Leighlin Parish Graveyard Masses 2026

What to Expect

Leighlin parish has published two graveyard Masses for 2026. The first is at Old Leighlin on Friday 28 August at 7.30pm, celebrated among the graves beside St Laserian’s, the medieval cathedral that gave the diocese of Kildare and Leighlin half its name. The second, for Clody, falls on Sunday 6 September at 9.30am and is celebrated in Ballinabranna Church rather than at the burial ground itself.

Graveyard Masses are among the best attended parish occasions of the Carlow year. Families tidy the plots in the weeks beforehand, and the Mass is followed by a blessing of the graves. Both are open to anyone, whether or not you have family buried there, and the Old Leighlin setting in particular rewards arriving a little early to look around the cathedral grounds.

Bring warm layers for the Old Leighlin Mass. It is held outdoors in the evening and late August in the Barrow valley can turn cool once the sun drops.

Good to Know

• Old Leighlin: Friday 28 August 2026 at 7.30pm, at the cemetery.
• Clody: Sunday 6 September 2026 at 9.30am, celebrated in Ballinabranna Church.
• Both are free and open to all. No booking.
• The parish covers Leighlinbridge, Ballinabranna and Old Leighlin. Contact the Parish Centre on 059 972 2607 or info@leighlinparish.ie for confirmation if weather looks doubtful.
• Weekly Eucharistic Adoration in the parish takes place in Ballinabranna on Wednesdays from 2pm to 3pm and Fridays from 6.30pm to 7.30pm.
• Masses in the parish are streamed on the Leighlinbridge and Ballinabranna webcams at leighlinparish.ie.

Getting There

Old Leighlin is about 3km west of Leighlinbridge, signposted off the R705 that links Carlow town with Bagenalstown. Leighlinbridge itself sits just off the M9 at junction 6, roughly 12km south of Carlow town, so the village is quick to reach from either Dublin or Waterford. Parking at Old Leighlin is on the road and in the space by the cathedral, and it fills up for the annual Mass, so allow time to walk in. Ballinabranna, for the Clody Mass, lies between Leighlinbridge and Milford on the western side of the Barrow. There is no public transport to either village; the nearest rail stations are Carlow and Muine Bheag.