Everything about Arklow totally explained
Arklow is a historic town located in
County Wicklow on the east coast of
Ireland. Founded by the
Vikings in the ninth century, Arklow was the site of one of the bloodiest
battles of the
1798 rebellion. It is now a thriving commuter town with a population of 11,759 at the 2006 census, making it the third largest town in the county.
Arklow is situated at the mouth of the
River Avoca, the longest river entirely within
County Wicklow. The town is divided by the river, which is crossed by the Nineteen Arches bridge, a stone arch bridge linking the south or main part of the town with the north part, called Ferrybank.
History
The town's
English name derives from
Arknell's Low (Arknell was a Viking leader; a low was an area of land). Its Irish name means
the large estuary. Historically it was a major seafaring town, with both the shipping and fishing industries using the port, with shipbuilding also being a major industry. The town has a long history of industry, in particular the chemical industry.
After the arrival of the
Anglo-Normans, their leader
Theobald Walter, ancestor of the
Earls of Ormonde, was granted the town and castle of Arklow by King
Henry II. In
1264 the
Dominicans were granted a large tract of land, which is now known as Abbeylands, and they built an abbey, which became known as the Priory of the True Cross or
Holy Cross.
Some time after
1416, the Manor of Arklow came into the control of the
MacMurrough Kings of
Leinster, possibly after the death of the 4th
Earl of Ormonde in
1452. In
1525,
Muiris Kavanagh (McMurrough, King of Leinster 1522-31) returned the manor and castle of Arklow and its lands to his nephew
Piers Butler, the Earl of Ormonde.
During the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms in September
1649,
Oliver Cromwell arrived at Arklow on his way to Wexford and took the surrender of the town. In
1714 James,
Duke of Ormonde, sold the Manor of Arklow to John Allen of Stillorgan, County Dublin. In
1750 Allen’s eldest granddaughter Elizabeth Allen married John Proby who was raised to the peerage in
1752 as
Baron Carysfort of County Wicklow, and came into possession of the Arklow Estate.
Arklow today
The town of Arklow has expanded rapidly in the last decade. There has been a growth in retail in the town and a new shopping centre, the Bridgewater Centre, opened on
4 October, 2007 on Ferrybank, which contains Dunnes Stores, CGC Cinemas, New Look, TK Maxx, and Next amongst the main tenants. A new roundabout has been constructed at Ferrybank to allow access to Bridgewater, although congestion remains a severe problem in the town as there are just two access points from the N11, and one access point across the River Avoca.
The artwork of the famous Irish artist
Nuala Holloway, can be currently seen in the town at the recently established Riverview Bistro.
Transport and communications
Arklow's proximity to
Dublin and its consequent attractiveness to commuters have led to much recent expansion. The town is situated near the
N11 route from
Rosslare to Dublin, as well as having
rail connections provided by
Iarnród Éireann along the
same route, including commuter services in and out of the capital.
Arklow railway station opened on
16 November,
1863.
Industry
In 1884.
Charles Stewart Parnell rented Big Rock townland from his cousin William Proby,
Earl of Carysfort, and commenced quarrying. Parnell was also a supporter of the Arklow harbour scheme. The Parnell quarries closed in the 1920s.
In the early part of the
20th century, a large munitions factory,
Kynoch, was established on the north side of the town. This factory employed several thousand workers during the
First World War but closed shortly after it, all production being moved to
South Africa. 17 workers were killed in an explosion at Kynoch in 1917. The town is also famous for its pottery (which eventually closed after first being taken over by
Noritake) and for its shipbuilding industry.
In the
1960s, a state-owned fertiliser factory, Nitrogen Éireann Teoranta, later Irish Fertiliser Industries, was established on the outskirts of the town. This factory complex comprised a number of chemical plants and manufactured a range of fertilisers from basic raw materials. It was one of the first major chemical plants in Ireland and contributed to the present-day success of the Irish chemical industry. It closed in
2002.
There is still a good industry base in Arklow, with
Servier and
Allergan still remaining, just two of the biggest manufacturers in Arklow. Allergan confirmed on the
30 January,
2008 that that'll move their production to
Costa Rica. This will take place over the next two years. This was challenged unsuccessfully to An Bord Pleanála, however subsequently no funding arrived from government, and the planning permission was allowed to lapse. A further ten year planning permission was granted in 1999. Since then it too has been challenged unsuccessfully to An Bord Pleanála. The current situation is that yet another legal challenge has been mounted by the objectors to the plant. Meanwhile raw human effluence continues to flow untreated into the River Avoca. The Arklow Sea Scout group has started an online petition in favour of the proposed plant.
Sports
Arklow has many sporting clubs, associations, and facilities, including:
Music
To many foreign music fans, Arklow is most known as the title setting for
Van Morrison's 1974 song "
Streets of Arklow", one of eight songs he wrote on a three week vacation back to Ireland, and featured on his album
Veedon Fleece.
It is also the home town of pop group
Moloko's lead singer
Róisín Murphy.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Arklow'.
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