WICKLOW. 



WICKLOW. 



1110 



fc^, T)ablln to GUndalougb, by Enniskrrry and Annamoe ; a road 

 Ulesdiillnil to KIM ; and the military road from lUthfarnham 

 to Ahvanagb, by Glencree, Glandalough, Larngh, and Drumgoff. 

 The o*hr road* hr been considerably improved of Ute yean. 



Otology, i/uuraloffy, Jkc. Tba inau of granite which form* the 

 iurfac-rook of the central district, oocupiea a tract of varying breadth, 

 from T to 14 mile*, and U the fundamental rock on which the other 

 formation! rt; it protrudes in Uolated portions in the districts occu- 

 pied by the slates. The granite is in general remarkably pure, and 

 free from minerals not ttrrn*'* 1 to its composition. It varies much 

 in the sue of the grain ; some of the largest grained and most beauti- 

 ful occurs in Olencree, in the northern part of the county, amid the 

 mountains north of the Dargle ; some of the finest grainrd, remark- 

 ably firm and compact, is found in the Glen of Imale, at the northern 

 side of Keadeen Mountain. The granite is not unfrequeutly porphy- 

 ritie, as in Glencree and Qleumsoauass. Schorl, tourmaline, garnet, 

 beryl, rock-crystal, epidote, heavy spar, magnetic iron-ore, galena, 

 copper and iron pryites, and other minerals are found in small portions. 

 Contraiporaueoui reins of granite, and less frequently of quartz, are 

 found in the granitic mass. Granite of later formation is occasionally 

 found alternating with the rocks which rest on the fundamental 



The mica-slate district on the eastern flank of the granite is in 

 general narrow, never exceeding 8 or 4 miles in breadth : it generally 

 pastes into clay-alate, by which it is bounded on the east side through* 

 outits course in this county. Hornblende and hornblende-slate, 

 grenatite, emery, andalusite, hollow-spar, talc-slate, which is quarried 

 for chiuiuey-pieoes, hearthstones, gravestones, Ac., and veins of quartz, 

 occasionally occur in the mica-slate district The mica-slate on the 

 cap of Keadeeu dips 65 to the south-east, and is remarkably full 

 of andalusite. Bristelstown Hill consists of mica-slate and trap- 

 rooks, namely, fine granular greenstone, greenstone-slate, and green- 

 stone-porphyry. Mica-slate and granite are found alternating near 

 Kilrauelagh. 



The clay-slate on the eastern flank of the granite occupies nearly 

 the whole of that part of the county which lies east of a line drawn 

 from the junction of the Dargle and Glencree rivers, south-south-west 

 to Tinahely, Shillelagh, and Uonegall in Carlow county. This clay- 

 slate is in different parU associated with granite, mica-slate, quartz- 

 rock, flinty slate, grauwaoke-trap, and porphyry. The strata in the 

 northern part of the clay-slate district, near Bray, are much inflected, 

 but in the middle part, and southern part, so far a* concerns this 

 county, they are tolerably regular, dipping to the south-east. In some 

 places the granite acquires a sieuitic character ; iu others it passes 

 into a true felspar-porphyry ; and in others the felspar and mica are 

 to ultimately blended as to constitute an apparently homogeneous 

 mineral, in some cases resembling some varieties of the trap-rock?, 

 and in others verging in aspect and texture towards clay-slate. Near 

 Danganstown, south-west of Wicklow, masses of greenstone and quartz 

 rock are found, gradually passing into horustoue and compact felspar. 

 A *"" of greenstone, inclosing a bed of roofing-slate, which is 

 quarried, is found near the Avon-More ; and quartz-rock in combina- 

 tion with clay-slate, and abounding in contemporaneous veins of pure- 

 white quartz; granite, greenstone, and greenstone-slate, alternating 

 with clay-slate, occur in several places. Arklow rock (411 feet high) 

 on the coast, just south of Arklow, consists of trap rocks, as green- 

 stone, felspar, felspar-porphyry, and a variety of trap well entitled to 

 the name of basalt, very similar to the basalt of the Giant's Causeway. 

 Quartz-rock forms the masses of the Great and Little Sugar-Loaf, and 

 of the hill above Bray Head. The clay-slate of the western flank of 

 the granite occupies the most of that part of the county which lies 

 west of the Lifley, the King's River, and the Slaney; grauwacke is 

 found in combination with it 



. The rocks on the eastern flank of the granite abound in metals, 

 while on the western flank there is a total absence of them. In the 

 granite and mica-slate districts the metallic substances arc found in 

 veins; the clay -slate district has metalliferous beds, and contem- 

 poraneous veins or alluvial deposits. In the granite and mica-slate, 

 galena, green and white lead-ore, and copper pyrites are found. The 

 ore is smelted in small blast-furnaces, with the aid of turf, lime, and 

 a small portion of the purest blind-coal ; the lead is obtained by a 

 single operation, and is fit for all the purposes of the plumber. The 

 principal lead-mines are in Glenmaluro. 



The metals obtained from the clay-slate tract are gold, silver, 

 copper, iron, lead, zinc, tin, tungsten, manganese, arsenic, and anti- 

 mony. The metalliferous portion of the clay-slate district is small, 

 extending in length only from the border of the county at Croghau 

 Kinihcla, 10 or 11 milc.-t in a north-north-east direction, and having 

 but a small breadth. The discovery of native gold near Croghau 

 Kinahela Mountain took place about 1796, but the quantity found was 

 very small. Some gold has been found in streams near the moun- 

 tain Croghan Hoira, Copper pyrites, iron pyrites, and black copper- 

 ore are found and wrought at Cronbane and Ballymurtagh, near the 

 Avon-More. The mines employ about 1000 men. Native silver, 

 minutely disseminated, sometimes in particles, sometimes in filaments, 

 was found in the middle of the last century in a brown indurated 

 oxide of iron at Cronbane. Lead is found and worked at Ripplagh, 

 or Luganure, near Qleniualure. 



Climate, Soil, and Produce. The climate of Wicklow in nearly 

 similar to that of Wexford ; it is said to be somewhat drier than tho 

 county of Dublin. The nature of the soil varies considerably ; in 

 the mountainous parts it is thin aud poor, but dry, and there is a 

 large proportion of bog. In a great part of the lowlands, a rather 

 light black mould rests on a subsoil of gravel or sand, or, sometimes, 

 of yellow clay: this ii generally tolerably dry; but a c >:isi<lor,ilile 

 quantity of the valley lauds, and the low-lying bog, much n 

 draining. In the north-eastern parts of the county tho soil is plenti- 

 fully intermixed with small nodules of limestone, imbedded in the 

 marl or gravel. Dairy-farming, gra/.ing, and tho growing of corn, 

 chiefly oats, are tho principal objects of the farmer, and > 

 potatoes that of the farm-labourer or cottier. The land on the whole 

 is moderately fertile. The county has no peculiar breed of cattle, 

 sheep, or pigs, but all these kinds of stock have been greatly ini 

 of late years. In 1853 there were under crop 118,002 acres, of which 

 4733 acres grew wheat; 37,017 acres oats; S465 acres barley, here, 

 rye, peas, and beans ; 9342 acres potatoes ; 5246 acres turnips ; 1507 

 acres other green crops ; 4 acres flax ; aud 53,208 acres were in 

 meadow and clover. In 1841 the plantations covered 23,945 acres, 

 yielding chiefly oak, ash, and fir. On 8045 holdings, in 1852, tho 

 aggregate stock was 11,504 horses, 3413 mules and asses, 67,42 

 of cattle, 139,235 sheep, 19,972 pigs, 5825 goats, and 141,140 head of 

 poultry. 



The fishery along the coast is prosecuted to some extent. Oysters 

 are taken off Arklow Bank, and hen-ings, cod, mackerel, and other 

 fiah, are found within a distance of from 5 to 8 miles from the shore. 

 Arklow and Wicklow are the chief fishing-ports, but neither is good or 

 convenient as a harbour, and the fishery is not very actively pro- 

 secuted. 



The villas and mansions in Wicklow county are numerous, and 

 many of them handsome ; and the demesnes are highly cultivated. 



Divisions, Townt, tc. The county is in the dioceses of Dublin and 

 Glandelagh, with small parts in those of Leighlin aud Ferns, and 

 contains 59 parishes. It is divided into eight baronies : Arklow, 

 Ballinacor north and south, Newcastle, Rathdown, Shillelagh, aud 

 Lower and Upper Talbotstown. The principal towns an- \\ i 

 and ABKLOW, which with BALTINULASS, RATHDRUM, and Smi.LELAan, 

 are noticed under their respective names. The following are some of 

 the towns and villages, with the population of each iu 1851. 



Bloiington is a neat market- and post-town, on rising ground, near 

 the banks of the LiSey, 14 miles S.S.W. from Dublin : population, 555. 

 In the middle of the town the street expands into a market-place. 

 The church is a handsome small modern building, with a steeple. 

 There are in the town a police barrack, a dispensary, and a loan-fund 

 office. The market is on Thursday, and there are three yearly fairs. 

 Petty sessions are held monthly. Blessiugton returned two members 

 to the Irish Parliament, but it was disfranchised at the Union. Jiray 

 is a market- and post-town, standing on both sides of the river Lifl'ey, 

 near its mouth, 12 miles S.E. from Dublin: population, 3156. It 

 is partly iu the county of DUBLIN, under which head a notice of the 

 town appears, vol. ii., col. 813. Carnew is a neat little market- aud 

 post-town on the borders of Wexford county, about 8 miles S. from 

 Tinahely : population, 982. There is a castle which tradition states 

 to have been battered by Cromwell in hia march from Dublin to 

 Wexford, but which has since been roofed and repaired. Tho church 

 is a handsome building, with an embattled tower and spire, and there 

 are chapels for Wesleyan Methodists and Roman Catholics, a dispen- 

 sary, a loan-fund office, a police station, and a school. Petty sessions 

 are held monthly, and there are eight yearly fairs, four of them consi- 

 derable horse and cattle fairs. Delgany is a small village aud post- 

 town about 2 miles S.E. from Bray : population, 214. It is situated 

 near the elegant mansion and grounds of Bellevue, which form one 

 side of the Glen of the Downs, the seat of the Latouches. The church, 

 a gothic edifice with a steeple 90 feet high, and the school-houses, 

 were built by the Latouche family. In the village is a-fever hospital. 

 Donard is a small post-town on the Slaney, near its source in Slieve 

 Gadoe, about 4 miles N.E. from Stratford-on-Slauey : population, 328. 

 There are a church, a Roman Catholic chapel, many good houses, and 

 the ruins of an old church, burned during the rebellion of 1798. 

 Dunlavin, or Dunlavan, is a market- and post-town, about 5 miles 

 N.W. from Donard : population, 757. Several of the houses are well 

 built, and there are a neat church of modern erection, a market-house, 

 a Roman Catholic chapel, a school-house, a police station, and a dispen- 

 sary. Petty sessions are held monthly, aud there are six aunual fairs. 

 Enniskemy is a beautifully-situated village and post-town, ou a rapid 

 mountain stream falling into the Dargle River, 12 miles S. from Dublin, 

 on the road to Glendalough : population, 380. There arc a school- 

 house, a fever hospital, and a dispensary ; also a number of cottages 

 in the old English style erected by Lord Powerscourt. The romantic 

 scenery of the neighbourhood draws many persons from Dublin. 

 Powerscourt demesne, with its spacious and splendid mansion of hewn 

 granite, adjoins the town. Near Euniskerry are the demesne and house 

 of Tinnehinch, which were purchased by the Irish parliament and 

 presented to the late Henry Grattan. Kilcoole is a small village on 

 tho road from Bray to Wicklow, near tho sea, about 2 miles N. from 

 Newtown-Mouut-Kennedy : population, 333. There are a church in 

 ruins, a Roman Catholic chapel, aud three or four schools. Two fairs 





