Carlow
[key], county, 346 sq mi (896 sq km), SE Republic of Ireland. The chief
towns are Carlow, the
county seat; Bagenalstown, on the Barrow River, which forms much of the
western boundary of the county; and Tullow, on the Slaney River which
crosses the county from north to south. The granitic uplands of the
Blackstairs Mts. in the southeast are a conspicuous feature in an otherwise
fertile lowland region. Grain and sugar-beet farming, cattle raising, and
dairying are regional occupations. There are also flour-milling, malting,
and sugar-refining industries. The trains from Dublin to Kilkenny and Waterford travel through Carlow.
Organized as a county in the early 13th cent., Carlow was strategically
situated on the southern edge of the English Pale. In the 13th cent. it had palatinate
privileges.
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