About The Goodly Barrow Cafe and Waterways Museum
The award-winning Goodly Barrow Café and Waterways Museum sits on the border between Carlow and Kilkenny on the magnificent River Barrow. With indoor and outdoor seating, this dog friendly café specialises in unique soups, pies, salad bowls and sausage and vegan rolls, all made on the premises, with an extensive range of vegan and gluten-free options available, both sweet and savoury.
Scrumptious sweet treats for afterwards, a friendly team and the stunning location make the Goodly Barrow a must-visit destination.
Museum of Commercial Navigation
Come to the restored canal store on the banks of the River Barrow in Goresbridge. Step into the lives, hardships and joys, of the people who worked the waterways of Ireland in former times. In the museum, ancient maps, artefacts and panel displays detail the history of inland water navigation, from the time Ireland’s earliest ancestors discovered the Barrow. Watch video interviews with elders whose lives were entwined with the commercial waterways. See the records of goods arriving by boat. Watch movie footage from when the waterways were still providing one of the main transport systems in the country.
The museum aims to be a gathering point for research on the history, commerce and people of the waterways, rather than a finished story. For history students, a number of open questions are presented that might be meat and potatoes for your next thesis!
Easy Access to the Stunning Barrow
Every newcomer is stunned at the timelessness and tranquillity of a Barrow walk. Just a few minutes out in either direction from the Goodly Barrow brings the realisation that there is no place quite like it in Ireland! The geography of the river is still largely untamed as Ireland’s earliest ancestors would have experienced it. Yet, it’s easy for all. The ‘line’ was a towpath built for horses pulling boats between St. Mullins and Athy. So, a Barrow walk has the ease of a level canal-side walk with the wild beauty of Ireland’s most spectacular river valley.
The Goodly Barrow is the perfect place to start a walk, kayak or cycle trip on the Barrow line. An easy 5km south takes you to Ballytiglea bridge, just outside Borris. 9km north and the riverside town of Bagenalstown is reached, for a handy distance guide click here
Opening Times: Wednesday to Sunday – 9.30 am to 5.00 pm
Services:
- Dine in
- Outdoor seating