Brief History of Carlow College

Built before the French Revolution, Carlow College is Ireland’s oldest Catholic college and with Trinity College, one of the country’s oldest educational institutions.

Although building began in 1782 the college did not, for legal reasons, open its doors to students until 1793, five years before the insurrection of 1798. From the beginning the college was both a lay college and a seminary for the education of clergy. The Humanities were at the core of the academic curriculum.

In 1841 Carlow College was accredited by the University of London and over the next three decades students of the college sat examinations for primary degrees in Arts and Law from the London body. In 1892 the college became a seminary exclusively. One hundred years later, in 1990, it reclaimed its original role and once again welcomed lay students from all over the country.

In the past decade Carlow College has established itself as a provider of courses in Humanities and Social Care  with the particular remit of serving the South Leinster and South- East Midlands region.
It has built strong links with the local community, with schools, local authorities, health service providers and cultural organisations.

Since 1997 the college has embarked on a building and renovation programme which has seen the development of new lecture halls, a new library and archive and a student resource centre.

As part of its development strategy the college donated a valuable site on its campus to Carlow Local Authorities for the development of a 20million Euro Arts Centre and Theatre. This magnificent facility opened in September 2009  will further establish Carlow’s claim to be the Humanities hub for this region It  incorporates the largest exhibition space in the country and the theatre  seats three hundred and fifty patrons.

Students of the college are privileged to have such an amenity on their doorstep.