Dunlavin

Dunlavin
Dún Luáin
Town

Dunlavin Market House by night
Dunlavin

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 53°03′20″N 6°42′14″W / 53.0556°N 6.7039°W / 53.0556; -6.7039Coordinates: 53°03′20″N 6°42′14″W / 53.0556°N 6.7039°W / 53.0556; -6.7039
Country Ireland
Province Leinster
County County Wicklow
Elevation 158 m (518 ft)
Population (2006)
 • Urban 1,292
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference N868016
The town sign of Dunlavin, Co. Wicklow

Dunlavin (Irish: Dún Luáin) is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland, situated about 50 kilometres (31 mi) south-west of Dublin. It is centred on the junction of the R412 and R756 regional roads. It was founded around the end of the 17th century and became a prominent town in the area for a time.

The chief attraction for visitors is its proximity to the well known Rathsallagh House Golf & Country Club and the Wicklow National Park. It is also close to Ireland's premier horse racing centre, the Curragh, County Kildare. Dunlavin's unusually wide streets are characteristic of the village. The Courthouse in the centre of the village, built in the Doric style of Grecian architecture, is one of three such buildings in Ireland. The Dunlavin Festival of Arts is held in the summer.

History

The settlement of Dunlavin was founded during the late 1650s by the Bulkely family from Cheshire (occasionally and erroneously referred to as "Buckley"). In 1702, Heather Bulkely married James Worth-Tynte and started the long association of the Tynte family with Dunlavin.[1]

In 1777 the Dunlavin Light Dragoon's were founded as a Volunteer corps, which were raised to defend Ireland from French invasion.[2]

The Massacre of Dunlavin Green occurred in 1798. The Catholic Church (dedicated to St Nicholas of Myra) was built on adjacent land donated by the local Tynte family. The church dates from 1815, although Catholic worship was observed on the site prior to this.

Education

There are local schools: Jonathan Swift National School (primary, with a Church of Ireland ethos), St. Nicholas of Myra National School (primary, with a Catholic ethos) and St. Kevin's Community College (secondary and vocational).

Transport

Rail

Dunlavin railway station opened on 22 June 1885, as part of the line from Sallins to Tullow. It closed to passengers on 27 January 1947 and to goods traffic on 10 March 1947, and closed completely on 1 April 1959 along with the rest of the line.[3] The station building is now a private residence.[4]

Road

Classic and vintage motor enthusiasts are catered for by the West Wicklow Classic & Vintage Vehicles Club.[5] The scenic R756 road leads from Dunlavin to Glendalough crossing the Wicklow Gap.

People

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lawlor, Chris (31 May 2008). "An Irish Village". Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  2. ↑ Bigger, Francis Joseph; The National Volunteers of Ireland, 1782, Ulster Journal of Archaeology, Second Series, Vol. 15, No. 2/3 (May, 1909)
  3. ↑ Ayres, Bob (2003). "Irish Railway Stations" (PDF). Railscot. Retrieved 12 October 2007.
  4. ↑ "Dunlavin". eiretrains.com. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  5. ↑ www.westwicklowclassics.com
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/29/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.