County Wicklow

County Wicklow Irish: Contae Chill Mhantáin Republic of Ireland
Glendalough
[Interactive map]
Province:	Leinster
Area:	781 square miles
Population:	136,640
County seat:	Wicklow

The County of Wicklow is a county on the east coast of Ireland, south of County Dublin. Wicklow is mountainous, its peaks covering Dublin's southern horizon. The population of the county is 136,640 according to the 2011 census.

Wicklow is colloquially known as the Garden of Ireland. It is the 17th largest of Ireland's 32 counties by area, being thirty-three miles in length by twenty miles in breadth, and 15th largest by population. It is the fourth largest of Leinster's 12 counties by size and the fifth largest in terms of population. Between 2006 and 2011 the population of the county grew between 5–10%

Towns and villages

• Aghavannagh
• Annacurra
• Annamoe
• Arklow
• Ashford
• Aughrim
• Avoca
• Ballinaclash
• Ballinakil
• Ballycoogue
• Baltinglass
• Blessington
• Bray
• Brittas Bay
• Carnew
• Coolafancy
• Coolboy
• Coolkenno
• Delgany
• Donard
• Dunlavin
• Enniskerry
• Glencree
• Glendalough
• Glenealy
• Grangecon
• Greenan
• Greystones
• Hollywood
• Kilbride
• Kilcoole
• Killincarrig
• Kilmacanogue
• Kilpedder
• Kiltegan
• Knockananna
• Lacken
• Laragh
• Manor Kilbride
• Meeting of the Waters
• Newcastle
• Newtownmountkennedy
• Poulaphouca
• Rathnew
• Rathdrum
• Redcross
• Roundwood
• Shillelagh
• Stratford-on-Slaney
• Tinahely
• Valleymount
• Wicklow
• Woodenbridge

Physical geography

Geology and mountains

The Wicklow Mountains range is the largest continuous upland region in Ireland. The highest mountain in the range, Lugnaquilla, rises to 3,035ft, giving Wicklow the second highest county top after Kerry. The Wicklow Way is the oldest waymarked long-distance walking trail in Ireland, and the area is a popular attraction, as the region offers multiple choices of recreation including fishing before discharging into the Irish Sea at Arklow. The River Slaney is in the western part of the county, bordering County Carlow. The Turlough Hill pumped-storage scheme, a significant civil engineering project, was carried out in the mountains in the 1960s and 1970s. The lakes are small but numerous, located mainly in mountain valleys or glacial corries. They include Lough Dan, Lough Tay, Lough Brae, the lakes of Glendalough as well as the Poulaphouca reservoir (the largest by volume).

History

Saint Kevin's monastery at Glendalough.

County Wicklow was the last of the traditional counties of Ireland to be shired in 1606 from land previously part of the counties of Dublin and Carlow. Established as a distinct county, it was aimed at controlling local groups such as the O'Byrnes. The Military Road, stretching from Rathfarnham to Aghavannagh crosses the mountains, north to south, was built by the British army to assist them in defeating the rebels still active in the Wicklow Mountains following the failed 1798 rebellion. It provided them with access to an area that had been a hotbed of Irish rebellion for centuries. Several barracks to house the soldiers were built along the route and the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation was built alongside the remains of barracks there. Battalions of the Irish Army use firing ranges in County Wicklow for tactical exercises, especially the largest one in the Glen of Imaal which was previously used by the British Army prior to independence. The ancient monastery of Glendalough is located in County Wicklow. During the Cromwellian invasion of Ireland, local authorities immediately surrendered without a fight. During the 1798 rebellion, some of the insurgents took refuge in the Wicklow Mountains, resulting in clashes between British troops and the troops commanded by General Joseph Holt (1756–1826) near Aughrim and later at Arklow. A Military Road was built through the territory of the county to open it up to British troops for quick access to the Irish rebels in the Wicklow Mountains in the early 1800s.

Culture

Surrounding area west of Bray.

Mermaid, County Wicklow Arts Centre is based in Bray. Mermaid is the county's hub of artistic activity and creation, offering a programme in many art forms: visual arts, theatre productions, opera, dance performances, arthouse cinema, comedy and a music programme. Two of the county's festivals take place in Arklow, the Arklow music Festival and the Arklow Seabreeze Festival.

The county is a popular film-making location in Ireland. Bray is home to Ardmore Studios, where many of Ireland's best known feature films, including John Boorman's Excalibur and Zardoz, Jim Sheridan's Oscar winning In the Name of the Father, and several Neil Jordan films, have been shot. The BBC series Ballykissangel was also filmed in County Wicklow. Scenes from the movie P.S. I Love You were shot in the Wicklow Mountains National Park while several scenes from other movies, from Barry Lyndon to Haywire, have been filmed in the county.

Media

• WicklowNews.net is a popular news website in the county and was established in 2010.
• The local radio station in Wicklow is East Coast FM. In 2010, Radio Nova became the second local radio service to be licensed for North Wicklow. The station broadcasts to Bray, Greystones, Kilmacanogue, Enniskerry and Blessington, in addition to Dublin, North Kildare and South Meath. It broadcasts to North Wicklow on 95.7 from Bray Head and 100.3 FM. Beat 102–103 also broadcasts in parts of South and West Wicklow towns and villages such as Arklow, Tinahely,Shiellagh,Baltinglass, Kiltegan and Carnew where the borders of Wexford and Carlow meet.

• Local newspapers include Wicklow Times and Wicklow People.

Outside links

• Wicklow County Tourism
• Map of Wicklow
• Wicklow information and directory
• Walks in Wicklow Mountains