Carlow

County Carlow is a county in Ireland located towards the south east of Ireland, in the province of Leinster. It is the third most populous county with around 62,000 population and it’s also the second smallest, covering an area of around 346 square miles, which is 897 square kilometres. The town of Carlow is its county town and the largest in the county and was once the seat of power in the old Kingdom of Leinster. It straddles the River Barrow and houses almost half the people of the county. The landlocked county shares its borders with Kildare and Laois to the north, Kilkenny to the west, Wicklow to the east and Wexford to the southeast.

This rural county has a low density of population and its principal geographical features are the Burrow River (Ireland’s second longest), its tributary the Burren River, the River Slaney with its tributary the River Derreen and the Blackstairs Mountains, in between which are the Tullow Lowlands and the Southern Wedge. Around 9.5% of the land is forested, 70% being conifers, particularly the upland areas such as the Blackstairs Mountains. The only notable woodland in the lowlands is the Oak Park Forest, which is mixed native deciduous trees and Scots pine.

River Barrow ©Artur Kozioł, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Most of the rest of the county is agricultural, as it is a major producer of dairy, cereals and vegetables. There are reputed to be almost twice as many cows as there are people in the county. Approximately 60% of which are beef cattle and the remainder dairy. There are also large numbers of sheep and pigs, although the majority of farms are small. There are also a few dedicated to horticulture and fruit. The climate is mild with cool winters and mild humid summers.

Birding County Carlow

The county is well known for its public gardens and as part of the Leinster hiking trail. Some of the most interesting habitat is in the Blackstairs Mountains where densely forested areas give way to open heath and blanket bog. Both red deer and feral goats roam the range and have to be controlled because of the lack of predators.

Other natural features and wildlife habitats include Baggot’s Wood, John’s Hill, Ardristan Fen, the Ballymoon Esker, the Slaney River Valley and Cloghristick Wood.