Carlow

Carlow (/ˈkɑːr.loʊ/; Irish: Ceatharlach) is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2011 census with a population of 23,030. The River Barrow flows through the town, and forms the historic boundary between counties Laois and Carlow: the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 included the town entirely in County Carlow. The settlement of Carlow is thousands of years old and pre-dates written Irish history. The town has played a major role in Irish history, serving as the capital of the country in the 14th century. It was voted the cleanest town in Ireland by Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) in 2010.

Etymology

The name Carlow is an anglicisation of the Irish language name Ceatharlach. Historically, it was anglicised as Caherlagh,Caterlagh and Catherlagh, which are closer to the Irish spelling. According to logainm.ie, the first part of the name derives from the Old Irish word cethrae ("animals, cattle, herds, flocks"), which is related to ceathar ("four") and therefore signified "four-legged". The second part of the name is the ending -lach.

Ireland

Ireland (ⁱ/ˈaɪərlənd/; Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə]; Ulster-Scots: Airlann [ˈɑːrlən]) is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth.

Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and located in the northeast of the island. In 2011 the population of Ireland was about 6.4 million, ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just over 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.

The island's geography comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild but changeable climate which avoids extremes in temperature. Thick woodlands covered the island until the Middle Ages. As of 2013, the amount of land that is wooded in Ireland is about 11% of the total, compared with a European average of 35%. There are 26 extant mammal species native to Ireland. The Irish climate is very moderated and classified as oceanic. As a result, winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area. However, summers are cooler than those in Continental Europe. Rainfall and cloud cover are abundant.

Institute of Technology, Carlow

Present

Founded in 1970, IT Carlow is located in the centre of Ireland’s South Leinster region (containing the counties of Carlow, Wicklow, Wexford, Kildare, Laois and Kilkenny), approximately one hour from Dublin. IT Carlow is the fourth-largest Institute out of 14 Institutes of Technology (IoTs) in the country (7,000 learners), but has ranked in the top three of the 14 IoTs for CAO first preferences for Level 8 honours degree programmes since 2010. IT Carlow provides higher educational full-time taught programmes from level 6 – 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications, along with research programmes at level 9 & 10 and enterprise development opportunities, through its centres in Carlow and Wexford. The Institute also provides part-time programmes in Carlow, Wexford, Wicklow, Kilkenny, Kildare (the Curragh), Shannon, Dublin (Tallaght) and, most recently, in Mayo.

The Institute is a key driver of progress and development in Carlow and the southeast and was an important consideration in the decision of UNUM (strategic software services centre, 2008) and Merck Sharp & Dohme (human vaccines and biologics, 2007) to locate in Carlow.

County Carlow

County Carlow (Irish: Contae Cheatharlach) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Carlow, which lies on the River Barrow. Carlow County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 54,612 according to the 2011 census.

Geography and political subdivisions

Carlow, or "Ceatharlach" originally part of the Norman Palantine-county of Leinster, became a separate county probably around 1306. At that time it was larger than today, extending to and including the coastal area around Arklow, though control of this area became disputed with the Irish chieftains of the area. These areas were given over to County Wicklow in 1606-07

Baronies

There are seven historic baronies in the county: Carlow, Forth, Idrone East, Idrone West, Rathvilly, St Mullin's Lower and St Mullin's Upper.

Towns and villages

Saint Patrick

Saint Patrick (Latin: Patricius; Greek: Πατρίκιος; Proto-Irish: *Qatrikias; Modern Irish: Pádraig [ˈpˠaːd̪ˠɾˠəɟ];Welsh: Padrig) was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, along with Saints Brigit and Columba. He is also venerated in the Anglican Communion, the Old Catholic Church and in the Orthodox Church as Equal-to-the-Apostles, and The Enlightener of Ireland.

The dates of Patrick's life cannot be fixed with certainty but, on a widespread interpretation, he was active as a missionary in Ireland during the second half of the fifth century. He is generally credited with being the first bishop of Armagh, Primate of Ireland.

According to the Confessio of Patrick, when he was about 16, he was captured by Irish pirates from his home in Great Britain, and taken as a slave to Ireland, looking after animals, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. After becoming a cleric, he returned to northern and western Ireland. In later life, he served as an ordained bishop, but little is known about the places where he worked. By the seventh century, he had already come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland.