County Wicklow - Heritage/Historical<< Wicklow Homepage |
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1. Towers (Historical) |
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GlendaloughCo. WicklowA place of great and far-reaching fame in Irish ecclesiastical annals, now a popular centre of tourism. Here in the beautiful Glenn da Locha, ' Valley of the Tow Lakes,' St. Kevin established a hermitage in the sixth century. Such was his reputation as a scholar that, contrary to his intention, many came to join him and benefit from his teaching, with the result that a sizeable monastic settlement soon developed. its expansion in later centuries is evidenced by the remarkable number of monuments distributed through the valley. The most conspicuous landmark, visible from afar, is the well preserved Round Tower which rises above the tree-tops to a height of 100 feet. Its conical cap was reconstructed in the last century from the original masonry, and the tower can be entered by means of a modern wooden stairway. Nearby St Kevin's Church is a small nave and chancel structure with a stone roof, from which sprouts a belfry in the shape of a miniature Round Tower. Its fancied resemblance to a chimney accounts for the ludicrous name St. Kevin's Kitchen by which it has become widely known. Not far away is the Cathedral, a large eleventh and twelfth century church with sacristy and remnants of a Romanesque chancel arch. There is also some fine Romanesque decoration in St. Saviour's Priory, about 1/2 mile to the east of the main group of buildings. Altogether the monuments, which include remains of several more churches, a number of stone crosses and ballaun stones, and the monastic gate-house (the only surviving example in Ireland) extend over a distance of about 1.5 miles. | |
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2. Monuments |
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GlencullenCo. WicklowAs you approach this village look out, on the left, for an inscribed rock which commemorates a 'monster' meeting held here in July 1823 by Daniel O'Connell, known as the Liberator for his crusade for Catholic Emancipation in Ireland. | |
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3. Heritage Centres |
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Agricultural Heritage Display CentreMr. Robert Roe , Coolakay House, Co. WicklowShow me all the details for Agricultural Heritage Display Centre | |
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4. Motte (Historical) |
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Caslteruddery Stone Circle and MotteCo. WicklowStone Circle: A stone circle, 100 feet in diameter, with an interior and exterior facing of stones with a bank in between. Some very large boulders are used in this circle, and some are lying down. Motte: A motte surrounded by a ditch which is rounded at the southern side but squared at the north. Further to the south is a raised area, which may also have been used like a bailey for defensive purposes. Show me all the details for Caslteruddery Stone Circle and Motte | |
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5. Local Tours |
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Coolnakilly FarmThe Manager , Glenealy, Co. WicklowCoolnakilly Farm is a 100 hectare farm in the foothills of Wicklow. The farm specialises in cereal production. In 1996 wheat yielded over 13 tonnes per hectare. The farm has a commercial flock of sheep and we train and breed horses. Our restaurant can seat 200. Come for lunch, dinner, BBQ or one of our famous buffets and enjoy traditional Irish music while you eat. We provide a wide range of activities including our original farm tour, team building games, forest walks, clay pigeon shooting, archery and much more. | |
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6. Cathedrals (Historical) |
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CathedralCo. WicklowDedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the Cathedral is the largest surviving ruin and it occupies the most prominent position in Glendalough. Originally dating to the time of Kevin himself, it underwent many alterations over the centuries and now closely resembles a tenth century style structure to which a chancel was added two centuries later. The width of the nave is exceptional, and at 9 metres is probably the widest of any of the early Churches in Ireland. The Church ceased to serve as a cathedral when the Diocese of Glendalough was united with Dublin in 1214 AD. | |
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7. Castles (Historical) |
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Carnew CastleCo. WicklowThe old 17th Century O' Toole castle has been modernised and is privately owned. A British garrison occupied the castle during the 1798 rebellion and there is a memorial to 36 rebels who were executed following the uprising. The Croghan Valley is a very scenic drive which dips into Wexford and runs below Croghan Mountain to Coolgreany while Holt's Way Drive runs through the village. | |
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8. Forts (Historical) |
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Baltinglass Hill Burial Mound and Hill FortCo. WicklowOn top of the hill there is a double ring of stones which once retained a mound of stones. At the most northerly point of the ring there is a Passage-tomb with short passage, and a stone basin bearing faint decoration. Towards the south-south-west of the ring there is another Passage-tomb, this time with five recesses off a central chamber, and two stones decorated with spirals. The third and earliest grave is in the north-western portion of the ring, overlain by the stones of the inner ring. There are also other minor structures. The passage-tombs were built in the Late Stone Age, but in the Early Iron Age (500 B.C - A.D. 500?) surrounded on the outside by a large defensive stone wall, while further down the hill-slope are two further concentric stone walls which probably also belong to the Iron Age fortificatory system. Show me all the details for Baltinglass Hill Burial Mound and Hill Fort | |
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9. Tombs |
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Moylisha 'Labbanasighe' Wedge-tombCo. WicklowA wedge-tomb in a mound of stones which was 4 feet high and 42 feet long. The tomb itself consists of a short entrance chamber, and a longer burial chamber behind it. Around the tomb itself there is a setting of stones placed in the form of a U. A mould for a bronze spear-head was found in the tomb, suggesting a date of about 100 B.C., but it may be even earlier than that. Show me all the details for Moylisha 'Labbanasighe' Wedge-tomb | |
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10. Homes (Historical) |
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Avondale HouseCo. WicklowAvondale passed to the Parnell family in 1795, and it was at Avondale on 27th June 1846 that one of the greatest political leaders of modern Irish history, Charles Stewart Parnell, was born. Avondale House is now a museum to his memory, and a major refurbishment programme has restored much of the House to its decor of 1850. Parnell spent much of his time at Avondale until his death in October 1891. Avondale is also synonymous with the birth of Irish Forestry. The state purchased Avondale in 1904 and it was in Avondale that the first silvicultural experimental plots were laid out; along the lines of a continental forest garden. These plots generally one acre in extent can be seen today, flanking the magnificent Great Rivde, which provides possibly the most beautiful of Avondale's many walks. | |
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11. Crosses (Historical) |
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Memorials/CrossesCo. WicklowGranite, the type of stone which predominates in the valley doesn't lend itself well to ornamentation, it being much too hard. Consequently, the intricate designs and exquisite carvings which are to be found on memorials elsewhere (notably Clonmacnoise) are less notable in Glendalough. Nevertheless, the abundance of memorials which have been discovered are of great antiquity. Found both within the various churches and along the roadsides, many are commemorative rather than sepulchral. Apart from St. Kevin's Cross, the most famous memorial is probably the Bresal Stone which reclines against the South Wall of St. Kevin's Church. It is of eighth century origin with the Irish inscription "Or do Bresal AD IHS XRS" - "Pray for Bresal, Alpha, Omega, Jesus Christ". Also notable is the Market Cross, a 1.75 metre granite cross which originally stood on the roadside near the Glendalough Hotel. It was removed to St. Kevin's Church many years ago. | |
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12. Museums |
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Arklow Maritime MuseumCo. WicklowThis "unvarnished" collection uses no modern display techniques whatsoever, which helps enhance its authenticity. Arklow has a very fine fishing and maritime tradition. Early this century it had eighty in the present day by Arklow Shipping, which has the largest Irish-flagged fleet. There's a model of Sir Francis Chichester's Gypsy Moth III, built in the Arklow yard of John Tyrrell & Sons. The museum also recalls the great hardships of World War II (the "emergency" in Ireland). A mine from this period stands at the entrance to the museum, Arklow was the first place in Ireland to have a lifeboat station, in 1826, and that proud tradition is also recalled. This delightful miscellany of material includes everything from old navigational instruments to a uniform worn by a merchant navy officer and a shoe worn by a woman passenger on the ill-fated Lusitania. | |
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13. Monastic Sites |
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Glendalough MonasteryOPW , Glendalough, Co. WicklowGlendalough Monastery Glendalough Monastery was founded by St. Kevin, in the 6th century. St. Kevin is perhaps unfairly linked to a poetic legend. While living in a cave as a hermit, he was supposedly pursued by a woman, who tried to seduce him. In a rage, he hurled her over the cliff, and into the lake, but there is no evidence to support this story. But his cave, which is located in the upper part of the lake is known as 'St. Kevin's Bed'. Glendalough has a fabulous collection of buildings including the Cathedral, which dates from the 7th century, which was used as a Cathedral church until the 13th century, when the Glendalough See was united with Dublin. The Round Tower which is 103 feet high and has a 52 feet circumference. There is also St, Kevin's house, which is a double vaulted Oratory, and is more popularly known as St. Kevin's Kitchen. | |
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14. Historic Hotels |
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Hunter's HotelCo. WicklowBeside the now little-travelled old coaching road from Dublin to Wicklow, which still winds and twists through wooded countryside, stands Hunter's Hotel. It has always been an inn. A cobbled entrance leads to a graceful Georgian doorway, and into a red-and-black tiled hall, worn by the feet of travellers, and polished to a high gloss. A creaking staircase leads up to a wide landing, decorated with painted china basins and ewers, once in daily use. In the hall hangs a pair of enormous ox horns, brought home by a relative from the Boer War.
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15. Stones (Historical) |
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Castletimon Ogham StoneCo. WicklowAn Ogham stone, placed in a niche beside the road, bearing the inscription NETA-CARI NEGA CAGI | |
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16. Abbeys |
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Baltinglass Cistercian AbbeyCo. WicklowIn 1148 Dermot Mac Murrough brought Cistercian monks here from Mellifont to found a new monastery which he called 'The Valley of Salvation', and Baltinglass in turn was the mother-house of a number of other Cistercian foundations including Jerpoint, Co. Kilkenny. The monastery was the centre of a number of disputes in the 13th century, one with the Archbishop of Dublin and another in which the monks were accused of harbouring 'felons against the English'. In 1377 Abbot Peter was awarded damages because two men had diverted water from his mill. After the Suppression in 1541, the monastery buildings and lands passed to Sir Thomas Eustace, a Catholic loyalist. The church consisted of a nave with aisles, chancel and two transepts, and building was probably complete by 1170. the south arcade of choir and nave which remains is slightly later in date, and has alternating round and square pillars supporting capitals with peculiarly Irish motifs. The three west windows are 12th century, but the three east windows and the tower (now housing carved fragments and some medieval tiles from the Abbey) are 19th century. Joining the south aisle to the cloister is a 12th century doorway, while excavations in 1931 brought to light a north door in the aisle, parts of the original cloister (now rebuilt) and an early tower which blocked the eastern two-thirds of the transept arches. The decorative stonework at Baltinglass shows an interesting fusion of Cistercian and Irish Romanesque architecture. | |
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17. Friaries |
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Franciscan FriaryCo. WicklowSome remains of a Franciscan Friary may be seen in the grounds of the parish priest's house. Founded by one of the Fitzgeralds in the thirteenth century, it later came under the patronage of the O'Byrnes. After the dissolution of the monasteries at the time of the Reformation the building became a courthouse later it was used as a store for war equipment. The heritage centre in the modern courthouse provides a genealogical service and has some interesting artefacts relating to the history of the town. The Church of Ireland parish church, though itself a late structure , has an interesting Norman doorway in the south porch and an ancient stone font. In Market Square, the 1798 Memorial remembers Wicklowmen who fought in this and later struggles: it consists of a life size figure of a pikeman. On Kilmantan Hill is Wicklow Gaol ( now disused)) Billy Byrne of Ballymanus, a leader of the 1798 Rising, was among those imprisoned in it . | |
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18. Churches (Historical) |
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Our Lady's ChurchCo. WicklowOur Lady's Church: Regarded by some as being the earliest church erected in the lower valley, Our Lady's Church stands somewhat isolated from the main group of ruins. For this reason it is thought, as was common in most Irish monastic cities, to have been specially for the use of women or nuns. St. Kevin himself is buried within the walls of this church and he was venerated here on his feast day (June 3rd) until the eighteenth century when religious persecution under the Penal Code forced the practice to come to an end. | |
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19. Monastery |
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Lower GroupCo. WicklowGateway: The Gateway to the old monastic city is the only surviving one of its kind in the country. Originally comprising of a keeper's house and a small tower, the principal remains now consist of two semi-circular archways supported by granite piers. The gateway is of later origin than the other buildings of the lower group, it having been part of the surrounding defensive wall which was constructed to secure the city from attack. | |
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20. Stone Circles |
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Deer StoneCo. WicklowLocated across the Glenealo river from St. Kevin's Kitchen, the Deer Stone is thought to be a baptismal font of great antiquity. When the wife of one of themonastery workmen died during childbirth in the seventh century, Kevin is said to have prayed here and a doe came daily and deposited a supply of milk into the hollow of the stone for the baby. According to legend the child later became a disciple of Kevin. | |
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21. Hills (Historical) |
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The ScalpCo. WicklowAbout 2 miles (3 km) north of Enniskerry, the main road to Dublin passes through the Scalp - a spectacular rocky defile rising steeply on either side of the road, with huge granite boulders strewn about in wild confusion. It is a good example of a 'dry gap' formed at the end of the Ice Age when streams from glaciers cut deep drainage channels. | |
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22. Farmsteads |
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Kilpoole Hill Farm PoloCo. WicklowPolo Lessons & Matches Polo Horse Sales and Hire. Polo has been called horse hockey. It's also known as the game of kings. Any potential player of polo should watch a few good matches. Admission to games in Ireland is free. The game has become more popular in Ireland in the last few years. In polo, a player sits on top of a pony (pony as opposed to horse is traditional, dating from the days when there was a height limit) and, with a long mallet, tries to drive a little wooden ball into a narrow goalmouth with the help of three other players. The four opponents, of course, try to stop this and keep the ball to themselves with the same purpose. The full match is divided into Six 7-minute "Chukkas" with three minutes given in which to change ponies between chukkas. At the end of the chukka a bell is rung, but the game continues until the ball goes out of play or the 7.5 minute bell is rung to end the chukka. | |
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