By Stan O'Reilly
Wicklow town derives its name from the Viking invaders of the ninth
century. The original name, 'Vykinglo', most likely refers to a
meadow or grassland. The old Gaelic name for the town, 'Chill Mhantain'
dates back to the time of St Patrick. Attempting to land from a
boat at Travelahawk beach, Patrick and his followers were given
the traditional welcome of the period -the natives stoned the boat
from the beach. One of the monks was struck in the mouth and lost
his teeth. This monk was christened Mhantain, 'gubby. or 'gap-toothed',
and was instructed by Patrick to convert the natives. In the Market
Square area of the town he set up his church or 'Chill'.
Around 1,000 BC, the first settlers in the area lived around the
Round Mount along the banks of the local river, the Vartry. They
hunted in the deep forests and fished in the sea. The local ruler
at the time of St Patrick's arrival was a pagan chief called Nahi.
The Round Mount is also known as Nahi's mound, and may be his burial
site.
It was also in the area of the Round Mount that the Viking invaders
first settled, or built their first meeting place. It is possible
that the remains of a Viking timber fortification lie under the
mound. The invaders intermarried with the natives and founded alliances
that would see them eventually assimilated with the natives. The
locals at the time of the invaders' arrival christened their settlement
'bac n saor' or the craftsmen's creek. The second of Scandinavian
settlers built their timber fortification to the south of the town,
overlooking the Irish Sea. From here the Danes could strike inland
to forage and raid as the Norse had done before them.
Another wave of invaders, the Anglo-Normans, arrived in the area
around the late 1160s and by 1171 Wicklow was the property of Henry
II, which he granted to Strongbow. A stone fortification was built
upon the site of the Danes' fort. This was known to locals as the
'Black Castle', due most likely to the dark deeds and bloodletting
that took place there. For several hundred years the natives were
revolting and waged war upon the castle and its occupants.
In the latter part of the 12th century, the church of St Thomas
was constructed close to the site of the Round Mount. An older church,
known as The Church of the Vine, was in existence at this site.
Buried in the graveyard nearby is Captain Robert Halpin of Great
Eastern fame, the man who linked four continents with underwater
telegraphic cable. Captain Halpin was born at the Bridge Hotel,
Wicklow, an imbibing emporium which dates back to the early 18th
century. He laid 26,000 miles of cable. The first transatlantic
message linking Newfoundland with County Kerry was 'All right'.
In the middle of the 13th century, Franciscan monks arrived in Wicklow
town and founded the Franciscan Abbey. Local native chiefs the O'Byrnes
and the O'Tooles supported the monks. Much of the Abbey still remains
today, consisting of the south gable, east side and north end of
the chapel. Visitors are allowed to view the remains with the consent
of the Parish Priest who lives nearby. The grounds are a favourite
spot for newly married couples to be photographed in.
A holy well called Hemp's Well existed in the Friar's Hill town-land
and was famous for the curing of bowel com- plaints. Another holy
well existed at Bride's Head. It was said that if a maiden drank
the waters she would be married within the year. Fishermen in days
gone by, living under the sails, took the water from this well on
sea voyages, to ensure good luck and a safe passage.
Wicklow is the capital of the county of the same name and has along
and eventful maritime history from sea pirates to smugglers with
wrecks galore. The port has always been a hive of industrial activity,
exporting goods such as iron, stone, timber, slate, and metallic
ores by the late 19th century. The natives continued to revolt for
several centuries against any attempt to impose authority upon them.
Wicklow town was burned and laid waste by the O'Byrnes and the O'Tooles
in the early 14th century and in 1370 the O'Byrnes seized the Black
Castle. In 1581 the castle was again under siege by Feagh MacHugh
O'Byrne. In 1599 some 200 soldiers of the army of Sir Henry Harrington
were wiped out outside of Wicklow town. Wicklow became the last
county in Ireland to be created in 1606 and was created a borough
in 1613.
The natives, however, refused to be pacified and continued to wage
war against those who would impose a foreign authority upon them.
A great rebellion began in 1641 that would pitch Old English settlers
and native Irish against the anti-royalist puritans. Rebel commander
Luke O'Toole attacked the Black Castle in 1641 in an attempt to
seize a supply ship. He managed to kill the castle guards and lay
waste to most of the castle. This was the catalyst for a massacre
of townspeople seeking sanctuary in a church in the area now known
as Melancholy Lane. Royalist force commander Sir Charles Coote marched
into Wicklow to deal with O'Toole forces. They had however withdrawn.
At the local church Fr. Byrne and his congregation died in flames
set by Coote's troops or were cut down trying to flee the flames.
In 1645, the Black Castle once again became the target of an assault
which would see Reverend Edmund O'Reilly and one Duff Beirne on
trial for murder. By the time of his trial O'Reilly was the Vicar-General
for the diocese of Dublin. He was not only accused of setting the
castle on fire and burning those inside to death, but of returning
nine months later to completely tear down the castle. Duff Beirne
was found guilty of murder and O'Reilly of being an accessory in
the deed. Part of the Black Castle was restored and a constable
was recorded as living there years later. After 21 months in gaol,
O'Reilly was banished from the country. He returned to Ireland in
1666 and was banished a second time, dying in Brittany in 1669.
Peaceful years followed the end of the rebellion and in 1689 the
town was granted a new charter by James II. A stone bridge was constructed
across the Vartry river so local farmers could graze their stock
on the Murrough, which forms part of the natural lagoon at Wicklow.
A new Town Hall was built and the local ducking stool repaired for
the convenience of local ne'er-do-wells. The 18th century would
see the joining of two large estates with the marriage of Lord Fitzwilliam
and Anne Watson-Wentworth in June 1744.
This was the era of highwaymen, footpads, smugglers and wreckers.
Many of them used to be 'guests' in residence at Wicklow Gaol, which
was constructed in the early years of the 2Oth century and escape
attempts were commonplace. In one instance, the roof of nearby Wicklow
courthouse was set on fire during a trial but the attempt was foiled.
Dueling in Wicklow was as common as elsewhere. In 1797 the young
Earl of Meath was fatally wounded by Robert Gore, who was acquitted
of murder at Wicklow court- house.
Conditions in Wicklow Gaol were horrendous, with children, lunatics,
rapists and mothers with babes-in-arms sharing the one room. A very
poor diet was afforded to prisoners who could, however, purchase
small luxuries from the gaoler at inflated prices. Prisoners would
also have to present the head gaoler with a financial token of appreciation
before they were released. Disease was commonplace. Prisoners were
branded as a punishment, while others were condemned to transportation
for life or seven years, or to meet a grisly fate embraced by the
hangman's noose.
One of the most famous prisoners of Wicklow Gaol was William 'Billy'
Byrne of Ballymanus, the noted rebel leader of 1798. Many United
Irishmen met their fate at the end of a noose within the gaol, their
heads struck from their bodies and the remains tossed overboard
a local fishing boat into Wicklow Bay. The heads were left in the
gaol for a half-tame hawk to feed upon. Billy Byrne, youngest son
of a local Catholic landowner, was found guilty of being a rebel
in arms and was executed at Gallows Lane at Friar's Hill, used mainly
to dispatch villains, rapists, and vagrants.
Other famous prisoners of Wicklow Gaol include the founder of the
Dublin Society of United Irishmen, Napper Tandy, and Erskene Childers,
author of The Riddle of the Sands and father of a future Irish president.
Another victim of the 1798 period was Fr Andrew O'Toole, Parish
Priest of Wicklow, who, it is claimed, was murdered by members of
the Wicklow Yeomanry Corps. Local rebels also waged a war of attrition
against the local loyalists with many gruesome murders taking place.
Elsewhere in the county the Wicklow Militia were engaged in the
pacification of rebels and would-be rebels. In this conflict many
innocents suffered. The noted half-hangman Hempenstall, better known
as the Walking Gallows, was a member of this regiment. Ensign Bell
of the Wicklow Militia is still remembered in Multyfarnham, Co Westmeath,
for his brutality.
Some 10,000-odd souls would parish in the famine years in Co. Wicklow,
a figure comparable with that of Co. Longford. Times were hard in
the 19th century, but St Patrick's Church in Wicklow was constructed
in 1844 by subscription. Locals would spend a weekend on the road
with horse and cart, bringing a single granite stone from west Wicklow
back to the building site. The years after the famine saw the development
of Wicklow harbour, creating much-needed jobs.
Horse races were held on the Murrough and at times, 'due to the
absence of police' no fighting took place. From 1850 to 1860 an
industrial school was built, the RNLI arrived, and the local newspaper,
The Wicklow People was in print. In 1870 the Dominican Convent was
opened for local school children. A new railway station was established
in 1885, the famous Wicklow Regatta, which still takes place in
late July-early August, was seven years old at this time. In 1899
Wicklow Urban District Council was established.
The past is still on view -Wicklow Historical Society's journal
continues to delve into the county's rich heritage and the gaol
is now an interpretive centre and genealogical office.
Our Thanks to Stan O'Reilly and Wicklow Historical Society for
permission to publish this article
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