Carlow Town was once a fortress town - an Anglo-Norman stronghold sited on a river, buttressed by Gaelic county. Carlow Castle is a relic from that time. Probably built by William de Marshal, Earl of Pembroke and Lord of Leinster, between 1207 and 1213, it once towered over the River Barrow. Today’s remains consist of two towers and the west wall. There should be more but in 1814 a local doctor’s attempt to convert the castle into an asylum using explosives destroyed the rest.
