Bray: Encyclopedia - Bray

Bray

Bray (Bré, formerly Brí Chulainn in Irish) is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. Bray is a busy urban centre and seaside town of nearly 30,000 people situated in County Wicklow on the east coast of Ireland about 20 km south of Dublin. The town is the location of some industry, is home for many who commute to Dublin by car or rail DART, is a market town for the surrounding area and still attracts tourists particularly from Dublin and at weekends.


History and Tourism

The Dublin & Kingstown Railway, the first in Ireland, opened in 1834 and was extended as far as Bray in 1855. With the railway the town grew to become the largest Irish seaside resort. The outbreak of World War 2 put the industry 'on hold' for its duration. However, during the 1950s tourists from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland returned to Bray in great numbers to escape the austerity of rationing. The town's career as a resort declined from the 1960s onwards when foreign travel, particularly to Spain, first became an option for large numbers of people. However, the town is still popular with visitors particularly from Dublin who come to enjoy the beach, the "amusements", ice creams and fast food. Bray makes an ideal base for walkers, ramblers and strollers of all ages. Walkers can join the many locals who stroll the mile long promenade which stretches from the Harbour with its colony of mute swans to Bray Head (241 m) at the southern end of the promenade from which a well worn track leads to the summit. Also very popular with walkers is the 7 km Cliff Walk along Bray Head to Greystones.The town has grown relatively slowly over a long period and retains much of its Georgian and Victorian architecture.

Beyond the town are many 18 hole golf courses and the Wicklow Mountains the largest continuous upland area in Ireland which provide ample scope for scenic drives and hiking.

See also railway line in Ireland

Bray - Geography

Bray is the eighth largest town in Ireland with a population of 28,002 inhabitants, as at the 2002 Census.

The river Dargle enters the sea here.

Bray Head (241 m)is the situated at the southern end of the promenade and a well worn track leads to the summit. The rocks or Bray Head are a mixture of greywackes and quartazite. The coastal railway line continues touth from Bray along the seaward slopes of Bray Head.

The town is on the coast, Shankill, County Dublin is to the north, and Greystones, County Wicklow is to the south. The picturesque village of Enniskerry lies to the west of the town, at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains.

Inland from Bray and Shankill can be seen the landmark ruin of a lead-smelter on a hilltop - the defunct Leadmines at Ballycorus.

Bray - Government

Bray is governed by a town council, but prior to to the Local Government Act 2001 it was an urban district.

Bray - Tourist Facilities

Today, Bray is a vibrant holiday resort and boasts fine hotels and guesthouse accommodation, shops, restaurants and evening entertainment. Available in the immediate locality are fifteen 18-hole golf courses, tennis, fishing, sailing and horse riding. Other features of Bray are the amusement and games centre. There is also a Leisure centre on Quinsboro Road, and a National Sealife Centre on Strand Road. Bray is known as the "Gateway to Wicklow" and is the longest established seaside town in the country. It has a safe beach of sand and shingle to walk on, which is over 1.6 km (1 mi) long, fronted by a spacious esplanade. The scene is dominated by Bray Head, which rises steeply (241 m or 790 ft) above the sea, affording views of mountains and sea. The name of the town means "hill, rising ground".

Other attractions in Bray include the Old Courthouse (1841), Victorian seafront and Bray harbour (1891), St Paul's Church (1609), Bray Town Hall (1881).

Bray - Education

Primary Schools in Bray

• Scoil Chualann
• St Andrew's National School
• St Fergal's Junior National School
• St Fergal's Senior National School
• Bray School Project
• St Cronin's National Boys School
• St Patrick's Loreto National School
• St Lee's National School

Secondary Schools in Bray

• Presentation College
• St Kilian's Community School
• St Thomas's Community School
• St Brendan's CBS
• Loreto Convent
• St Gerards School
• Coláiste Rathín(pronounced col-aw-sh-te ra-heen)

See also

• List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
• The Vicar of Bray

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Bray", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki