Annual Classic Car Show at Duckett's Grove 2026

What to Expect

The Carlow Vintage and Classic Motor Club puts on this two-day gathering every August, and it has become one of the more reliable dates in the county’s motoring calendar. Saturday afternoon opens with a parade of vintage and classic vehicles setting off at 4pm from the Woodford Dolmen Hotel and winding through Carlow town, before the cars head out to Duckett’s Grove for the main event the next day. Sunday is when the show itself takes shape: exhibitor and trader gates open at 9am, with the general public welcome from 11am. Expect rows of vintage and classic cars and tractors spanning from the pre-war era through to the 1980s, alongside stationary engines, motorbikes and other machinery brought along by club members and visiting enthusiasts. It is a low-key, family-friendly day, the kind where owners are happy to talk you through the history of their own vehicle.

Duckett’s Grove itself is worth the trip on its own merits. What stands today is the ruin of a castellated Gothic Revival mansion, remodelled in the 1820s by architect Thomas Cobden for the Duckett family, complete with towers, turrets and carved stonework. The house burned down in 1933 and stood empty for decades until Carlow County Council took over the site in 2005, restoring the grounds and its two walled gardens as a public park. The car show uses this dramatic ruin as a backdrop, with vehicles parked out across the open grounds in front of the towers.

Good to Know

• Date: Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 August 2026. Parade departs Carlow town, from the Woodford Dolmen Hotel, at 4pm on the Saturday; the main show at Duckett’s Grove runs from 9am for exhibitors and 11am for the public on the Sunday
• Venue: Duckett’s Grove, Kneestown, Co. Carlow
• Admission: €5
• Organised by the Carlow Vintage and Classic Motor Club, supported by Carlow County Council
• The grounds include tea rooms and two walled gardens, both worth a look while you’re there

Getting There

Duckett’s Grove is roughly 10km from Carlow town and 9km from Tullow, signposted off the R418, with on-site parking in the grounds. Carlow town, where the Saturday parade starts, is served by Irish Rail from Dublin Heuston and by Bus Éireann routes from across the south-east.