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Bray
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The town of Bray is
located in North East Wicklow, just South of Dublin. Bray is often
known as "The Gateway to the Garden of Ireland"; and is the third
largest town in Ireland with a population of nearly 32,000.
The town is home for many who commute to Dublin by car or rail. It
is a market town for the surrounding area and still attracts
tourists particularly from Dublin at weekends. The town straddles
the Dublin-Wicklow border, with a portion of the northern suburbs
situated in County Dublin. Bray is home to Ireland's only dedicated
film studios, Ardmore Studios where films such as Excalibur,
Braveheart, and Breakfast on Pluto have been shot.
Bray is the longest established seaside town in Ireland, and 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.
The Old Courthouse was erected in 1841 and is now home to the
Tourist Information Office and Heritage Centre. There is a permanent
exhibition called "From Strongbow to Steam" which covers the history
of Bray from 1173 to the coming of the railway in 1853. Meet "John
the Mad", Viking warrior from the 14th century, ride the steam train
along Bray Head and understand 19th century life in Bray. The centre
is across the street from the Royal Hotel.
Available in the vicinity are fifteen 18-hole golf courses, tennis,
fishing, sailing and horse riding. Other features of Bray are the
amusement arcades 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 (0.99 mi) long, fronted by a
spacious esplanade. Bray Head, which rises steeply (241 m (790 ft)
above the sea, dominates the scene, affording views of mountains and
sea. The concrete cross at the top of the head was erected in 1950
for the holy year. The name of the town means hill or rising ground,
possibly referring to the gradual incline of the town from the
Dargle bridge to Vevay Hill.
Bray hosts an annual international jazz festival on the May bank
holiday weekend each year. Described by The Irish Times as 'the
connoisseur's jazz festival', Bray Jazz has established itself as
one of the main events taking place each year on the Irish jazz
calendar. Established in 2000, the festival includes performances by
leading-name jazz and world music artists from Ireland and abroad. |
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Bray Holiday Homes - County Wicklow, Ireland