Courthouse cannon back better than ever

THE ICONIC Crimean cannon is back in its rightful place on the steps of Carlow Courthouse.

The impressive big gun has undergone a complete overhaul and its now back to its shiny best in its familiar location.

“It looks fantastic and it’s great to see it back after a week away for cleaning and repair,” said Lisa Malone, manager of Carlow Courthouse. “It was in quite a state of disrepair and it’s a very specialised job to restore it so it was set to Oliver Boland Engineer Ltd in Wexford, who did a great job,” said Lisa.

The Crimean cannon has stood outside Carlow Courthouse for the past 167 years. Weighing over two tonnes, it was quite the feat to get the big gun loaded up and then transported to and from Wexford, but with lots of expertise on hand, the job went smoothly. 

The cannon that was used by the Russians during the Crimean War between 1853 and 1856 was captured by the 88th Regiment of the British Army. The gun is original, while the carriage isn’t. It was donated to the people of Carlow following representations by Carlow town commissioners in 1857 to the then British minister of war Lord Panmure, 11th Earl of Dalhousie, and arrived in Carlow in 1858.