right of the nave a statue of the bishop is flanked by a crowned, kneeling woman said to represent Ireland in an attitude of hope. The church also has an elaborate pulpit and some fine stained-glass windows.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Counties Wexford, Waterford, Carlow & Kilkenny attractions

1. Carlow County Museum

0.05 MILES

Housed in an atmospheric former convent with original stained-glass windows, this thoroughly engaging museum focuses on the lives of local people through…

2. Visual Centre for Contemporary Art

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3. Carlow Castle

0.35 MILES

Built by William Marshal on the site of an earlier Norman motte-and-bailey fort, this 13-century castle survived Cromwell's attentions. Much of the…

4. Delta Sensory Gardens

0.54 MILES

These 16 interconnecting, themed gardens span the five senses – from a sculpture garden to a formal rose garden, a water and woodland garden, a willow…

5. Browne's Hill Dolmen

1.97 MILES

This 5000-year-old granite portal dolmen (tomb chamber) is one of Ireland's most famous prehistoric monuments, sporting the largest capstone in Europe (it…

6. Killeshin Church

3 MILES

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7. Duckett's Grove

5.05 MILES

Dominated by the jackdaw-haunted ruins of a Gothic fantasy of a country house, the former seat of the Duckett family (the house burned down in 1933) was…

8. Castledermot Monastery

6.25 MILES

Castledermot village was once home to a vast ecclesiastical settlement, but all that remains of St Diarmuid's 9th-century monastery is a 20m round tower…