Bray

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For other places named Bray, and other meanings of the word bray, see Bray (disambiguation).

Template:Infobox Irish Place Bray (Bré, formerly Brí Chulainn in Irish) is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland.

Bray is a busy urban centre and seaside town of nearly 30,000 people situated in County Wicklow on the east coast of Ireland about 20 km south of Dublin. 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.

1 History
2 Town Crest
3 Geography
4 Government
5 Tourist Facilities
6 Famous residents
7 Education
8 See also
9 External links

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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.

Town Crest

As is customary in traditional town crests, the arms of Bray are devised to suggest topological features and to commemerate 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 monor 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".

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Geography

Image:Bray seafront.jpg

Bray is the eighth largest town in Ireland with a population of 28,002 inhabitants, as at the 2002 Census.

The river Dargle enters the sea here, from a source near Kippure Mounrain, 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 or Bray Head are a mixture of greywackes and quartazite. The coastal railway line continues touth from Bray along the seaward slopes of Bray Head.

The town is on the 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.

Inland from Bray and Shankill can be seen the landmark ruin of a lead-smelter on a hilltop - the defunct Leadmines at Ballycorus.

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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.

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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), Bray Town Hall (1881).

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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 (Ireland) 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 Beverley D'Angelo. During the 1980s Bono owned the Martello tower that stands near the harbour after which the terrace is named. Other well-known residents of the town include wildlife filmmaker Eamonn de Buitlear and broadcaster Brian Farrell. The late comedy star Dave Allen also lived in Bray for a time. During the heyday of Ardmore Studios, numerous film stars stayed and socialised in the town while filming there.

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