Towns & Villages

8 km south of Bagenalstown off the Bagenalstown – Borris road is the picturesque village of Ballinkillen, nestling under the shadow of Mount Leinster. In the churchyard you can see a large replica of a 19th century high cross erected by Cardinal Patrick Francis Moran, to commemorate his parents.

The Blackstairs and Wicklow mountains provide a dramatic backdrop to the pastures and cornfields, the winding country roads and traditional farmsteads around the charming rural village of Ballon. There is a strong archaeological presence in the area which includes a motte and bailey at Castlemore and Castlegrace, ringforts, cashels, standing stones and holy wells. Ballon Hill, 450 feet above sea level provides magnificent views of the surrounding countryside while a map board on site supplies information on the archaeological significance of the area.

Ballymurphy is a gentle hillside village captured in a glen on mountain slopes which derives its name from Matthew Murphy of Clonroche, Co. Wexford a powerful landowner and builder of a castle in the area in the mid-17th century. Ballymurphy is the first village encountered on the County Carlow side of the Blackstairs Mountains by the traveller passing close to the picturesque Sculloge Gap.

Borris is a Georgian, granite village, full of charm and heritage nestling in the fertile valley of the River Barrow and the ideal gateway for nearby Mount Leinster and the Blackstairs Mountains. Its old granite houses and Victorian shop fronts have remained largely intact. Most of the town’s buildings stand on the north side of a steeply rising main street, overshadowed by the presence of the very substantial demesne walls of Borris House.

In Carlow Town the visitor is presented with a rich tapestry of history dating back a millennium and beyond, many associated famous names and an architectural heritage telling the story of the town's evolution since the Normans first came here in the 12th century. With a population of over 20,000, Carlow is the county town and gateway to the South-East standing at the confluence of the Barrow and Burrin rivers.