OUR COUNTY has a rich and storied past that continues to delight generations of Carlovians, while providing rich material for local historians, too.

Now in an exciting development for anyone who loves to look back in time, the National Library of Ireland has released an archive of digitised photographs of old Carlow – and they’re available to view for free online. Among the fabulous images are the picturesque Bunahoun Bridge in Borris, the Browneshill Dolmen, Duckett’s Grove and Bagenalstown’s Market Square.

As part of an initiative entitled ‘Around the Island’, the National Library is inviting Carlow people, and everyone with an interest in the county, to explore these images from home. ‘Around the Island’ aims to encourage people across the island of Ireland to connect and reconnect with their counties and their history by accessing local photographs that are readily available through the National Library’s rich and varied online collections. The catalogue can be accessed via http://catalogue.nli.ie.

For more on this, see next Tuesday’s edition of The Nationalist.