County Wicklow
Situated just south of Dublin, County Wicklow is dominated by a great mass of domed granite mountains, penetrated by deep glens and wooded valleys. The most beautiful parts of Wicklow can be found within a broad north-south swade running down the centre of the mountains. The county's rolling granite hills are also the source of Dublin's River Liffey. Located among these hills and mountains are places such as Glencree, Glenmalure, Glenmacnass and the magnificent Glen of Imaal.
Given this terrain and the proximity to Dublin, Wicklow in its day lent itself well to the shelter of bandits. Indeed, it was here that the last insurgents of the land agitation that spread all over Ireland following the French invasion of County Mayo in 1798, hid out. Using remote valleys such as Glenmalure and the Glen of Imaal as safe havens, powerful families would move in to attack the English. During this period, the mountains were practically impassable until the ensuing uprisings. The army built a road allowing them to patrol effectively after this, which now conveniently takes us through some of Wicklow's finest scenery.
Wicklow's mountains were molded and shaped during the Ice Age, resulting in the smooth peaks that we see today. It was this ice that was responsible for creating the deep valleys of Glenmacnass, Glenmalure and Glendalough. A vast mound of granite, the mountains are comprised of a hot igneous rock that consolidated some 400 million years ago. Baking the overlying clays and sedimentary rock, the heat produced shiny mica shists, evident across the county.
One of Wicklow's most famous landmarks, the monastic site at Glendalough attracts visitors from all over the world. The monastery was founded in the sixth century by Saint Kevin and now hosts a well preserved round tower, a number of fine stone churches and various crosses. The Visitor Centre houses an exhibition, an audio-visual show entitled 'Ireland of the Monasteries' and regular guided tours of the monastic site.
