Wicklow

Wicklow, a maritime county of the Irish province of Leinster, borders on Dublin, Carlow, Kildare, and Wexford. Its greatest length is 40 miles, and greatest breadth 33; the total area being 781 sq. m., or 500,178 acres, of which 118,000 are under tillage. The coast-line, in many parts precipitous, is obstructed by sandbanks, and very dangerous for shipping. The surface ascends in some parts most abruptly from the sea, and a large portion is mountainous and unproductive. The Wicklow Mountains form rather a group than a range; the highest point is Lagnquilla (3039 feet), and the glens which lie between the several mountains or groups are exceedingly picturesque, especially Glendalough, Glendalure, Inail, the Glen of the Downs, and Avoca. The valleys are for the most part of limited extent; but some plains of considerable size lie upon the eastern and southern shores. The lakes, although strikingly beautiful, are few in number and of small size; and the rivers are little more than mountain-streams, except the Liffey and the Slaney, which rise in Wicklow. The great central group of mountains is a mass of granite, which protrudes through mica and clay slate. Lead, copper, sulphur, and iron are raised, with some silver; and gold in small quantities has been found. Slates, limestone, and marl are likewise wrought. In the mountains the soil is thin and poor, but generally dry, although there is a considerable proportion of bog. In the valleys and level districts the subsoil is generally gravel, and the soil is for the most part either dry or, even in the boggy districts, susceptible of drainage. Throughout the greater part of the county the occupations of the people are purely agricultural. The fisheries are almost wholly neglected; and the manufacture of flannels, once extensive, is now nearly extinct. The county is divided into eight baronies. The principal towns are Wicklow, the capital, part of Bray, and Arklow. The county returns two members to parliament. Pop. (1841) 126,162; (1861) 86,479; (1881) 70,386; (1891) 61,934, of whom 49,238 were Roman Catholics. At the invasion the greater part of Wicklow was granted to Maurice Fitzgerald, and Wicklow was included in the shire of Dublin. Generally speaking, however, the authority of the English in Wicklow was little more than nominal, the territory being under the command of the chief of the O'Byrne. A vigorous effort was made by the Lord-deputy, Sir Arthur Chichester, to establish the king's authority in Wicklow, and in 1605 it was erected into a separate county; but again in 1641 the population joined in the general uprising. During the rebellion of 1798 Wicklow was the scene of more than one conflict. Wicklow abounds with antiquities of the highest interest. Many tumuli, raths, cromlechs, and other Celtic remains are preserved; and there are very many ecclesiastical remains of almost every period of Irish Christian architecture; those of Glendalough, which include a round tower, are especially interesting.—The county town, Wicklow, stands at the mouth of the Vartry, 28 miles ESE. of Dublin by rail. As a seaport it has but small trade, and, though it attracts many visitors for sea-bathing, is rather a featureless place. Pop. 3390.