Enniskerry
| Enniskerry Áth na Scairbhe |
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WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates:
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| Irish
Grid Reference O220174 |
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| Province: | Leinster | |
| County: | County Wicklow | |
| Elevation: | 91 m (301 ft) | |
| Population (2006) | 2,672 | |
| Website: www.enniskerry.ie | ||
Enniskerry (Irish: Áth na Scairbhe, meaning Ford of the rough crossing) is a picturesque village in County Wicklow, Ireland, with a population of 2,672 according to the 2006 census.
Location
The town is situated on the Glencullen River in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains to the east of the island, some km ( mi) south of Dublin. The R117 road, colloquially known as "The Twenty-One Bends" connects the town to the main N11 road to Dublin. The 185 Dublin Bus route connects the village hourly to Bray, the nearest large town.
With Ireland's booming economy and with such advantages as a picturesque environment, beautiful mountainous scenery and the nearby Powerscourt Estate, the village has extremely active tourist and property markets. This success has not been without its downsides; the boom in the property markets has led to pressure on Enniskerry's local environment, ecology, heritage and infrastructure.[citation needed]
History
The Protestant population of the village attended church in the grounds of the Powerscourt demesne until 1859. Mervyn Wingfield, 7th Viscount Powerscourt built a new church, St. Patrick's, in the village which was completed two years later in 1861. This coincided with an extensive renovation programme that also established the Italian gardens at Powerscourt. The Viscount Powerscourt claimed the old church following the passage of the Disestablishment of the Irish Church Act 1869. The consequences were that only those with a right to be buried next to the old church within the demesne could claim these rights thereafter.[1] The Viscount Powerscourt also closed a Catholic graveyard within the demesne and provided two acres for a new graveyard at Curtlestown.
Powerscourt Estate, comprising of a large house and gardens today occupying 47 acres, is located near the town and is a popular visitor attraction. The extensive formal gardens form the grounds of an 18th century Palladian house, designed by Richard Cassels, was destroyed by fire in 1974, and lay as a shell until extensive restorations were carried out in 1996.
Trivia
- The Powerscourt Estate was used for a location in the movie The Count of Monte Cristo.
- The Bray & Enniskerry Railway was proposed in the 19th century to link the town by rail to Bray, but apart from the building of one bridge somewhere between Bray and Enniskerry, still in existence, nothing came of the plan.
- Powerscourt Waterfall, at 121 metres, is the highest waterfall in Ireland.
- Enniskerry was also the setting for some of the scenes of Laurence Olivier's film
of Henry V by
William Shakepeare in 1944, and provided many of the extras in the film.
References
- ^ Dooley, Terence (2001). The Decline of the Big House in Ireland. Wolfound Press Ltd. ISBN 0-86327-850-7.
See also
External links
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