With Conor Groarke impressing in defence, Dublin resumed in a dominant manner through a trio of Ó Dúlaing scores and further points by Dara Purcell and substitute Liam Mostyn.
It took their opponents fourteen minutes to open their second-half account courtesy of Paddy Boland but they enjoyed a purple patch of sorts early in the final quarter thanks to a brace of Kavanagh frees and another placed ball from Kehoe.
With their lead reduced to four points by the 51st minute, Dublin required a sublime Ó Dúlaing score to get back on track as the saw out the game in relative comfort through late points by Conor Burke and Seán Gallagher.
Scorers – Dublin: D Ó Dúlaing 0-11 (6f); David Purcell 0-3; Dara Purcell 0-2; C Donohoe, J Madden, O Gaffney, D Keogh, L Mostyn, C Burke, S Gallagher 0-1 apiece. Carlow: M Kavanagh 0-8 (8f); C Kehoe (1f), D Murphy 0-2 each; J Nolan, F Fitzpatrick, P Boland, J Treacy, K McDonald 0-1 apiece.
Dublin: S Brennan; A Dunphy, P Smyth, C Groarke; C Burke, D Lucey, C Murray; C Ó Riain, D Keogh; C Donohoe, Dara Purcell, J Madden; O Gaffney, David Purcell, D Ó Dúlaing. Subs: J Bellew for Smyth (half-time), R Hayes for Gaffney (half-time), S Gallagher for Ó Riain (half-time), L Mostyn for David Purcell (half-time), D Power for Madden (41), J Flanagan for Dara Purcell (45), C Kennedy for Dunphy (45), T Brennan for Donohoe (49), E McSherry for Murray (57).
Carlow: B Tracey; N Bolger, D Wall, C Fitzpatrick; P O’Shea, E Kealy, E English; C Beck, F Fitzpatrick; M Kavanagh, J Nolan, C Kehoe; J Treacy, JM Nolan, D Murphy. Subs: K McDonald for Bolger (half-time), P Boland for JM Nolan (half-time), F O’Toole for English (41), J Doyle for Beck (41), R Murphy for D Murphy (49), C Kavanagh for M Kavanagh (50), T O’Neill for J Nolan (58), J Wall for Kealy (62).
Referee: Matthew Redmond (Kildare).