Wicklow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wicklow Cill Mhantáin
Town
Parnell Bridge over the River Vartry in Wicklow
Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Mo radharc tar sál sínim
Wicklow Location in Ireland
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	County Wicklow
Elevation	69 m (226 ft)
Population  (2022)
• Total	12,957
Time zone	UTC±0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (IST)
Eircode routing key	A67
Telephone area code	+353(0)404
Irish Grid Reference	T312940

Wicklow (/ˈwɪkloʊ/ WIK-loh; Irish: Cill Mhantáin [ˌciːl̠ʲ ˈwan̪ˠt̪ˠaːnʲ], meaning 'church of the toothless one'; Old Norse: Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located on the east of Ireland, south of Dublin. According to the 2022 census, it had a population of 12,957 people. The town is to the east of the M11 route between Dublin and Wexford. It also has railway links to Dublin, Wexford, Arklow, and Rosslare Europort. There is also a commercial port for timber and textile imports. The River Vartry is the main river flowing through the town.

Geography

Looking north over Wicklow Golf Club (foreground, with rocky outcrops visible on right), across Wicklow Bay towards the Great Sugar Loaf (centre) and Bray Head (right) in the distance. Wicklow town is hidden below the golf club house.

Wicklow town forms a rough semicircle around Wicklow harbour. To the immediate north lies 'The Murrough', a popular grassy walking area beside the sea, and the eastern coastal strip. The Murrough is a place of growing commercial use, so much so that a road by-passing the town directly to the commercial part of the area commenced construction in 2008 and was completed in summer of 2010. The eastern coastal strip includes Wicklow bay, a crescent shaped stone beach approximately 10 km in length.

Ballyguile Hill is to the southwest of the town. Much of the housing developments of the 1970s and 1980s occurred in this area, despite the considerable gradient from the town centre.

The land rises into rolling hills to the west, going on to meet the Wicklow Mountains in the centre of the county. The dominant feature to the south is the rocky headlands of Bride's Head and Wicklow Head, the easternmost mainland point of the Republic of Ireland. On a very clear day it is possible to see the Snowdonia mountain range in Wales.

Climate

Similar to much of the rest of northwestern Europe, Wicklow experiences a maritime climate (Cfb) with cool summers, mild winters, and a lack of temperature extremes. The average maximum January temperature is 9.2 °C (48.6 °F), while the average maximum August temperature is 21.2 °C (70.2 °F). On average, the sunniest month is May. The wettest month is October with 118.9 mm (4.6 in) of rain and the driest month is April with 60.7 mm (2.4 in). With the exceptions of October and November, rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year with rainfall falling within a relatively narrow band of between 60 (2.4 in) and 86 mm (3.4 in) for any one month. However, a considerable spike occurs in October and November each of which records almost double the typical rainfall of April.

Wicklow is sheltered locally by Ballyguile hill and, more distantly by the Wicklow mountains. This sheltered location makes it one of the driest and warmest places in Ireland. It receives only about 60% the rainfall of the west coast. In addition because Wicklow is protected by the mountains from southwesterly and westerly winds, it enjoys higher average temperatures than much of Ireland. Its average high in August of 21.2 °C (70.2 °F) is a full 1 °C higher than the highest average month in Dublin, only 50 km (30miles) to the north.

While its location is favorable for protection against the prevailing winds that is common to much of Ireland, Wicklow is particularly exposed to easterly winds. As these winds come from the northern European landmass Wicklow can, along with much of the east coast of Ireland, experience relatively sharp temperature drops in winter for short periods.

Economy

Since 1995, the town has undergone significant change and expansion reflecting the simultaneous growth in the Irish economy. Residential developments have taken place to the west of the town along Marlton Road (R751). More recently, housing developments have been concentrated to the northwest of the town towards the neighbouring village of Rathnew. The completion of the Ashford/Rathnew bypass in 2004 meant that Wicklow is now linked to Dublin (42 km north) by dual carriageway and motorway. These factors have led to a steady growth in population of Wicklow and its surrounding townlands while its importance as a commuter town to Dublin increases.

Toponymy

Earlier spellings of the town's name include Wykinglo in 1173, Wygingelow in 1185, Wykinglo in 1192, Wykinglowe in 1355.

The Swedish toponymist Magne Oftedal criticises the usual explanation that the name comes from Old Norse Vikingr (meaning "Viking") and Old Norse ló (meaning "meadow"), that is to say "the Vikings' meadow" or "Viking's meadow". He notices that -lo was never used outside Norway (cf. Oslo) and Scandinavia. Furthermore, this word is almost never combined with a male name or a general word meaning "a category of person". Moreover, "Viking" never appears in toponymic records. For him, the first element can be explained as Uikar- or Uik- "bay" in Old Norse and the intermediate N of the old forms is a mistake by the clerks.

However, all recorded forms show this N. That is the reason why Liam Price says it is probably a Norwegian place-name and A. Sommerfelt gives it as a former Vikinga-ló and understands it as "the Vikings' meadow". Nevertheless, the Irish patronimics Ó hUiginn and Mac Uiginn (anglicised O'Higgins and Maguigan) could bring a key for the meaning "Meadow of a man called Viking".

Wykinglo was the usual name used by the Viking sailors and the traders who travelled around the Anglo-Scandinavian world. The Normans and Anglo-Normans who conquered Ireland preferred the non-Gaelic placename.

The origin of the Irish name Cill Mhantáin bears no relation to the name Wicklow. It has an interesting folklore of its own. Saint Patrick and some followers are said to have tried to land on Travailahawk beach, to the south of the harbour. Hostile locals attacked them, causing one of Patrick's party to lose his front teeth. Manntach (toothless one), as he became known, was undeterred and returned to the town, eventually founding a church. Hence Cill Mhantáin, meaning "church of the toothless one". Although its anglicised spelling Kilmantan was used for a time, it gradually fell out of use.

History

Main Street

During excavations to build the Wicklow road bypass in 2010, a Bronze Age cooking pit (Fulach Fiadh) and hut site was uncovered in the Ballynerrn Lower area of the town. A radio carbon-dating exercise on the site puts the timeline of the discovery at 900 BC. The first Celts arrived in Ireland around 600 BC. According to the Greek cartographer and historian, Ptolemy, the area around Wicklow was settled by a Celtic tribe called the Cauci/Canci. This tribe is believed to have originated in the region containing today's Belgium/German border. The area around Wicklow was referred to as Menapia in Ptolemy's map which itself dates back to 130 AD.

Vikings landed in Ireland around 795 AD and began plundering monasteries and settlements for riches and to capture slaves. In the mid-9th century, Vikings established a base which took advantage of the natural harbour at Wicklow. It is from this chapter of Wicklow's history that the name 'Wicklow' originates.

'Stone' Bridge over the River Vartry (also known as River Leitrim at this point)

The Norman influence can still be seen today in some of the town's place and family names. After the Norman invasion, Wicklow was granted to Maurice FitzGerald who set about building the 'Black Castle', a land-facing fortification that lies ruined on the coast immediately south of the harbour. The castle was briefly held by the local O'Byrne, the O'Toole and Kavanagh clans in the uprising of 1641 but was quickly abandoned when English troops approached the town. Sir Charles Coote, who led the troops is then recorded as engaging in "savage and indiscriminate" slaughter of the townspeople in an act of revenge. Local oral history contends that one of these acts of "wanton cruelty" was the entrapment and deliberate burning to death of an unknown number of people in a building in the town. Though no written account of this particular detail of Coote's attack on Wicklow is available, a small laneway, locally referred to as "Melancholy Lane", is said to have been where this event took place.

Though the surrounding County of Wicklow is rich in bronze age monuments, the oldest surviving settlement in the town is the ruined Franciscan Abbey. This is located at the west end of Main Street, within the gardens of the local Roman Catholic parish grounds. Other notable buildings include the Town Hall and the Gaol, built in 1702 and recently renovated as a heritage centre and tourist attraction. The East Breakwater, arguably the most important building in the town, was built in the early 1880s by Wicklow Harbour Commissioners. The architect was William George Strype and the builder was John Jackson of Westminster. The North Groyne was completed by about 1909 – John Pansing was the designer and Louis Nott of Bristol the builder. Wicklow Gaol was a place of execution up to the end of the 19th century and it was here that Billy Byrne, a leader of the 1798 rebellion, met his end in 1799. He is commemorated by a statue in the town square. The gaol closed in 1924 and is today a tourist attraction with living displays and exhibits.

At Fitzwilliam Square in the centre of Wicklow town is an obelisk commemorating the career of Captain Robert Halpin, commander of the telegraph cable ship Great Eastern, who was born in Wicklow in 1836.

Transport

Bus Éireann, I.P Passenger Services Ltd (trading as Wexford Bus) and Iarnród Éireann all operate to and through the town.

Bus

Bus Éireann provides twenty three return services per day to Dublin Busáras on the 133 bus route. The route starts at Monument and makes its way around the town stopping at various stops before continuing to Rathnew and Dublin. It no longer serves Dublin airport.

A 131 bus route service has been introduced which provides sixteen return services from Wicklow to Bray per day. This route calls at several stops in the town before terminating at Bray DART station.

Wexford Bus operates ten services to Dublin airport and up to twelve from Dublin airport each day. Both services are via Dublin city center. Wexford Bus's services are one hour each way to Dublin city center, some 30 mins shorter than the Bus Eireann service. However they do not go through the town, dropping passengers at the Grand Hotel before continuing on to Arklow.

Wexford Bus also operates the UM11 service which calls at Wicklow's Grand Hotel bus stop and carries on to Maynooth University, via the Intel campus in Leixlip. It operates in college term time only. There is one outbound service each morning, weekdays, and a return service in the evening.

TFI Local Link operate the 183 service which runs between Arklow and Sallins in County Kildare. It calls at several stops within the town. There are five services per day operating between Arklow and Wicklow, before continuing on to, and returning from Sallins via several towns and tourist attractions in the Wicklow mountains.

Route 133: Wicklow ↔ Dublin Busáras

Route 740A: Gorey ↔ Wicklow ↔ Dublin Airport

Route 131: Wicklow ↔ Bray

Route 183: Arklow ↔ Wicklow ↔ Sallins

Route UM11: Gorey ↔ Wicklow ↔ Maynooth

Rail

Iarnród Éireann operate six trains per day in each direction from Wicklow railway station. Services offer connections to most large towns in counties Wexford and Wicklow, as well as a coastal link to Dublin city. Services northbound terminate at Dublin Connolly and southbound terminate at Rosslare Europort.

Sports and recreation

Wicklow Golf Club, founded in 1904, is located between the town and Wicklow head, while Blainroe Golf Club is situated about 3.5 km south of Wicklow. Oak Hill Cricket Club is located 7.5 km south of Wicklow. The club plays its home matches at Oak Hill Cricket Club Ground, which was constructed in 2008. The ground has hosted first-class cricket matches for Ireland and Leinster Lightning.

Wicklow Local Electoral Area

In local government, the Wicklow local electoral area elects six councillors to Wicklow County Council. The electoral divisions of Wicklow include Altidore, Ballycullen, Brockagh, Calary, Dunganstown East, Glendalough, Glenealy, Killiskey, Moneystown, Newcastle Upper, Oldtown, Togher, Trooperstown, Wicklow Rural and Wicklow Urban.

News media

The Wicklow News was set up on 15 August 2016. Their current partial address is in Wicklow.

Twinning

Wicklow is twinned with the following settlements:

• Eichenzell, Hesse, Germany
• Montigny-le-Bretonneux, Île-de-France, France
• Porthmadog, Gwynedd, Wales

Notable people

• Leo Cullen, Irish rugby union coach
• Josh van der Flier, Irish rugby union player
• Nicholas Ford, Irish-born American politician
• William Goodison, surgeon
• Robert Halpin, captain of the SS Great Eastern
• F. E. Higgins, children's author
• Hozier, Irish musician
• Hybrasil, electronica group
• Jimmy Martin, golfer
• Fionnuala McCormack, runner
• Paul McShane, footballer
• Áine O'Gorman, footballer
• Ursula Stephens, Irish-born Australian politician
• John Ussher, priest
• George Drought Warburton, soldier and politician

Gallery

• 

  Wicklow Bay with Great Sugar Loaf (centre) and Bray Head (right)

• 

  Farmland and view of Wicklow from above

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  Wicklow Harbour

• 

  Main Street

• 

  Stone Bridge over the River Vartry

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  The Wicklow Mountains

• 

  Golf course in Wicklow

See also

In Spanish: Wicklow para niños