Carlow (; ) is the
county town of
County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from
Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2011 census with a population of 23,030. The
River Barrow flows through the town, and forms the historic boundary between counties
Laois and Carlow: the
Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 included the town entirely in County Carlow. The settlement of Carlow is thousands of years old and pre-dates written Irish history. The town has played a major role in Irish history, serving as the capital of the country in the 14th century. It was voted the cleanest town in Ireland by Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) in 2010.