The house, especially the garden and views, were amazing. We had a wonderful week in Carlow. We were invited to a wedding celebration at Huntington castle, which was such a lovely place, and then found many more lovely places within a 30 minute drive time. I would definitely recommend Carlow and this house for a countryside holiday.
Don't be deterred by having to take your rubbish to the tip at the end of your stay. It was really straightforward to drop it off at O'Toole skip hire on the way back to Dublin and just 10€.
It's a country house and felt very familiar. A real home from home, with random books on the shelf which I always enjoy on holiday. Loads of bathrooms and a dishwasher, so we were living the high-life compared to our little cottage we live in. Don't expect modern luxury decor, but the beds were very comfortable with super warm duvets.
The TV wasn't a smart TV and didn't have great signal, the sofa wasn't the most comfortable, but I don't think you're coming here to watch TV.
My under 5s loved it, but there are some features that aren't ideal for small children such as the upstairs bedroom windows are very low. In summer you definitely wouldn't want to leave them open with smalls crawling around. Also there's no door to close the living space from the stairs, so you might be bringing your toddlers back down the stairs pretty regularly, but it was a lovely sturdy staircase.
Overall we had a lovely time and would definitely come back (even with the 14 hour journey).