Bray, County Wicklow

The name Bray is an anglicisation of the Irish Bré, whose meaning is unclear.[2] Liam Price suggested it may be an old name for the River Dargle or a tributary.[2] In 1875 P. W. Joyce mistakenly ascribed the Irish name Brí, an old word meaning "hill", referring in this case to Bray Head.[2][3] In a 1905 Gaelic League publication advocating use of Irish-language postal addresses, Seosamh Laoide coined the name Brí Cualann "Brí in Cualu", as part of his policy that "If the name of the town [in Irish] be one word, the [ancient Gaelic] territory should be added to it in the genitive case".[2][4] Brí and Brí C[h]ualann remained in use in the mid 20th century despite having been refuted by Price and Osborn Bergin.[2] Bré was adopted by statute in 1975.[5]

In medieval times, Bray was on the southern border of the Pale, and the coastal district was governed directly by the English crown from Dublin Castle. Inland, the countryside was largely under the control of Gaelic Chieftains, such as the O'Toole and O'Byrne clans. Bray features on the 1598 map "A Modern Depiction of Ireland, One of the British Isles"[6] by Abraham Ortelius as "Brey". The Earl of Meath purchased the Killruddery Estate in Bray in 1627 with the establishment of the Earl title. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Bray was a small manorial village, but during the latter part of the 18th century, the Dublin middle-classes began to move to Bray.

The Dublin and Kingstown Railway, the first in Ireland, opened in 1834 and was extended as far as Bray in 1854. With the coming of the railway, the town grew to become a seaside resort. Hotels and residential terraces were built in the vicinity of the seafront. Railway entrepreneur William Dargan developed the Turkish baths, designed in a Moorish style at a cost of £10,000; these were demolished in 1980.[7] By the mid-20th century, the town's use as a resort had declined when foreign travel became an option for holiday-makers. However, day-trippers continued to come to Bray during the summer months.

Seafront and Bray Head

The town is situated on the east coast to the south of County Dublin. Shankill, County Dublin lies to the north, and Greystones, County Wicklow to the south. The village of Enniskerry lies to the west of the town, at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains. People participate in such sports as sailing, rowing, and swimming. The beach and seafront promenade are used by residents and visitors. While Bray's promenade and south beach is to a Blue Flag standard,[8] the north beach has been impacted by erosion and leaching pollution since the closure and sale of a municipal landfill in the late 20th century.[9][10][11]

The River Dargle which enters the sea at the north end of Bray rises from a source near Djouce, in the Wicklow Mountains. Bray Head is situated at the southern end of the Victorian Promenade with paths leading to the summit and along the sea cliffs. The rocks of Bray Head are a mixture of greywackes and quartzite. There is a large cross at the summit.[12]

Bray Harbour, October 2014

Bray has a growing population of permanent residents. It increases in the warmer seasons with tourists from Dublin and other countries.

Old town hall

Bray is represented on Wicklow County Council by two local electoral areas. Bray East is approximately two-thirds of the town, while Bray West is the other third and includes the neighbouring villages of Enniskerry and Kilmacanogue and several small townlands such as Glencree. Bray Municipal District consists of both of these local electoral areas.[18][19]

The following are the eight councillors representing Bray at Bray Municipal District and Wicklow County Council. The local elections took place in 2019.

Bray was formerly governed by an urban district council until this was replaced by a town council by the Local Government Act 2001. This, in turn, was abolished by the Local Government Reform Act 2014, with the powers and functions of the town council given to the county council, but its functions could be administered by the new municipal district council created by the act.

Part of the northern Bray area lies within the local authority area of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, and forms part of the Shankill–Killiney local electoral area. The border between County Wicklow and County Dublin (Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown) lies along Old Connaught Avenue and runs down along and across the Dublin Road to Ravenswell, making all areas north of that line Bray, County Dublin.[23]

Hillwalkers at the cross on the summit of Bray Head.

Bray is a long-established holiday resort with hotels and guesthouses, shops, restaurants and evening entertainment. The town also hosts a number of festival events.

In the town's vicinity are an 18-hole golf courses, a tennis club, fishing, a sailing club and horse riding. Other features of Bray are the amusement arcades and the National Sealife Centre. It has a beach of sand and shingle which is over 1.6 km (0.99 mi) long, fronted by an esplanade and Bray Head, which rises 241 m (791 ft) from the coast, has views of mountains and sea. The concrete cross at the top of Bray head was erected in 1950 for the holy year.

Killruddery House, an Elizabethan-Revival mansion built in the 1820s.

Bray is used as a base for walkers, and has a mile-long promenade which stretches from the harbour, with its colony of mute swans, to the base of Bray Head at the southern end. A track leads to the summit. Also used by walkers is the 7 km (4.3 mi) Cliff Walk along Bray Head out to Greystones.

In January 2010, Bray was named the "cleanest town in Ireland" in the 2009 Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey of 60 towns and cities.[24]

Festivals and events

Bray Air Show 2016

The Bray St. Patrick's Carnival and Parade is presented by Bray & District Chamber to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day, and is a five-day festival of carnival events, parades and live entertainment.

Bray also hosts a yearly silent film festival, the Killruddery Film Festival in Killruddery Gardens.[28] Bray Jazz Festival takes place annually on the May bank holiday weekend and includes performances by jazz and world music artists.

The annual Bray Summerfest takes place over six weeks in July and August and includes free entertainment, live music, markets, sporting events, and carnivals. Performers who have headlined include Mundy, Brian Kennedy, the Undertones, the Hothouse Flowers and Mary Black. In 2006, over 60,000 visitors attended the festival weekend in mid-July.

Hell & Back is an adventure race that takes place in Kilruddery Estates.[29] The 10 km Cliff Run from Bray to Greystones is an annual run on the coast around Bray Head Mountain.[30]

Bray is home to League of Ireland football club Bray Wanderers who play at the Carlisle Grounds. It also hosts schoolboy football club Ardmore Rovers and Wolfe Tone F.C. The local Gaelic Athletic Association club's are Fergal Og's and Bray Emmets.[42] Bray Emmets Established in 1885, the club hosts the annual All-Ireland Kick Fada Championship.[43]

There are a number of golf clubs and pitch & putt courses in the area, including Bray Golf Club, Dun Laoghaire Golf Club, and Old Conna Golf Club.[44][45] Bray is also host to Bray Bowling Club, which trains in Fáilte Park,[46] and there is 10 Pin Bowling at the Bray Bowling Alley.[47]

There is fishing in both the River Dargle and on the sea coastline, and a number of clubs locally, including Bray Head Fishing Club and Dargle Anglers Club.[48] Other clubs and facilities in the area include Bray Wheelers Cycling Club,[49] Brennanstown Riding School,[50] Bray Sailing Club,[51] Wicklow Lawn Tennis Club, founded in 1894 and located on Vevay Road,[52] Bray Hockey Club, [53] and Wicklow County Cricket Club. [54]

Presentation College, Bray

A short-lived greyhound racing track existed in the town from 1949 until 1955, run by the Bray Greyhound Racing Association Ltd.[55] In December 1947, notice was given that a track would be constructed at Sunnybank but the Wicklow County Manager refused the application. However, the greyhound company continued to build the facilities and in 1949 the track opened. It was not until 1950 that the High Court ruled against the company for building without planning permission and levied a fine of £470. The dispute continued until, in 1955, the track was bought by Bray Urban Council under a compulsory purchase order. The site, consisting of almost five acres, was bought at £440 per acre, and 36 houses were built on the land.[56]

Thousands of people turned out on the seafront to see Olympic boxing champion Katie Taylor, return home from London in August 2012.[57]

There are approximately 13 primary schools in the Bray area, including national schools (like Saint Cronan's Boys' National School),[58] gaelscoileanna, a co-educational day school (St. Gerard's School),[59] and schools for special needs. Secondary schools in the area include Saint Brendan's College, Loreto Secondary School and St. Kilian's Community School and Presentation College, Bray. A number of "English as a foreign language" and third-level schools also operate locally, including Bray Institute of Further Education.[60]

Bray has a number of commercial and industrial parks, including Bray Industrial Estate, Killarney Road Industrial Estate, Solus Tower Industrial Estate, and Southern Cross Business Park.

Swans where the River Dargle flows into the harbour

Christ Church, Bray

Former or current residents of the town have included:

• Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, fifth President of Ireland[61]
• Dara Ó Briain, comedian and television host[62]
• Denzil Lacey, former RTÉ 2fm and current Spin South West presenter[63]
• Eddie Jordan, former racing driver and Jordan Grand Prix founder[62]
• Seamus Costello, founding member of the Irish National Liberation Army
• Ed Joyce, professional cricketer[64]
• Fergal Devitt, professional wrestler in WWE, who wrestles under the name Finn Bálor[62]
• Fionn Regan, musician[65]
• James Joyce, writer[62]
• Jordan Devlin, professional wrestler in WWE[66]
• Katie Taylor, world, European, and Olympic boxing gold medalist[67]
• Laura Whitmore, TV personality and presenter[62]
• Lennox Robinson, dramatist and poet[62]
• Maria Doyle Kennedy, singer and actress who resided in the town as a child.[68]
• Mary Coughlan, singer who resides in the town[62]
• Sinead O'Connor, singer who resides in the town
• Sheridan Le Fanu, writer of gothic horror and mystery novels[62]
• William Wilde and Jane Wilde, the parents of Oscar Wilde, built properties on Esplanade Terrace in 1863, one of which is now the Strand Hotel[69]
• Thomas Langlois Lefroy, politician and judge, who lived in his family estate in Newcourt[70]
• Darren Randolph, goalkeeper for the Republic of Ireland national football team[71]
• Gary O'Toole, former Irish Olympic swimmer from Bray
• Eamon de Buitlear, writer, filmmaker and traditional Irish musician[72]
• Keith Nolan, Professional Golfer, former GB & Ireland Walker Cup player, and PGA Tour player[73]
• Fran O'Toole, former lead singer in The Miami Showband. Was murdered by members of the Ulster Volunteer Force & Glenanne gang during the Miami Showband massacre in July 1975.[74] [75]

Bray from Bray Head

Bray has town twinning agreements with:[76][77]

• Bègles, France
• Dublin, California, United States
• Würzburg, Germany

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bray, County Wicklow.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Bray (Ireland).

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bray.

• Bray on-line
• Bray Town Council (Wayback Machine archive)
• Bray on Wicklow Tourism
• Bray in Lewis Topographical Dictionary of Ireland 1837