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Black Castle (County Wicklow)

2014-08-17T21:08:58Z

Howunusual: /* History */

{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox settlement
|settlement_type = Town
|name = Wicklow
|native_name = {{Pad top italic|Cill Mhantáin}}
|image_skyline = Wicklow Town - geograph.org.uk - 692370 (cropped).jpg
|image_caption = Farmland and view of Wicklow Town
|image_shield = Wicklow-town-crest.png
|pushpin_map = Ireland
|pushpin_label_position = left
|pushpin_map_caption = Location in Ireland
|coordinates_display = inline,title
|coordinates_type = dim:100000_region:IE
|latd = 52.9779
|longd = -6.033
|blank_name_sec1 = Irish Grid Reference
|blank_info_sec1 = {{iem4ibx|T312940}}
|unit_pref = Metric
|elevation_m = 69
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = Ireland
|subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces of Ireland|Province]]
|subdivision_name1 = [[Leinster]]
|subdivision_type2 = [[Counties of Ireland|County]]
|subdivision_name2 = [[County Wicklow]]
|population_urban = 6761
|population_rural = 3595
|population_as_of = 2011
|website = {{URL|www.wicklow.ie}}
}}
'''Wicklow''' (from [[Old Norse]] ''Vikinglo'', "Viking meadow",<ref>http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000342918</ref><ref>http://www.kennys.ie/categories/irishcounties/wicklow.shtml</ref> {{Irish place name|Cill Mhantáin|church of the toothless one}}<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=G8H99H1jYPAC&pg=PA111 |title=Moon Handbooks: Ireland |first=Camille |last=DeAngelis |publisher=Avalon Travel Publishing |year=2007 |isbn=1-59880-048-5 |page=111 |accessdate=15 April 2013}}</ref><ref>Seán Connors. ''Mapping Ireland: from kingdoms to counties'', Mercier Press, 2001, ISBN 1-85635-355-9, p45</ref>) is the [[county town]] of [[County Wicklow]] and the capital of the [[Mid-East Region, Ireland|Mid-East Region]] in [[Ireland]]. Located south of [[Dublin]] on the east coast of the island, it has a population of 10,356 according to the 2011 census.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2011/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=LT&Geog_Code=15010 |title=Wicklow Legal Town Results |publisher=[[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|Central Statistics Office]] |year=2011 |accessdate=5 August 2012}}</ref> The town is to the east of the [[N11 road (Ireland)|N11]] [[Roads in Ireland#National Primary Routes|route]] between Dublin and [[Wexford]]. Wicklow is also linked to the [[Rail transport in Ireland|rail network]], with Dublin commuter services now extending to the town. Additional services connect with [[Arklow]], Wexford and [[Rosslare Europort]], a main ferry port. There is also a commercial port, mainly importing timber and textiles. The [[River Vartry]] is the main river which flows through the town.

== History ==
[[File:Main Street Wicklow.jpg|thumb|left|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 900BC.<ref name="Footsteps">{{cite book
| title = Footsteps Through Wicklow's Past
| author = John Finlay
| year = 2013}}</ref>
The first [[Celts]] arrived in Ireland around 600BC. 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.<ref name="Footsteps"/>

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.<ref name="Footsteps"/>
[[File:Bridge on the Leitrim River in Wicklow Town - geograph.org.uk - 1437981.jpg|thumbnail|Bridge over the Leitrim River]]
The Norman influence can still be seen today in some of the town's place and family names. After the [[Norman invasion of Ireland|Norman invasion]], Wicklow was granted to [[Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Lanstephan|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<ref>Wills, James ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=_3gHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA449 Lives of illustrious and distinguished Irishmen]''. MacGregor, Polson, 1840, p. 449.</ref> in the [[Irish Rebellion of 1641|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.<ref>Wills, James ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=_3gHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA448 Lives of illustrious and distinguished Irishmen]''. MacGregor, Polson, 1840, p. 448.</ref> 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 Wicklow|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 [[Jail|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. The 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 [[Irish Rebellion of 1798|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.<ref>{{cite book
| title = Illustrated guide to Ireland
| author = S Shepherd et al.
| publisher = [[Reader's Digest]]
| year = 1992}}</ref>

At Fitzwilliam Square in the centre of Wicklow town is an obelisk commemorating the career of [[Robert Halpin|Captain Robert Halpin]], commander of the telegraph cable ship [[SS Great Eastern|Great Eastern]], who was born in Wicklow in 1836.<ref name=aa>{{cite book
| title = The illustrated road book of Ireland
| publisher = [[The Automobile Association|Automobile Association]]
| year = 1970}}</ref>

==Geography==
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 land rises into rolling hills to the west. 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===
{{Weather box
|location = [[Ashford, County Wicklow]], (5 km north of Wicklow)
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan high C = 9.2
|Feb high C = 9.6
|Mar high C = 11.2
|Apr high C = 12.9
|May high C = 15.6
|Jun high C = 18.2
|Jul high C = 19.5
|Aug high C = 21.2
|Sep high C = 18.1
|Oct high C = 14.8
|Nov high C = 11.7
|Dec high C = 9.2
|year high C = 14.2
|Jan low C = 2.9
|Feb low C = 2.8
|Mar low C = 3.4
|Apr low C = 4.7
|May low C = 6.9
|Jun low C = 9.4
|Jul low C = 11.2
|Aug low C = 11.3
|Sep low C = 10
|Oct low C = 7.4
|Nov low C = 4.8
|Dec low C = 3.1
|year low C = 6.5
|Jan rain mm = 86
|Feb rain mm = 61.8
|Mar rain mm = 63.6
|Apr rain mm = 60.7
|May rain mm = 65.8
|Jun rain mm = 72.1
|Jul rain mm = 67
|Aug rain mm = 69.8
|Sep rain mm = 72.1
|Oct rain mm = 118.9
|Nov rain mm = 110.9
|Dec rain mm = 85.6
|year rain mm = 935
|Jan precipitation days = 14
|Feb precipitation days = 10
|Mar precipitation days = 9
|Apr precipitation days = 10
|May precipitation days = 10
|Jun precipitation days = 10
|Jul precipitation days = 10
|Aug precipitation days = 10
|Sep precipitation days = 9
|Oct precipitation days = 13
|Nov precipitation days = 13
|Dec precipitation days = 11
|year precipitation days =
|unit precipitation days=1 mm
|Jan sun = 68.0
|Feb sun = 83.2
|Mar sun = 136.8
|Apr sun = 180.4
|May sun = 204.0
|Jun sun = 189.4
|Jul sun = 163.2
|Aug sun = 158.5
|Sep sun = 135.9
|Oct sun = 103.3
|Nov sun = 83.8
|Dec sun = 65.9
|year sun =
|source 1 = Met Éireann
|source 2 = Ashford Weather Station,<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.wicklowweather.com/|title=Wicklow Weather|publisher=Ashford Weather Station}}</ref>|date=December 2012}}

==Economy==
[[File:IMGWicklowHarbour 4256w.jpg|thumb|Wicklow Harbour]]
[[File:Wicklow harbour - geograph.org.uk - 171367.jpg|thumb|A boat in Wicklow Harbour]]
Since 1995, the town has undergone significant change and expansion reflecting the simultaneous growth in the [[Celtic Tiger|Irish economy]]. Considerable residential development has 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, County Wicklow|Ashford]]/Rathnew bypass in 2004 has meant that Wicklow is now linked to the capital, Dublin, lying 42 km to the 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.

==Name==
Earlier spellings of the town's name include ''Wykinglo'' in 1173, ''Wygingelow'' in 1185, ''Wykinglo'' in 1192, ''Wykinglowe'' in 1355.<ref>Liam Price, ''The Place-Names of the Barony of Newcastle'', p. 171.</ref><ref>Donall Mac Giolla Easpaig, ''L'influence scandinave sur la toponymie irlandaise'' in ''L'héritage maritime des Vikings en Europe en l'ouest'', Colloque international de la Hague, Presses universitaire de Caen 2002. p. 467 et 468. Translation Jacques Tranier.</ref>

The Swedish toponymist Magne Oftedal<ref>''Scandinavian Place-Names in Ireland'' in ''Proceedings of the Seventh Viking Congress'' (Dublin 1973), B. Alquist and D. Greene Editions, Dublin, Royal Irish Academy 1976. p. 130.</ref> 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]]<ref>Price p. 172.</ref> says it is probably a Norwegian place-name and A. Sommerfelt<ref>''The English forms of the Names of the Main Provinces of Ireland'', in ''Lochlann''. ''A Review of Celtic Studies''. IA. Sommerfelt Editions, Trad. ang. of Oslo University Press 1958. p. 224.</ref> gives it as a former ''Vikinga-ló'' and understands it as "the Vikings' meadow". Nevertheless, the Irish [[patronimic]]s Ó hUiginn and Mac Uiginn (anglicised O'Higgins and Maguigan) could bring a key for the meaning "Meadow of a man called Viking".<ref>Mac Giolla Easpaig p. 468</ref>

''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-[[Goidelic languages|Gaelic]] placename.

The origin of the [[Irish language|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.<ref>''[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=9KpnAAAAMAAJ The Annals of Clonmacnoise, being annals of Ireland from the earliest period to A.D. 1408]''. Mageoghagan, Conell & Murphy, Dennis, 1896, p. 66.</ref> Hence ''Cill Mhantáin'', meaning "church of the toothless one". Although its [[anglicisation|anglicised]] spelling ''Kilmantan''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.logainm.ie/?text=wicklow&placeID=55959 |title=Wicklow: Archival records |publisher=Placenames Database of Ireland [[Logainm.ie]] |accessdate=15 April 2013}}</ref> was used for a time, it gradually fell out of use.

==Transport==
Bus Éireann and Irish Rail both operate through the town.
Bus Éireann provides an hourly which is half hourly at peak time service to Dublin City Centre and Airport.Also a service is operated twice daily to Arklow via Rathdrum.
*Route 133 Wicklow (Monument)-Dublin Airport via Grand Hotel,Wicklow Community College,Lidl,Rathnew,Ashford,Newcastle Hospital,newtownmountkennedy,Garden Village,Kilpedder,Glen of the Downs,Kilmacanogue,Ballywaltrim,Bray,Loughlinstown Hospital,N11,UCD Belfield,RTÉ,Donnybrook Village,Leeson Street,Dawson Street/Kildare Street,City Quays en route to Dublin Airport.<ref name="buseireann.ie">http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1367495369-133.pdf</ref>
*Route 133 Wicklow (Monument)-Arklow via Grand Hotel,Wicklow Community College,Lidl,Rathnew,Glenealy,Rathdrum,Meeting Of The Waters,Avoca and Woodenbridge en route to Arklow.<ref name="buseireann.ie"/>
* A train service operates northbound to Dublin Connolly via Kilcoole,Greystones,Bray,Dun Laoghaire,Pearse Street and tara Street en route to Connolly 6 times on Monday to Fridays.<ref name="irishrail.ie">http://www.irishrail.ie/media/08-dublinrosslareeuroport250920131.pdf?v=gchdrpe</ref>
Trains operate southbound to Rosslare Europort via Rathdrum,Arklow,Gorey,Enniscorthy,Wexford and Rosslare Strand.<ref name="irishrail.ie"/>

==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland}}
Wicklow has [[town twinning]] agreements with:
* [[Montigny-le-Bretonneux]], France<ref>{{cite web |title=Wicklow Town hosted Europe en Scene 2011 – The Year to Volunteer |publisher=[[Wicklow County Council]] |year=2012 |url=http://www.wicklow.ie/apps/wicklowbeta/TownCouncils/EuropeEnScene.aspx |accessdate=24 September 2013 }}</ref>
* [[Porthmadog]], Wales{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}
* [[Eichenzell]], Germany

==Notable residents==
* [[Robert Halpin]], (b. 1836) Captain of the [[Brunel]]-designed [[SS Great Eastern]] which laid the [[transatlantic telegraph cable]] in the late 19th century
* [[F. E. Higgins]], writer and former resident of Wicklow<ref>{{cite news|title=Fiona's new book to again be a favourite|url=http://www.independent.ie/regionals/braypeople/news/fionas-new-book-to-again-be-a-favourite-27621452.html|accessdate=4 October 2013|newspaper=Irish Independent|date=27 March 2008}}</ref>
* [[Roger Yuan]] - Hollywood actor, most notable for the film Black Dynamite

==See also==
*[[List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland|List of towns and villages in Ireland]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Cleary, J and O'Brien, A (2001) ''Wicklow Harbour: A History'', Wicklow Harbour Commissioners

==External links==
{{Commons category|Wicklow}}
*[http://visitwicklow.ie/towns-villages/wicklow-town/ Wicklow Tourism page on Wicklow Town]
*[http://www.wicklowchamber.ie/ Wicklow Chamber of Commerce]
*[http://www.wicklow.com/walk/ History of Wicklow Town in MP3 format]

{{County Wicklow}}

[[Category:Wicklow (town)| ]]
[[Category:Towns and villages in County Wicklow]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:County towns in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Viking Age populated places]]

Black Castle (County Wicklow)

2014-07-26T02:33:55Z

Howunusual: /* History */ let the facts speak

{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox settlement
|settlement_type = Town
|name = Wicklow
|native_name = {{Pad top italic|Cill Mhantáin}}
|image_skyline = Wicklow Town - geograph.org.uk - 692370 (cropped).jpg
|image_caption = Farmland and view of Wicklow Town
|image_shield = Wicklow-town-crest.png
|pushpin_map = Ireland
|pushpin_label_position = left
|pushpin_map_caption = Location in Ireland
|coordinates_display = inline,title
|coordinates_type = dim:100000_region:IE
|latd = 52.9779
|longd = -6.033
|blank_name_sec1 = Irish Grid Reference
|blank_info_sec1 = {{iem4ibx|T312940}}
|unit_pref = Metric
|elevation_m = 69
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = Ireland
|subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces of Ireland|Province]]
|subdivision_name1 = [[Leinster]]
|subdivision_type2 = [[Counties of Ireland|County]]
|subdivision_name2 = [[County Wicklow]]
|population_urban = 6761
|population_rural = 3595
|population_as_of = 2011
|website = {{URL|www.wicklow.ie}}
}}
'''Wicklow''' (from [[Old Norse]] ''Vikinglo'', "Viking meadow",<ref>http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000342918</ref><ref>http://www.kennys.ie/categories/irishcounties/wicklow.shtml</ref> {{Irish place name|Cill Mhantáin|church of the toothless one}}<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=G8H99H1jYPAC&pg=PA111 |title=Moon Handbooks: Ireland |first=Camille |last=DeAngelis |publisher=Avalon Travel Publishing |year=2007 |isbn=1-59880-048-5 |page=111 |accessdate=15 April 2013}}</ref><ref>Seán Connors. ''Mapping Ireland: from kingdoms to counties'', Mercier Press, 2001, ISBN 1-85635-355-9, p45</ref>) is the [[county town]] of [[County Wicklow]] and the capital of the [[Mid-East Region, Ireland|Mid-East Region]] in [[Ireland]]. Located south of [[Dublin]] on the east coast of the island, it has a population of 10,356 according to the 2011 census.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2011/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=LT&Geog_Code=15010 |title=Wicklow Legal Town Results |publisher=[[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|Central Statistics Office]] |year=2011 |accessdate=5 August 2012}}</ref> The town is to the east of the [[N11 road (Ireland)|N11]] [[Roads in Ireland#National Primary Routes|route]] between Dublin and [[Wexford]]. Wicklow is also linked to the [[Rail transport in Ireland|rail network]], with Dublin commuter services now extending to the town. Additional services connect with [[Arklow]], Wexford and [[Rosslare Europort]], a main ferry port. There is also a commercial port, mainly importing timber and textiles. The [[River Vartry]] is the main river which flows through the town.

== History ==
[[File:Main Street Wicklow.jpg|thumb|left|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 900BC.<ref name="Footsteps">{{cite book
| title = Footsteps Through Wicklow's Past
| author = John Finlay
| year = 2013}}</ref>
The first [[Celts]] arrived in Ireland around 600BC. 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.<ref name="Footsteps"/>

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.<ref name="Footsteps"/>
[[File:Bridge on the Leitrim River in Wicklow Town - geograph.org.uk - 1437981.jpg|thumbnail|Bridge over the Leitrim River]]
The Norman influence can still be seen today in some of the town's place and family names. After the [[Norman invasion of Ireland|Norman invasion]], Wicklow was granted to [[Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Lanstephan|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<ref>Wills, James ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=_3gHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA449 Lives of illustrious and distinguished Irishmen]''. MacGregor, Polson, 1840, p. 449.</ref> in the [[Irish Rebellion of 1641|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.<ref>Wills, James ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=_3gHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA448 Lives of illustrious and distinguished Irishmen]''. MacGregor, Polson, 1840, p. 448.</ref> 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 Wicklow|County of Wicklow]] is rich in [[bronze age]] monuments, the oldest surviving settlement in the town is the [[Franciscan]] Abbey (ruined). 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 [[Jail|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. The 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 [[Irish Rebellion of 1798|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.<ref>{{cite book
| title = Illustrated guide to Ireland
| author = S Shepherd et al.
| publisher = [[Reader's Digest]]
| year = 1992}}</ref>

At Fitzwilliam Square in the centre of Wicklow town is an obelisk commemorating the career of [[Robert Halpin|Captain Robert Halpin]], commander of the telegraph cable ship [[SS Great Eastern|Great Eastern]], who was born in Wicklow in 1836.<ref name=aa>{{cite book
| title = The illustrated road book of Ireland
| publisher = [[The Automobile Association|Automobile Association]]
| year = 1970}}</ref>

==Geography==
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 land rises into rolling hills to the west. 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===
{{Weather box
|location = [[Ashford, County Wicklow]], (5 km north of Wicklow)
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan high C = 9.2
|Feb high C = 9.6
|Mar high C = 11.2
|Apr high C = 12.9
|May high C = 15.6
|Jun high C = 18.2
|Jul high C = 19.5
|Aug high C = 21.2
|Sep high C = 18.1
|Oct high C = 14.8
|Nov high C = 11.7
|Dec high C = 9.2
|year high C = 14.2
|Jan low C = 2.9
|Feb low C = 2.8
|Mar low C = 3.4
|Apr low C = 4.7
|May low C = 6.9
|Jun low C = 9.4
|Jul low C = 11.2
|Aug low C = 11.3
|Sep low C = 10
|Oct low C = 7.4
|Nov low C = 4.8
|Dec low C = 3.1
|year low C = 6.5
|Jan rain mm = 86
|Feb rain mm = 61.8
|Mar rain mm = 63.6
|Apr rain mm = 60.7
|May rain mm = 65.8
|Jun rain mm = 72.1
|Jul rain mm = 67
|Aug rain mm = 69.8
|Sep rain mm = 72.1
|Oct rain mm = 118.9
|Nov rain mm = 110.9
|Dec rain mm = 85.6
|year rain mm = 935
|Jan precipitation days = 14
|Feb precipitation days = 10
|Mar precipitation days = 9
|Apr precipitation days = 10
|May precipitation days = 10
|Jun precipitation days = 10
|Jul precipitation days = 10
|Aug precipitation days = 10
|Sep precipitation days = 9
|Oct precipitation days = 13
|Nov precipitation days = 13
|Dec precipitation days = 11
|year precipitation days =
|unit precipitation days=1 mm
|Jan sun = 68.0
|Feb sun = 83.2
|Mar sun = 136.8
|Apr sun = 180.4
|May sun = 204.0
|Jun sun = 189.4
|Jul sun = 163.2
|Aug sun = 158.5
|Sep sun = 135.9
|Oct sun = 103.3
|Nov sun = 83.8
|Dec sun = 65.9
|year sun =
|source 1 = Met Éireann
|source 2 = Ashford Weather Station,<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.wicklowweather.com/|title=Wicklow Weather|publisher=Ashford Weather Station}}</ref>|date=December 2012}}

==Economy==
[[File:IMGWicklowHarbour 4256w.jpg|thumb|Wicklow Harbour]]
[[File:Wicklow harbour - geograph.org.uk - 171367.jpg|thumb|A boat in Wicklow Harbour]]
Since 1995, the town has undergone significant change and expansion reflecting the simultaneous growth in the [[Celtic Tiger|Irish economy]]. Considerable residential development has 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, County Wicklow|Ashford]]/Rathnew bypass in 2004 has meant that Wicklow is now linked to the capital, Dublin, lying 42 km to the 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.

==Name==
Earlier spellings of the town's name include ''Wykinglo'' in 1173, ''Wygingelow'' in 1185, ''Wykinglo'' in 1192, ''Wykinglowe'' in 1355.<ref>Liam Price, ''The Place-Names of the Barony of Newcastle'', p. 171.</ref><ref>Donall Mac Giolla Easpaig, ''L'influence scandinave sur la toponymie irlandaise'' in ''L'héritage maritime des Vikings en Europe en l'ouest'', Colloque international de la Hague, Presses universitaire de Caen 2002. p. 467 et 468. Translation Jacques Tranier.</ref>

The Swedish toponymist Magne Oftedal<ref>''Scandinavian Place-Names in Ireland'' in ''Proceedings of the Seventh Viking Congress'' (Dublin 1973), B. Alquist and D. Greene Editions, Dublin, Royal Irish Academy 1976. p. 130.</ref> 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]]<ref>Price p. 172.</ref> says it is probably a Norwegian place-name and A. Sommerfelt<ref>''The English forms of the Names of the Main Provinces of Ireland'', in ''Lochlann''. ''A Review of Celtic Studies''. IA. Sommerfelt Editions, Trad. ang. of Oslo University Press 1958. p. 224.</ref> gives it as a former ''Vikinga-ló'' and understands it as "the Vikings' meadow". Nevertheless, the Irish [[patronimic]]s Ó hUiginn and Mac Uiginn (anglicised O'Higgins and Maguigan) could bring a key for the meaning "Meadow of a man called Viking".<ref>Mac Giolla Easpaig p. 468</ref>

''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-[[Goidelic languages|Gaelic]] placename.

The origin of the [[Irish language|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.<ref>''[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=9KpnAAAAMAAJ The Annals of Clonmacnoise, being annals of Ireland from the earliest period to A.D. 1408]''. Mageoghagan, Conell & Murphy, Dennis, 1896, p. 66.</ref> Hence ''Cill Mhantáin'', meaning "church of the toothless one". Although its [[anglicisation|anglicised]] spelling ''Kilmantan''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.logainm.ie/?text=wicklow&placeID=55959 |title=Wicklow: Archival records |publisher=Placenames Database of Ireland [[Logainm.ie]] |accessdate=15 April 2013}}</ref> was used for a time, it gradually fell out of use.

==Transport==
Bus Éireann and Irish Rail both operate through the town.
Bus Éireann provides an hourly which is half hourly at peak time service to Dublin City Centre and Airport.Also a service is operated twice daily to Arklow via Rathdrum.
*Route 133 Wicklow (Monument)-Dublin Airport via Grand Hotel,Wicklow Community College,Lidl,Rathnew,Ashford,Newcastle Hospital,newtownmountkennedy,Garden Village,Kilpedder,Glen of the Downs,Kilmacanogue,Ballywaltrim,Bray,Loughlinstown Hospital,N11,UCD Belfield,RTÉ,Donnybrook Village,Leeson Street,Dawson Street/Kildare Street,City Quays en route to Dublin Airport.<ref name="buseireann.ie">http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1367495369-133.pdf</ref>
*Route 133 Wicklow (Monument)-Arklow via Grand Hotel,Wicklow Community College,Lidl,Rathnew,Glenealy,Rathdrum,Meeting Of The Waters,Avoca and Woodenbridge en route to Arklow.<ref name="buseireann.ie"/>
* A train service operates northbound to Dublin Connolly via Kilcoole,Greystones,Bray,Dun Laoghaire,Pearse Street and tara Street en route to Connolly 6 times on Monday to Fridays.<ref name="irishrail.ie">http://www.irishrail.ie/media/08-dublinrosslareeuroport250920131.pdf?v=gchdrpe</ref>
Trains operate southbound to Rosslare Europort via Rathdrum,Arklow,Gorey,Enniscorthy,Wexford and Rosslare Strand.<ref name="irishrail.ie"/>

==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland}}
Wicklow has [[town twinning]] agreements with:
* [[Montigny-le-Bretonneux]], France<ref>{{cite web |title=Wicklow Town hosted Europe en Scene 2011 – The Year to Volunteer |publisher=[[Wicklow County Council]] |year=2012 |url=http://www.wicklow.ie/apps/wicklowbeta/TownCouncils/EuropeEnScene.aspx |accessdate=24 September 2013 }}</ref>
* [[Porthmadog]], Wales{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}
* [[Eichenzell]], Germany

==Notable residents==
* [[Robert Halpin]], (b. 1836) Captain of the [[Brunel]]-designed [[SS Great Eastern]] which laid the [[transatlantic telegraph cable]] in the late 19th century
* [[F. E. Higgins]], writer and former resident of Wicklow<ref>{{cite news|title=Fiona's new book to again be a favourite|url=http://www.independent.ie/regionals/braypeople/news/fionas-new-book-to-again-be-a-favourite-27621452.html|accessdate=4 October 2013|newspaper=Irish Independent|date=27 March 2008}}</ref>
* [[Roger Yuan]] - Hollywood actor, most notable for the film Black Dynamite

==See also==
*[[List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland|List of towns and villages in Ireland]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Cleary, J and O'Brien, A (2001) ''Wicklow Harbour: A History'', Wicklow Harbour Commissioners

==External links==
{{Commons category|Wicklow}}
*[http://visitwicklow.ie/towns-villages/wicklow-town/ Wicklow Tourism page on Wicklow Town]
*[http://www.wicklowchamber.ie/ Wicklow Chamber of Commerce]
*[http://www.wicklow.com/walk/ History of Wicklow Town in MP3 format]

{{County Wicklow}}

[[Category:Wicklow (town)| ]]
[[Category:Towns and villages in County Wicklow]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:County towns in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Viking Age populated places]]