Craft
Made in Carlow
Gallery and craft shop under Hadden's on Tullow Street, showing more than a hundred local artists.
Known for: Paintings, ceramics and woodwork by Carlow makers
Hours: Mon to Sat 09:30-18:00; Sun 13:00-17:30
Plan Your Visit
Everything you need to know before you head out: weather, what to pack, the best seasons, and useful links.
Looking for a day plan?
Half-day highlights, full-day explorer, rainy day plan, and weekend escape: all mapped out step by step.
Weather & What to Bring
Weather
Mild and changeable, with cool winters, mild summers and rain possible in any month. Carlow is inland in the Barrow valley, well away from the Atlantic weather of the west coast.
Packing Checklist
- ✓Waterproof jacket (essential year-round)
- ✓Layers: temperature can change quickly
- ✓Comfortable walking shoes
- ✓Camera: the views are worth it
- ✓Sunscreen: yes, even in Ireland
Bring Something Home
Local producers, markets, and makers worth a stop before you leave Carlow.
Local bread, vegetables, meat, fish and farmhouse cheese
Market
Carlow Farmers' Market traders
Nineteen independent food and craft traders, every Saturday morning on the Potato Market.
Known for: Local bread, vegetables, meat, fish and farmhouse cheese
Hours: Saturdays 09:00-14:00
Hard sheep's-milk cheese matured up to two years
Food
Carlow Farmhouse Cheese
Sheep's-milk cheddar and pecorino-style cheeses from a Fennagh farm, sold at the Saturday market.
Known for: Hard sheep's-milk cheese matured up to two years
Hours: At Carlow Farmers' Market, Saturdays 09:00-14:00
Drink
Carlow Brewing Company
The O'Hara's brewery, sixteen kilometres south at Bagenalstown, with tours by arrangement.
Known for: O'Hara's Irish Stout and Irish Red
Hours: Tours by arrangement; call or email to confirm availability
Best Time to Visit
Spring
March - May
The gardens come back, the towpath dries out and the Arts Festival is weeks away.
Spring is when Carlow's outdoor half wakes up. The Delta Sensory Gardens on Strawhall have their planting coming back, and Duckett's Grove switches to its summer opening, from half eight in the morning to half eight at night, from the start of April. The Barrow Way south to Milford is a better walk once the towpath has had a few dry weeks. Brownshill Dolmen is worth a visit in any month, but a clear spring morning shows the capstone properly. Indoors, VISUAL's galleries are open Tuesday to Sunday and free. Look ahead, too: the Carlow Arts Festival lands at the turn of May and June.
Summer
June - August
The Arts Festival, the Fringe, long evenings on the towpath and the garden at Mimosa.
Summer in Carlow starts with the Arts Festival, which in 2027 runs from 3 to 7 June with VISUAL at its centre and much of the programme free. The Fringe follows at the end of July. Long evenings are the time for the Barrow Way, and the seven kilometres to Milford, where Barrow Brew serves coffee in the woods, is the obvious one. Duckett's Grove stays open until half eight in the evening through the summer. Book Mimosa if you want its covered garden on a Friday or Saturday night; it keeps no tables back. The Saturday market on the Potato Market runs every week from nine to two.
Autumn
September - November
The students are back, the walking festival heads for the Blackstairs and the indoor town takes over.
Autumn is when the students of Carlow College and the South East Technological University's Carlow campus come back and the town fills up again. Carlow Tourism's Autumn Walking Festival takes guided walks into the Blackstairs Mountains in early October, which is a drive south rather than a town event, but it fills beds. In town this is the season for the county museum, the VISUAL exhibitions and a pint and a tune at Teach Dolmain on a Thursday. Duckett's Grove runs Halloween events in the walled gardens. Check opening hours more carefully from November, when the attractions move to winter times.
Winter
December - February
Short days, the arts centre and the pubs, and a castle you can see in ten minutes.
Winter Carlow is an indoor town. VISUAL keeps its galleries open Tuesday to Sunday, the county museum is free, and Lennons downstairs is the lunch to plan around, bearing in mind it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The castle takes ten minutes in any weather and is best seen from the riverside. Duckett's Grove closes at five from November to March. The Delta Sensory Gardens put on a Christmas event that is ticketed separately, and the market still runs every Saturday on the Potato Market.
Quick Links for Planning
Weather Forecast
Check Met Eireann for the latest Carlow forecast before you head out.
Met Eireann
Irish Rail Timetable
Plan your train journey to Carlow. Check live departures, fares, and route options on the national Irish Rail network.
Irish Rail
Plan Your Journey
Plan your journey to Carlow by train, bus, or car.
Transport for Ireland
Getting Here
Detailed transport options for reaching Carlow by train, bus, car, taxi, or bicycle.
TravelPlan.guide