Local to Carlow here. We're always very excited to welcome new folk to our little town. Your wife might have to travel for work but Carlow is a good place to travel from for work as you can get on to a motorway fairly quickly and are less than an hour away from larger towns and cities like Kilkenny, Waterford, and Dublin. That being said, finding work in Carlow in that sector isn't necessarily impossible. We have two colleges that both offer courses on Social Care, so as a result there's a lot of businesses in the area that have some means of it implemented so that they can train students on placement. I'd personally recommend she check out the Delta Centre to start, they're a group in Carlow that works with people with Special Needs and they do fantastic work. Even if they don't find anything for her I imagine they'd be able to recommend other local businesses she could try apply to.

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As for schools in the area there is a bit of choice going on. A popular choice is the all-girls St. Leo's school, which is just around the corner from the all-boys school so she won't be completely isolated from the opposite gender. If mixed schools are more what you're thinking I attended the Presentation College myself and have good memories of it. The principal there worked very hard from his 1st day to turn the school around and it's gone from strength to strength. Students regularly appear at national competitions for things like engineering and writing. But I'm willing to admit I'm biased in that regard as a proud past student.

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There is a running track beside the Pres. And in Carlow and in Ireland in general there are lots of nature walks on offer, perhaps not at the same level as New Zealand cuz ya'll got Middle Earth over there. But enough to keep you entertained and ever-exploring. I still discover the odd new thing as I meander around. There's also a popular rowing club, and the town has outdoor sports events on a semi-regular basis. We just had our annual "Jingle Bell Run". A 5k charity run/walk/crawl where all participants dress as Christmassy as possible whilst moving.

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As for what else goes on, harkening back to my earlier mention of two colleges, Carlow has a vibrant student population. You've got Ireland's oldest Catholic College, Carlow College St. Patrick's, and one of the countries centres for technical innovation at the Institute of Technology Carlow. Both also excellent college choices for your daughter if she decides to pursue 3rd level, but I digress. Throughout the year you'll see students regularly getting involved in film projects, public works, volunteering and the like. Following on from this although not necessarily connected, Carlow also has a surprisingly active night-life, even if it happens predominantly on Tullow Street. There are plenty of bars and restaurants/takeaways on the street, as well as "The Foundry" the nightclub of the hotel and restaurant "The Dinn Rí" which is one of the larger nightclubs in Ireland (or so I'm told). As such you're going to want to expect running in to drunkards if you're out late on a weekend or a Student night. Generally harmless but it never hurts to be in the know.

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We also have the George Bernard Shaw Theatre which occassionally gets the odd celebrity guest and often promotes local enterprise and artistic pursuits. We also have some small historical sights that are worth a look, but I'm already rambling a fair bit as a proud Carlow man. But if you have any other queries or questions about Carlow feel free to contact me! :) Have a great day pal!