Dublin South & Wicklow Tour
FULL DAY - 8 HOURS
We depart our tour this morning heading south along the coast line, we pass the exclusive Ballsbridge area of Dublin where we will view the grand Edwardian homes, with the plush gardens, here too most of the worlds Embassy’s are to be found close to the RDS an exhibition area that is also home to the Dublin Horse Show. Our journey takes by the past Blackrock College and village as we head into the suburban town of Dun Laoghaire.
Dún Laoghaire is a town on the coast about 7 miles (11km) south of Dublin. Together with the splendid harbour and surrounding rolling hills, It was once called Kingstown and before that the English called it Dunleary. Dún Laoghaire gets its name from the Irish Translation, Fort (Dún) of Laoghaire. King Laoghaire was the ancient High King of Ireland before the Vikings arrived. When the English came they renamed the town Dunlary (Dunleary) to suit the English tongue. In 1821 it was renamed Kingstown by King George IV of England to honour his visit to the town that year. It remained Kingstown through Victorian times until in 1921, one year before independence, the town council voted to change the name back to the ancient Irish name Dún Laoghaire.In the harbour you will view the hundreds of small sailing boats bobbing up and down in the marina. Dun Laoghaire is also a gateway to our vital passenger links to the Britain.
As we leave Dun Laoghaire a Martello comes into view, these towers were built all around the Irish coastline by the British at the beginning of the 1800’s they acted as look out post against French invasions into what was then the British Empire. Now this tower is home to the James Joyce Museum, as James Joyce once stayed here, this is an interesting look at Joyce’s life.
Continuing on, we round the corner into the village of Dalkey. A compact town with a great deal of history and character. This picturesque little town has a host of fine cafes, bars, and restaurant. Often regarded as the Irish Riviera, Dalkey and nearby Killiney is home to a large number of International stars including, Bono, Enya, Van Morrison.
This road continues on along the coastline to Bray is the longest established seaside town in Ireland, which enjoys a mile long beachfront promenade. The beach is dominated by Bray Head and its summit cross, with the Sugar Loaf and the Wicklow mountains in the background. The scenic Cliff Walk from Bray Head to Greystones offers walkers a feast of views on the way. Bray is a busy urban centre that retains some of the reminders of distant medieval past. Much of its out-standing Georgian and Victorian architecture still remains.
Your tour now diverts up through the Wicklow Mountains and to the enchanting village of Enniskerry which is the gateway to Powerscourt House and Gardens one of Europe’s great treasures and Ireland’s most famous House & Gardens. Gracing the Wicklow Mountains, 20km from Dublin city centre, Powerscourt is a heritage property with a surprising difference.
Even the avenue leading to the Palladian house echoes the magnificence of the whole estate, being a mile long and lined by over 2,000 beech trees. In addition the 47 acres of gardens are remarkable for their grandeur of scale, at the same time combining great delicacy and refinement of detail.
The gardens at Powerscourt were laid out in two main periods. When the house was rebuilt in the decade after 1731, the surrounding grounds were also remodelled. The design reflected the desire to create a garden which was part of the wider landscape. To the north formal tree plantations framed the vista from the house, while a walled garden, fish pond, cascades, grottos and terraces lay to the south.
Powerscourt Waterfall is Ireland's highest at 121m (398ft.) and is surrounded by woods and specimen trees. Visitors have been coming to Powerscourt Waterfall for over 200 years, attracted by the beautiful cascade flowing down into the Dargle River.
Our Journey continues south to the Glendalough (glen of two lakes) While renowned for its magnificent scenery Glendalough is also full of a rich and varied heritage in terms of history, monuments, archaeology, architecture, landscapes, geology, parks, flora, fauna, wildlife habitats & mining history.
The Glendalough Valley was carved out by glaciers during the Ice Age and the two lakes, from which Glendalough gets its name, were formed when the ice eventually thawed. The Valley is home to one of Ireland’s most impressive monastic sites founded by St. Kevin in the 6th Century. Situated in the Wicklow Mountains National Park, the area is a haven for wildlife and their habitats, flora and fauna.
Glendalough is home to one of the most important monastic sites in Ireland. This early Christian monastic settlement was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century and from this developed the ‘Monastic City’.
The ‘City’ consists of a number of monastic remains, and the most impressive being the Round Tower which stands 30m high. The main group of monastic buildings lies downstream near the Round Tower. The grounds were entered through the Gateway, which has two round headed granite arches.
Beyond St. Mary’s Church is the Priest’s House, a 12th Century building in Romanesque style, with an interesting carving of a much earlier date on the lintel of the doorway.
Just beyond the Priest's House is a large granite cross (sixth or seventh century) and the "Cathedral", the largest church on the site, with a nave, chancel and sacristy (11th and 12th C), and St Kevin's Church.
St Kevin’s Church is commonly known as St Kevin's Kitchen. This is a barrel-vaulted oratory of hard mica schist with a steeply pitched roof and a round tower belfry (12th C).
Approx 200m east of the Church of the Rock is a cavity in the cliff which is known as St Kevin's Bed or Hermitage.
At the Glendalough site on the road to Laragh, to the right, stands Trinity Church (11th-12th C). Beyond the river about 1.5km to the east of the Cathedral is St. Saviour’s Priory a church with fine Romanesque carvings on the chancel arch and windows.
Your tour continues east back to the coastline and back to Dublin city with the possibility of having a stop off at one of many old Irish pub.