Carrigduff
Gateway to Mount Leinster and the Nine Stones.
Carrigduff is a beautiful village in Carlow situated on the outskirts of Bunclody. Th evillage is a gateway to the Mount Leinster and the Blackstairs Mountains and the recently developed Kilbrannish Forest Loop Walks, along the tree-lined hills of the Clody River Valley.
Carrigduff is a very small village, the benefit to this is that everything is so close together, such as the schools, church, restaurants, shops, swimming pool, GAA club and fishing club are all within walking distance of each other.
The national school was built in 1976 and it is now a three-teacher school to cater to the needs of the children in Carrigduff. A big fundraiser was put in place to assist the grant support from the department of education and now the children in the school are seeing the benefits with a newly built classroom. Carrigduff National School is a small primary school with 92 pupils, 4 mainstream teachers, 1 support teacher, SNA, secretary and caretaker.
Local Attractions
Newtownbarry House & Gardens
Newtownbarry House is a beautiful Victorian house that was built in the early 19th century. The house was designed by Sir Charles Lanyon & Partners and was built in 1863-69 by the Hall Dare family who arrived in Ireland in the 1840s. Mrs. Clody Norton, great-grandmother of the present owner, established a school for lacemaking in the late 19th century. The house has retained much of its original features. The house is set in a large garden of a previous house and surrounded by ancient trees. The garden also features two large grottos as well as a fountain. The lake is home to a multitude of wildlife.
Sports
Bunclody Golf Course and Fishing Club is situated in 300 acres of beautiful, scenic parkland in the former Hall-Dare Estate on the Carlow/Wexford border. A stunning gem in Irish golfing and fishing circles, it opened its doors in March 2009 and has already been ranked among the top 21 courses in Ireland.
There are numerous walking trails around the Clodey Valley and off-road trails in Coolmeelagh and Kilbranish. It is also the starting point for the Columban Way from Bunclody to Bangor and on to Bobio in Italy following the life journey of St. Columbanus, born circa 540 AD near the Nine Stones.
There are some lovely scenic drives along the Slaney valley and to popular viewpoints on Mount Leinster. Bunclody has a heated swimming pool which opens during the school holidays.