County Carlow hosts several chief craft breweries and distilleries that form part of the local drinks production scene. Carlow Brewing Company, also known as O’Hara’s Brewery, in Bagenalstown began operations in 1996 as an independent family-owned enterprise. It produces traditional Irish beers alongside interpretations of international styles with its chief products including stouts, ales, wheat beers and lagers under the O’Hara’s brand with a USP in its role as one of the pioneers of the Irish craft brewing movement from the mid-1990s.
Royal Oak Distillery in Royal Oak near Leighlinbridge commenced production with a focus on Irish whiskey. It distils all three styles of Irish whiskey in pot still, malt and grain forms with its chief products centring on these whiskey expressions with a USP in the independent manual production of the full range of Irish whiskey types at one site.
Walsh Whiskey, located in Carlow town, produces premium Irish whiskeys. Its chief products include Writers’ Tears and The Irishman whiskeys with a USP in the creation of premium and super-premium blended expressions.
Craft Brewing & Distilling county by county
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
Dining
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
Restaurant awards
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow – Overall – County winners – Georgina Campbell – Good Food Ireland – Michelin Star
County Carlow:
Ireland’s County Carlow combines historic landmarks with serene landscapes, with the Carlow Castle ruins and the nearby Altamont Gardens offering a mix of medieval and botanical appeal. The Barrow Way provides scenic riverside walks, while the Brownshill Dolmen, a prehistoric portal tomb, adds ancient history. Carlow is Ireland’s second smallest county by size (896 square km) and third smallest by population (61,968). Population peaked at 86,228 in 1841 and reached its lowest point, 33,342 in 1961.In terms of hospitality, Carlow is Ireland’s 23rd most visited tourist county with around 68,000 international visitors per year.
Introduction – Adventure – Anthem – Archaeology – Attractions – Awards – Birdwatching – Camping – Castles – Churches – Contact list – Cycling – Dining – Equestrian – Festivals – Fishing – Folklore – Gardens – Golf – Graveyards – Happening – Haunted – Highest – Hiking – History – Holy Wells – Hotels – Hotels top 8 – Hunting & shooting – Instagrammable – Itineraries – Largest town – Luxury – MICE – Movies – Music – Name – New – Novelists – Off the beaten track – Poets – Pubs – Quotes – Random Facts – Restaurant Awards – Sacred Places – Saints – Songs – Spas – Sports – Sunsets – Sustainable – Things to do – Towns – Video – Villages – Walking – Wanderlist – Weddings – Wild swimming – Writers – 1837– 1846 – 1852 – 1909 – 1955 – 1980 –
