Carlow County Museum 2.44

Carlow County Museum is a county museum documenting the history of County Carlow. Located on College Street in Carlow town, the building was originally the Presentation Convent which also houses the Carlow Library and Archives.HistoryThe Museum was founded by the Carlow Historical & Archaeological Society (CHAS), then the Old Carlow Society, in 1973 and was run by the Society on a voluntary basis until 2002. The collections were housed first in the old Christian Brothers' building, and latterly the former theatre room of the Town Hall from 1979. The Museum was reopened in the redeveloped convent building in 2012, the last of the buildings to open in this new cultural quarter. It is now operated by Carlow Town Council and Carlow County Council in association with the CHAS.ContentsThe Museum consists of four exhibition rooms housing permanent and temporary displays. The diverse collection includes objects that cover the archaeological, history, social history and folk life of the local area. It is designated to collect archaeological finds by the National Museum of Ireland. One of the most notable objects on display is the 19th century pulpit from Carlow Cathedral which was included in The Irish Times A History of Ireland in 100 Objects. Other notable objects in the Museum's collections pertain to John Tyndall, Kevin Barry, Captain Myles Kehoe, and the Carlow Sugar Factory.