Free Home Testing — Available to All Carlow Residents
The HSE offers free at-home STI test kits through sh24.ie. Order online, test at home, post your sample, get results by text or phone. Available to everyone aged 17+ across Ireland. No clinic visit needed.
Free HSE Sexual Health Clinics for Carlow
All services below are free of charge. No GP referral required.
Nearest HSE Sexual Health Service — St Luke's General Hospital, Kilkenny
📍 Freshford Road, Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny (serves Carlow)
📞 056 778 5000 (St Luke's switchboard — ask for the sexual health / GUM clinic)
Carlow patients are routinely seen at the free HSE GUM clinic at St Luke's in Kilkenny. Full STI screening, HIV testing, hepatitis testing and treatment, and partner notification. Phone the switchboard for current clinic times and to book.
Wexford General Hospital is the second closest option. Patients in north Carlow (Tullow, Hacketstown) may find the Dublin clinics — GUIDE Clinic at St James's, or the Mater — quicker by road.
Your GP in Carlow
Any GP in Carlow can arrange an STI screen as part of routine care.
Cost is typically €50–€70, or free with a medical card or GP Visit Card. Ask for a "full STI screen" at the next appointment.
Other Options
SH:24 Free Home STI Testing
🌐 sh24.ie
Free HSE-partnered home testing kit. Tests for HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis. For everyone 17+ in Ireland. Results by text or phone call from a clinician.
Private Dublin clinics by post or referral
Several Dublin private clinics offer postal or telehealth options if you'd prefer not to use the local HSE service. See the main directory.
Carlow Town, Tullow and Bagenalstown
There is no dedicated sexual health clinic in Carlow itself. Use St Luke's Kilkenny, your GP, or sh24.ie's free home kit — all three are free.
How to know which option is right for you
If you have symptoms, the HSE clinic is usually the better choice — they can swab visible sores, examine, and treat in person. If you have no symptoms and just want to know, sh24's free home kit is the easiest path. If you want to discuss other things at the same time (contraception, mental health, anything else), your GP is the natural fit.
Read what actually happens at an STI clinic → · Not sure if you need a test? Try the 30-second self-check →
HSE Helpline & Clinic Finder
For up-to-date clinic times and booking, call the HSE Sexual Health Line free on 1800 700 700 (Mon–Fri 8am–8pm, Sat 9am–5pm) or use the HSE clinic finder tool.
HSE Clinic Finder →Related
Important: Nothing on STI.ie is medical advice. HSE Sexual Health Line: 1800 700 700.
Related on STI.ie
- How STI Testing Actually Works — what happens at the appointment, step by step.
- STI Symptoms — Or Not? — when to test, even with no symptoms.
- STI Testing in Ireland — the complete hub: every county, every condition, every option.