County Carlow

The nearest public General Hospital to Carlow is St. Luke's Hospital in Kilkenny. Carlow has a district hospital, called St. Dympna's located on the Athy Road. It offers psychiatric care, among other services. It has a Caredoc (http://www.caredoc.ie) centre on site, which offers G.P. services for those with urgent medical problems who need to contact a doctor after surgeries close. Cars will transport the doctors on duty to house calls when patients are unable to attend treatment centres. It's Carlow service was the first of its kind in Ireland, and opened in June 1999.

Carlow is relatively safe, especially compared to bigger cities like Dublin or Limerick. As a general rule, only basic precautions and common sense are needed - if you leave your wallet behind you at a restaurant, it's more likely to be handed in than stolen. But that doesn't mean you should try it out. Most locals go about their daily business without ever facing significant trouble; therefore it may help if you "act" local.

However, the risk does increases during night-time, and like anywhere, caution is always advised. Weekend incidents are usually limited to a handful, and generally these aren't too serious. But nonetheless they're a most unpleasant experience so be sure to be cautious if you're out and about at night. Drink 'spiking' does occur, so many people choose to drink from a bottle, rather than a glass, but it's best not to leave either unattended. If you'd like to sample the night time atmosphere, then stay around well-lit areas where there are lots of people, try to stay in groups of at least three or four, avoid confrontation and act sensibly.

Most housing estates have a pleasant vibe; however some are known for unsavoury behaviour, so try to avoid journeys into these unless necessary. Minor incidents of anti-social behaviour e.g. playing with shopping trolleys occur from time to time - if you notice it, the safest and easiest thing to do is to ignore it and carry on with whatever you're doing.

talk

English is the first language of most residents, however as Carlow becomes increasingly cosmopolitan, the variety of languages spoken in the county continues to increase. It is not necessary to know any Irish Gaeilge to communicate with locals, most of whom probably have a poor understanding of the language anyway, however it may impress if you possess a "cúpla focail", i.e. a couple of words. Although there are no Gaelteacht areas in Carlow, Irish is the first official language.

The county is now home to residents from many different countries, including most of the accession states to the EU. If you need to communicate in Polish or Lithuanian, for instance, you may be able to find someone who speaks these languages.

The majority of students are required to learn a foreign language as part of their studies, with French emerging as the clear favourite, mainly due to the attention which schools give to this language over others. Although fluent French speakers are few and far between, many young people in particular would have a basic understanding of the language.

contact

Carlow town offers the greatest range of Internet Cafés in the county, some of whom are open until late in the evening. There is also an expanding list of Wireless Hotspots. Free internet access is available by booking in advance at libraries throughout the county; however there is usually competition for places as these are an attractive option.

police contacts

In Ireland, the police force is known as An Garda Síochána. A police officer is known as a 'Garda', or in its plural form, Gardaí pronounced Garr-dee. The emergency services can be contacted free of charge on 999, or, like the rest of Europe, on 112.

Carlow Garda Station
+353 059 9136620. Carlow Garda Station is on the Athy Road, near the County Council offices.
Bagenalstown Garda Station
+353 059 9721212.
Ballon Garda Station
+353 059 9159122.
Borris Garda Station
+353 059 9773102.
Hacketstown Garda Station
+353 059 6471202.
Leighlinbridge Garda Station
+353 059 9721122.
Myshall Garda Station
+353 059 9157622.
Rathvilly Garda Station
+353 059 9161122.
Tullow Garda Station
+353 059 9151222.