Carlow Mart Weekly Cattle Sale

What to Expect

Carlow Mart on the Killeshin Road, run by Leinster Co-Op Marts, is one of two livestock marts serving County Carlow farmers, the other being Tullow Livestock Sales on the far side of the county. Monday is its sale day and the ring runs in stages through the morning rather than as a single sale. There is no charge to come in and watch from the stands, and plenty of local farmers do exactly that on weeks when they are neither buying nor selling.

The morning is sequenced by class of stock: calves go through first from 11.15am, a cow sale follows at 11.30am, and the main cattle sale of bullocks and heifers gets underway from around noon. Numbers swing with the farming year, with spring busier for calves and autumn busier for store cattle coming off grass, so a mid-August Monday sits in the quieter part of the cycle before the autumn trade builds. Auctioneers call each lot by weight and number as pens move through the ring, at the brisk, unsentimental pace that marts run at everywhere. Live online bidding is available through the MartEye platform for buyers who cannot attend. Sale times at any mart can change with seasonal demand, so ring ahead if you are travelling specifically.

Good to Know

• Every Monday, year-round: calves 11.15am, cows 11.30am, cattle from 12 noon
• Venue: Carlow Mart, Killeshin Road, Carlow town
• Free to attend and watch from the stands
• Operated by Leinster Co-Op Marts
• Online bidding through carlow.marteye.ie
• Contact: 059 913 1617 - confirm the sale is running before travelling

Getting There

Carlow Mart is on the Killeshin Road on the west side of Carlow town, a short drive from the town centre and reached off the N80. Carlow sits on the M9 motorway corridor roughly an hour south of Dublin and 45 minutes north of Kilkenny. The mart has its own yard and space for livestock trailers, which is what most people arrive in. Bus Eireann serves Carlow town from Dublin and Kilkenny and Carlow railway station is on the Dublin Heuston to Waterford line, but the mart itself sits outside the walkable town centre, so a car is the practical option.