St. Patrick's Trail - Driving Route

The St. Patrick’s Trail is a self-guided driving route through the northern part of County Carlow, covering around 77km (48 miles) and taking in the county’s two largest towns, Carlow and Tullow. It is one of three routes that together make up “Carlow – Trails of the Saints,” a collection of driving trails devoted to the county’s ecclesiastical heritage. The trail takes its name from St. Patrick, who is said to have baptised the King of Leinster in north Carlow.

The route can comfortably be driven in a day and follows a mix of regional and country roads. It begins in Carlow Town, where the numbered sites clustered around the centre are within easy walking distance of one another, so visitors are encouraged to park centrally and explore the town’s cathedral, college, churches and convents on foot before continuing on the wider driving circuit. Along the way the trail links early Christian and medieval monuments including carved doorways, high crosses and holy wells, among them the Romanesque doorway at Killeshin.

The trail is documented in the free “Carlow – Trails of the Saints” booklet, which sets out each stop and includes satellite navigation coordinates. It can be downloaded from carlowtourism.com or collected from the Carlow Tourist Information Office on College Street in Carlow Town.