County Wicklow
County Wicklow (Irish: Contae Chill Mhantáin) is one of the twenty-six counties of the Republic of Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the province of Leinster. It was named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. The population of the county is 126,194 according to the 2006 census.[1] Wicklow is the 17th largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and 17th largest in terms of population[2]. It is the fourth largest of Leinster’s 12 counties in size and fifth largest in terms of population.
History
Saint Kevin's monastery at Glendalough.
County Wicklow was the last of the original counties to be established in 1606 from land previously part of County Dublin and County 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.
Geography
The Wicklow Mountains are the largest continuous upland region in Ireland. The highest mountain in the range, Lugnaquilla, rises to 925 metres giving Wicklow the second highest county peak 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, rafting and hill walking. Also in its midst lies the monastic settlement of Glendalough, believed to have been founded by St. Kevin, and now a popular tourist attraction; as well as Powerscourt Waterfall, the highest waterfall in Ireland.
Rivers in Wicklow include the Avoca and the Liffey. Other natural features include Lough Dan and Lough Tay, and the lakes of Glendalough. The Turlough Hill pumped-storage scheme, a significant civil engineering project, was carried out in the mountains in the 1960s and 1970s. Ireland's first offshore wind farm is located off the coast at Arklow Bank.
Local government
Wicklow County Council has twenty-four members. The county has five representatives in Dáil Éireann.
Culture
Wicklow Gap
Mermaid, County Wicklow Arts Centre is based in Bray. Mermaid is the county's hub of artistic activity and creation, offering an extensive and ambitious programme across the artforms. Mermaid offers a strong visual arts programme, compelling theatre productions, opera, cutting edge dance performances, arthouse cinema, comedy and a diverse music programme.[3] Two of the county's most well respected festivals take place in Arklow, the Arklow music Festival and the Arklow Seabreeze Festival.
The county is a very 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, 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.
Media
- The local radio station in Wicklow is East Coast FM.
- The local newspapers include Wicklow Times and Wicklow People.
Towns and villages
| Historical populations |
| Year |
Pop. |
%± |
| 1659 |
6,066 |
— |
| 1821 |
110,767 |
1726.0% |
| 1831 |
121,557 |
9.7% |
| 1841 |
126,143 |
3.8% |
| 1851 |
98,979 |
−21.5% |
| 1861 |
86,479 |
−12.6% |
| 1871 |
78,697 |
−9.0% |
| 1881 |
70,386 |
−10.6% |
| 1891 |
62,136 |
−11.7% |
| 1901 |
60,824 |
−2.1% |
| 1911 |
60,711 |
−0.2% |
| 1926 |
57,591 |
−5.1% |
| 1936 |
58,569 |
1.7% |
| 1946 |
60,451 |
3.2% |
| 1951 |
62,590 |
3.5% |
| 1956 |
59,906 |
−4.3% |
| 1961 |
58,473 |
−2.4% |
| 1966 |
60,428 |
3.3% |
| 1971 |
66,295 |
9.7% |
| 1979 |
83,950 |
26.6% |
| 1981 |
87,449 |
4.2% |
| 1986 |
94,542 |
8.1% |
| 1991 |
97,265 |
2.9% |
| 1996 |
102,683 |
5.6% |
| 2002 |
114,676 |
11.7% |
| 2006 |
126,194 |
10.0% |
| [4][5][6][7][8][9] |
- Aghavannagh
- Annamoe
- Arklow
- Ashford
- Aughrim
- Avoca
- Ballinaclash
- Ballinakil
- Ballycoogue
- Baltinglass
- Blessington
- Bray
- Brittas Bay
- Carnew
- Coolafancy
- Coolboy
- 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
See also
- List of abbeys and priories in County Wicklow.
- Wicklow Mountains.
- Wicklow Way.
References
- ↑ Census 2006 - Population of each province, county and city
- ↑ Corry, Eoghan (2005). The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. pp. 186–191.
- ↑ About Mermaid Arts Centre - Official website
- ↑ For 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy March 14, 1865.
- ↑ Census for post 1821 figures.
- ↑ http://www.histpop.org
- ↑ http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/census
- ↑ Lee, JJ (1981). "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses". In Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A.. Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
- ↑ Mokyr, Joel; O Grada, Cormac (November). "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850". The Economic History Review Volume 37 (Issue 4): 473–488. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120035880/abstract
External links
|
Places in County Wicklow, Ireland |
|
| County town: Wicklow |
|
| Incorporated towns1 |
Arklow · Bray · Greystones · Wicklow
|
|
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| Unincorporated towns2 |
Ashford · Aughrim · Baltinglass · Blessington · Dunlavin · Enniskerry · Kilcoole · Newcastle · Newtownmountkennedy · Rathdrum · Rathnew
|
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| Villages3 |
Aghavannagh · Annamoe · Avoca · Ballinaclash · Ballycoogue · Carnew · Charlesland · Coolboy · Delgany · Donard · Glendalough · Glenealy · Grangecon · Greenan · Hollywood · Killincarrig · Kilmacanogue · Kilpedder · Kilquade · Kiltegan · Knockananna · Lacken · Laragh · Manor Kilbride · Redcross · Roundwood · Shillelagh · Stratford-on-Slaney · Tinahely · Valleymount · Woodenbridge
|
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| Townlands |
Ballinakil · Butterhill · Hempstown · Rathdangan
|
|
| 1 A C.D.P. with defined boundaries. 2 A C.D.P. with undefined boundaries and a population above 1,000. 3 A C.D.P. with undefined boundaries and a population below 1,000. |
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County Wicklow 
