Enniskerry is a village located in
County WicklowCounty Wicklow is one of the traditional counties of Ireland and is located within the province of Leinster. It was named after the town of Wicklow ....
,
IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
, with a population of 2,672 according to the 2006 census.
The town is situated on the Glencullen River in the foothills of the
Wicklow MountainsThe Wicklow Mountains are a range of mountains in the southeast of Ireland. They run in a north-south direction from south County Dublin across County Wicklow and into County Wexford...
to the east of the island, some south of
DublinDublin is the largest city and capital of Ireland. It is officially known in Irish as Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliath ; the English name comes from the Irish Dubh Linn meaning "black pool". It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the...
. The
R117 roadThe R117 road is a regional road in Ireland. The route starts Harcourt Road at the end of the South Circular Road on the southside of Dublin city centre...
, colloquially known as "The Twenty-One Bends" connects the town to the main N11 road to Dublin. The 185
Dublin BusDublin Bus is a public transport operator in Ireland. It operates an extensive bus network of 172 radial, cross-city and peripheral routes and 24 night routes in the city of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area. The company, established in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann which is...
route connects the village hourly to
BrayBray is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside town of approximately 35,100 people, making it the largest town in Ireland...
, the nearest large town.
With Ireland's booming economy and with such advantages as mountainous scenery and the nearby
Powerscourt EstatePowerscourt Estate , located near Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland, is a large country estate which is noted for its house and landscaped gardens, today occupying 19 hectares . The house, originally a 13th century castle, was extensively altered during the 18th century by German architect...
, the village has extremely active tourist and property markets.
Enniskerry is a village located in
County WicklowCounty Wicklow is one of the traditional counties of Ireland and is located within the province of Leinster. It was named after the town of Wicklow ....
,
IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
, 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 MountainsThe Wicklow Mountains are a range of mountains in the southeast of Ireland. They run in a north-south direction from south County Dublin across County Wicklow and into County Wexford...
to the east of the island, some south of
DublinDublin is the largest city and capital of Ireland. It is officially known in Irish as Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliath ; the English name comes from the Irish Dubh Linn meaning "black pool". It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the...
. The
R117 roadThe R117 road is a regional road in Ireland. The route starts Harcourt Road at the end of the South Circular Road on the southside of Dublin city centre...
, colloquially known as "The Twenty-One Bends" connects the town to the main N11 road to Dublin. The 185
Dublin BusDublin Bus is a public transport operator in Ireland. It operates an extensive bus network of 172 radial, cross-city and peripheral routes and 24 night routes in the city of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area. The company, established in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann which is...
route connects the village hourly to
BrayBray is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside town of approximately 35,100 people, making it the largest town in Ireland...
, the nearest large town.
With Ireland's booming economy and with such advantages as mountainous scenery and the nearby
Powerscourt EstatePowerscourt Estate , located near Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland, is a large country estate which is noted for its house and landscaped gardens, today occupying 19 hectares . The house, originally a 13th century castle, was extensively altered during the 18th century by German architect...
, 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.
History
The Protestant population of the village attended church in the grounds of the
Powerscourt DemesnePowerscourt Estate , located near Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland, is a large country estate which is noted for its house and landscaped gardens, today occupying 19 hectares . The house, originally a 13th century castle, was extensively altered during the 18th century by German architect...
until 1859. Mervyn Wingfield, 7th
Viscount PowerscourtViscount Powerscourt is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of Ireland, each time for members of the Wingfield family. It was created first in 1618 for the Chief Governor of Ireland, Richard Wingfield. However, this creation became extinct on his death in 1634. It was created a...
built a new church, Saint 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. The Viscount Powerscourt also closed a Catholic graveyard within the Demesne and provided for a new graveyard at Curtlestown.
Powerscourt EstatePowerscourt Estate , located near Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland, is a large country estate which is noted for its house and landscaped gardens, today occupying 19 hectares . The house, originally a 13th century castle, was extensively altered during the 18th century by German architect...
, comprising a large house and gardens today occupying , 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 CasselsRichard Cassels , who anglicised his name to Richard Castle, ranks with Edward Lovett Pearce as one of the greatest architects working in Ireland in the 18th century. Cassels was born in 1690 in Kassel, Germany...
, which was destroyed by fire in 1974, and lay as a shell until extensive restorations were carried out in 1996.
Powerscourt WaterfallPowerscourt Waterfall is a waterfall near Enniskerry, County Wicklow, in Ireland, located in a valley surrounded by Djouce Mountain and the Great Sugar Loaf...
in the grounds of the estate, at 121 metres, is the highest waterfall in Ireland.
Culture
Film
- The Powerscourt Estate was used for a location in the movie The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo is a 2002 film, the 10th film based loosely upon the book of the same name, by Alexandre Dumas, père. It was directed by Kevin Reynolds and starred Richard Harris, James Caviezel, Dagmara Dominczyk, Guy Pearce and Luis Guzman...
.
- Enniskerry was also the setting for some of the scenes of Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century, along with his contemporaries John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft, Alec Guinness and Ralph Richardson...
's film of Henry VHenry V is a 1944 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name. The on-screen title is The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France . It stars Laurence Olivier, who also directed. The play was adapted for the screen by Olivier,...
by William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
in 1944, and provided many of the extras in the film
- Scenes of Into the West
Into the West is a 1992 film about Irish Travellers, directed by Mike Newell and written by Jim Sheridan. Actors in the film include Gabriel Byrne, Ellen Barkin, Ruaidhri Conroy, Ciaran Fitzgerald, David Kelly, Colm Meaney, Johnny Murphy, John Kavanagh and Brendan Gleeson.-Plot summary:Into the...
, a 1992 film starring Gabriel ByrneGabriel James Byrne is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, and writer, as well as an audiobook narrator. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined London’s Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's screen début came in the Irish soap opera The Riordans and the spin-off...
and Ellen Barkin-Early life:Barkin was born in the Bronx, New York, to a chemical-salesman father and a hospital-administrator mother who worked at Jamaica Hospital. Barkin was raised in a lower-middle-class Jewish family, a descendant of immigrants from Siberia and the Russia-Poland border. Barkin received her...
, were shot in the village.
- In the 2007 film P.S. I Love You
P.S. I Love You is a 2007 American drama film directed by Richard LaGravenese. The screenplay by LaGravenese and Steven Rogers is based on the 2004 novel of the same name by Cecelia Ahern...
, Enniskerry is the home place of Gerry Kennedy (Gerard ButlerGerard James Butler is a Scottish actor known for his portrayal of King Leonidas in 300, The Phantom in the 2004 film version of The Phantom of the Opera, Gerry Kennedy in P.S. I Love You, One Two in RocknRolla, Mike Chadway in The Ugly Truth and Clyde Shelton in Law Abiding Citizen...
).
Television
The village has been the set for numerous television advertisements. From 1996 to 2001, along with
AvocaAvoca is the name of many places:In Ireland:*Avoca, County Wicklow, the village*River Avoca, in County WicklowIn Australia:*Avoca, Tasmania*Avoca, Victoria*Avoca Beach, New South Wales*North Avoca, New South Wales*The Avoca River...
, it played host to the television series
BallykissangelBallykissangel was a BBC television drama set in Ireland, produced in-house by BBC Northern Ireland. The original story revolved around a young English priest as he became part of a rural community. It ran for six series, which were first broadcast on BBC One in the UK from 1996 to 2001...
. On March 16, 2009
Meredith VieiraMeredith Louise Vieira is an American journalist, television personality, and game show host. She currently co-hosts NBC's Today and often contributes to Dateline NBC. She is the current host for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in syndication, replacing Regis Philbin in 2002...
and
Al RokerAlbert Lincoln "Al" Roker, Jr. is an American television broadcaster, best known as the weather anchor for NBC's Today show. On July 20, 2009, he began co-hosting his new morning show Wake Up with Al on The Weather Channel, which airs weekdays from 6am to 7am ET, one hour away from Today show...
broadcast live in Enniskerry for NBC's Today Show.
Transport
The Bray and Enniskerry Railway was proposed in the 19th century, to link the town to Bray. Some initial work was carried out, including building a bridge to carry the railway over
Dublin CorporationDublin Corporation , known by generations of Dubliners simply as The Corpo, is the former name given to the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin between 1661 and 1 January 2002...
's
VartryVartry Reservoir is a reservoir at Roundwood in County Wicklow, Ireland. The water is piped from Vartry to a large open service reservoir in Stillorgan in the southern suburbs of Dublin. The reservoir is operated by Dublin City Council....
watermain. Wicklow County Council recently removed much of the railway embankment in road widening, but left the bridge, which is directly opposite the ornate bridge carrying the watermain over the Cookstown River, a tributary of the River Dargle. The plan ran into financial difficulties, and the rails were lifted and sold off.
Two
Dublin BusDublin Bus is a public transport operator in Ireland. It operates an extensive bus network of 172 radial, cross-city and peripheral routes and 24 night routes in the city of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area. The company, established in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann which is...
routes, the 44 and 185, pass through the village.
Sports
There are two soccer clubs located in the village; Enniskerry Schoolboys/girls Football Club have twenty teams playing at underage levels, while Enniskerry Youth Club have several teams playing at adult and youth level.
There is also a
Gaelic footballGaelic football , commonly referred to as "Football" , "Gaelic" or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
club in the village, as well as a boxing club.
Religion
Strong ecumenical links have been forged over the years between the Roman Catholic parish of St Mary and the
Church of IrelandThe Church of Ireland is a Christian church, an autonomous province of the Episcopal/Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland, and the largest non-Roman Catholic religious body on the island...
parish of St Patrick, Powerscourt, both in the village of Enniskerry, and St Brigid's Church of Ireland in nearby Kilbride.
See also
- Powerscourt Estate
Powerscourt Estate , located near Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland, is a large country estate which is noted for its house and landscaped gardens, today occupying 19 hectares . The house, originally a 13th century castle, was extensively altered during the 18th century by German architect...
- Powerscourt Waterfall
Powerscourt Waterfall is a waterfall near Enniskerry, County Wicklow, in Ireland, located in a valley surrounded by Djouce Mountain and the Great Sugar Loaf...
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
External links