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Huntington Castle, Clonegal, County Carlow, Ireland.

Carlow, Ireland

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Huntington Castle, Clonegal, County Carlow, Ireland.
Huntington Castle, Clonegal, County Carlow, Ireland. | © Anastasiia | AdobeStock

Carlow, Ireland

Carlow, with a population of 62,000 in the 2022 Census, is the third least populous county Situated in the south-east, it is the second smallest county in Ireland. The River Barrow runs through the county's west and the Blackstairs Mountains are in its south-east. Historically reliant on agriculture, recent decades have seen the arrival of new industries. South East Technological University (SETU) Carlow has over 7,000 students, and also participates in the EU’s Erasmus+ exchange programme.

Examples of projects and initiatives supported by the EU

Craft Hub

Carlow County Council was selected as one of twenty successful applicants to lead an EU Project called “Craft Hub” which started in 2020 and finishes in 2023. The project received €750,000 as part of Creative Europe funding, and showcases craft practices such as glass, ceramics, jewellery, stonemasonry, metalwork, textiles, furniture and digital making.

Borris House Festival of Writing and Ideas

One LEADER beneficiary, the Borris House Festival of Writing and Ideas, got €20,750 in 2018 for marketing and advertising the festival, which had 70 speakers on a range of topics in fiction and factual writing. 

2023-2027 LEADER Programme

Carlow received €4.9 million for the 2023-2027 LEADER Programme. The LEADER Rural Development Programme is managed by Carlow County Development Partnership. With a budget of €6.4 million for 2014-2020, LEADER supports tourism initiatives, small businesses and enterprises and development of local community and sporting facilities.

Transitional LEADER Programme

Carlow received €1.9 million for the Transitional LEADER Programme. The LEADER Rural Development Programme is managed by Carlow County Development Partnership. With a budget of €6.4 million for 2014-2020, LEADER supports tourism initiatives, small businesses and enterprises and development of local community and sporting facilities.

Beef Carbon

The Teagasc site in Carlow was part of the 2016-2020 Beef Carbon project, which focussed on the development and application of farm level tools to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of beef cattle production. Run across four countries, 60% of the project was funded by the EU.

ReNu2Farm

Glacann SETU páirt freisin in ReNu2Farm, arb é is aidhm dó rátaí athchúrsála na gcothaitheach plandaí nítrigin, fosfar agus potaisiam a mhéadú, agus dul i ngleic le bacainní a chuireann teorainn le húsáid leasacháin a dhíorthaítear ó athchúrsáil.

Enter to Transform - Transformational Entrepreneurship Hubs for Recognised Refugee Re-starters

SETU Carlow is a partner in the EU funded programmes Enter to Transform, an inter-regional project which helps increase the entrepreneurship capacity of recognised refugees, and assists them to become ready for business creation.

Further information
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