Evidence of settlement in the Neolithic Period (3700-3400 BC) was found at the ancient burial site in Linkardstown in 1943.

This castle was the centre for the Kavanagh's of Ballyloo until the arrival of Oliver Cromwell 200 years later.

[citation needed] In nearby Clonmelsh Church Graveyard (Rath Melsigi) are buried the ancestors of Walt Disney and members of the Butler family.

A commemoration stone to the 1798 rebellion was erected on the main approach road to the village on the 200th anniversary of the uprising in 1998.

The monument was built in honour of the locals who fought and died in the insurrection and at the battle of Carlow in May 1798.