Bray
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- For other places named Bray, and other meanings of the word bray, see Bray (disambiguation).
| Bray Bré |
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| Féile agus Failte Hospitality and Welcome |
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| Location | ||
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| Irish Grid Reference O264185 |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Leinster | |
| County: | County Wicklow | |
| Elevation: | 18 m | |
| Population (2002) - Town: - Rural: |
26,244 4,707 |
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| Website: www.braytowncouncil.ie | ||
Bray (Bré, formerly Brí Chulainn in Irish) a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland is a busy urban centre and seaside town of 26,985 people (according to provisonal 2006 census data), situated about 20 km south of Dublin on the eastern coast. The town is the location of some industry, is home for many who commute to Dublin by car or rail DART, is a market town for the surrounding area and still attracts tourists particularly from Dublin and at weekends. The town straddles the Dublin-Wicklow border, with a portion of the north of the town situated in County Dublin. Bray is home to Ireland's only dedicated film studios, Ardmore Studios.
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[edit] Town Crest
As is customary in traditional town crests, the arms of Bray are devised to suggest topological features and to commemorate local history. In the shield, the central piece dividing the field in two represents the bridge over the Dargle River, which separates Bray from Little Bray. The bell represents the ruined church of Raheenacluig on Bray Head. The lion represents the arms of the O'Toole clan, who feature heavily in Wicklow's history. The martlet, or swallow is representative of the Brabazon family (the Earls of Meath) who retain a large amount of land and a manor house at Kilruddery in Bray. The mermaid is representative both of Bray's close connection with the sea, and also of the O'Byrne clan, another Irish family involved in the Cromwellian wars. The motto "Féile agus Fáilte" just below the crest means "hospitality and welcome".
[edit] History
In medieval times, Bray was on the borders of the coastal district, governed directly by the English crown from Dublin Castle, known as "the Pale". Inland, the countryside was under the control of Gaelic Chieftains, such as the O'Toole and O'Byrne clans. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Bray was still a small fishing village, but during the latter part of the 18th century, the Dublin middle classes began to move to Bray to escape city life, while still being relatively close to the city. An example of the type of architecture from this era can be found at Powerscourt house in nearby Enniskerry.
The Dublin & Kingstown Railway, the first in Ireland, opened in 1834 and was extended as far as Bray in 1855. With the railway the town grew to become the largest Irish seaside resort. The outbreak of World War 2 put the industry 'on hold' for its duration. However, during the 1950s tourists from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland returned to Bray in great numbers to escape the austerity of rationing. The town's career as a resort declined from the 1960s onwards when foreign travel, particularly to Spain, first became an option for large numbers of people. However, the town is still popular with visitors particularly from Dublin who come to enjoy the beach, the "amusements", ice creams and fast food. See also railway line in Ireland
[edit] Geography
Bray is the eighth largest town in Ireland with a population of 26,985 inhabitants, as at the 2006 Census. The River Dargle enters the sea here, from a source near Kippure Mountain, in the Wicklow Mountains.
Bray Head (241 m) is the situated at the southern end of the promenade and a well worn track leads to the summit. The rocks of Bray Head are a mixture of greywackes and quartazite. The coastal railway line continues south from Bray along the seaward slopes of Bray Head.
At the summit of Bray Head is a large concrete cross, visible from the famous Victorian promenade. The promenade is walked regularly by locals and visitors. You can ascend from the promenade via a steep but walkable path to the summit of Bray Head.
The town is on the Irish Sea coast, Shankill,County Dublin is to the north, and Greystones, County Wicklow is to the south. The picturesque village of Enniskerry lies to the west of the town, at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains.
[edit] Government
Bray is governed by a town council, but prior to the Local Government Act 2001 it was an urban district. Part of the northern Bray area lies within the county of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, despite its seamless integration with the rest of the town. The border is officially given as Old Conna/Corke Abbey, thereby making all areas north of that point Bray, Co. Dublin; but most locals and outsiders take the Wicklow/Dublin border as the urban limits of the town at the Wilford/Woodbrook roundabout. Bray and Dundalk are the only town councils to have twelve members in recognition of their size. Like Dundalk, Sligo and Drogheda, Bray also uses a ward system.
Also, the area around the Southern Cross Road to the south of Bray is not included in the area governed by Bray Town Council, but by Wicklow County Council.
[edit] Public Transport
Bray is served by a substantial public transport network north into Dublin and south into County Wicklow and County Wexford. Bray is on the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) Rail Network which stretches north to Malahide and Howth and south to Greystones. The town is also on the mainline Iarnród Éireann Rail Network which connects north to Connelly Station in Dublin city centre and further to Drogheda and Dundalk. To the south, the rail line goes through Arklow, Gorey and Rosslare Europort.
There are four bus companies which pass through Bray. They are Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann, Finnegan's Bray and the Glendalough Bus. Dublin Bus is by far the biggest operator with frequent services to and from Dublin city centre and many services within the greater Bray area. Dublin Bus also provides services to Dun Laoghaire, Enniskerry, Greystones, Kilmacanogue, Kilcoole and Newtownmountkennedy. Their services are the 45, 45a, 145, 84, 184, 185, 84X and 84N (Nitelink service - Friday and Saturday nights). Also the 7N Nitelink service travels from the City Centre to Northern outskirts of Bray (Woodbrook golf course) every night.
There are also plans to extend the luas green line to Bray but it is undecided if this will join up with the dart in the town centre or whether it will only brought as far as a new development on the towns periphery.
[edit] Tourist Facilities
Today, Bray is a vibrant holiday resort and boasts fine hotels and guesthouse accommodation, shops, restaurants and evening entertainment. Available in the immediate locality are fifteen 18-hole golf courses, tennis, fishing, sailing and horse riding. Other features of Bray are the amusement and games centre. There is also a Leisure centre on Quinsboro Road, and a National Sealife Centre on Strand Road. Bray is known as the "Gateway to Wicklow" and is the longest established seaside town in the country. It has a safe beach of sand and shingle to walk on, which is over 1.6 km (1 mi) long, fronted by a spacious esplanade. The scene is dominated by Bray Head, which rises steeply (241 m or 790 ft) above the sea, affording views of mountains and sea. The name of the town means "hill, rising ground", possibly referring to the gradual incline of the town from the Dargle bridge to the Vevay hill.
Bray makes an ideal base for walkers, ramblers and strollers of all ages. Walkers can join the many locals who stroll the mile long promenade which stretches from the Harbour with its colony of mute swans to Bray Head (241 m) at the southern end of the promenade from which a well worn track leads to the summit. Also very popular with walkers is the 7 km Cliff Walk along Bray Head to Greystones. The town has grown relatively slowly over a long period and retains much of its Georgian and Victorian architecture.
Beyond the town are many 18 hole golf courses and the Wicklow Mountains, the largest continuous upland area in Ireland which provide ample scope for scenic drives and hiking.
Other attractions in Bray include the Old Courthouse (1841), Victorian seafront and Bray harbour (1891), St Paul's Church (1609) and Bray Town Hall (1881)(now a Mcdonald's restaurant).
Bray hosts an annual international jazz festival in a weekend in May. The event was established in the Millennium year, and has attracted such luminaries as American performers Steve Coleman, Andrew Hill and Mike Stern, as well as the great French bass player Henry Texier and Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko.
The 2007 event features American trumpeter Dave Douglas, French clarinet player Louis Sclavis amongst others.
[edit] Famous residents
Throughout its history Bray has attracted a number of famous residents and visitors. Author James Joyce lived in 1 Martello Terrace, Bray (a house that is now the home of Labour Party deputy leader, Liz McManus) during part of his childhood, from 1887 to 1891. The house next door, 2 Martello Terrace, also had its share of well-known residents, including singer Mary Coughlan, composer Roger Doyle and film director and author Neil Jordan and his then partner Beverly D'Angelo. During the 1980s Bono owned the Martello Tower after which the terrace is named. Other well-known residents of the town include wildlife filmmaker Éamonn de Buitléar[1], broadcaster Brian Farrell, music writer and singer Phil Coulter, opera star Colm Wilkinson and writer David Wheatley. Comedian Dara O'Briain is also from Bray. The late comedy star Dave Allen also lived in Bray for a time as did the RTÉ News journalist Charlie Bird.
The latest famous resident to come from Bray is rising English cricket Star Ed Joyce. Ed started his cricket playing career on the cricket pitches at Aravon school.
Up and coming young singer, balladeer, and minstrel Fionn Regan was brought up in the area, which frequently gets a mention in his lyrics.[citation needed]
During the heyday of Ardmore Studios, numerous film stars stayed and socialised in the town while filming there.
[edit] Education
[edit] Primary Schools in Bray
- Scoil Chualann
- St Andrew's National School
- St Fergal's Junior National School
- St Fergal's Senior National School
- Bray School Project National School
- St Cronan's National Boys School
- St Patrick's Loreto National School
- St Lee's National School
- Gaelscoil Uí Cheadaigh
- St.Peters BNS
[edit] Post Primary Schools in Bray
- Presentation College
- St Kilian's Community School
- St Thomas' Community School
- St Brendan's College
- Loreto Convent
- St Gerards School
- Coláiste Ráithín
- Language College Ireland
[edit] Sport
- Bray Wanderers AFC
- Co Wicklow Lawn Tennis Club
- Wolfe Tone Youth Club
- Bray Emmets Gaelic Football Club
- Ardmore Rovers
[edit] See also
- List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
- The Vicar of Bray song was about a different Bray, but the film was about this Bray
ardmore rovers
[edit] External links
- Bray.ie
- Bray People (local newspaper)
- Bray Town Council - Local authority of the town
- Bray Jazz Festival
- MAW walked from Bray to Greystone
[edit] References
- ^ Éamonn de Buitléar (2006-03-31). The wild charm of Dargle. Irish Independent. Retrieved on August 21, 2006.
