Enniskerry

Location

The town is situated on the Glencullen River in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains to the east of the island, just 5 minutes south of the Dublin border and some 24 km (15 mi) south of Dublin city centre. The R117 road, colloquially known as "The Twenty-One Bends" connects the town to the main N11 road to Dublin. The 185 Dublin Bus route connects the village hourly to Bray, the nearest large town. The 44 Dublin Bus route connects the village with Dublin City Centre.

History

The Protestant population of the village attended church in the grounds of the Powerscourt Demesne until 1859. Mervyn Wingfield, 7th Viscount Powerscourt built a new church, Saint Patrick's, in the village which was completed two years later, in 1861. This coincided with an extensive renovation programme that also established the Italian gardens at Powerscourt. The Viscount Powerscourt claimed the old church following the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland by the Irish Church Act 1869. The consequences were that only those with a right to be buried next to the old church within the Demesne could claim these rights thereafter.

Powerscourt Estate, comprising a large house and gardens today occupying 47 acres (190,000 m²), is located near the town and is a popular visitor attraction. The extensive formal gardens form the grounds of an 18th-century Palladian house, designed by Richard Cassels, which was destroyed by fire in 1974, and lay as a shell until extensive restorations were carried out in 1996. Powerscourt Waterfall in the grounds of the estate, at 121 metres, is the highest waterfall in Ireland.

Film

Television

The village has been the set for numerous television advertisements. From 1996 to 2001, along with Avoca, County Wicklow, it played host to the television series Ballykissangel. On 16 March 2009, Meredith Vieira and Al Roker broadcast live in Enniskerry for NBC's Today Show.

People

Transport

The Bray and Enniskerry Railway was proposed in the 19th century, to link the town to Bray. Some initial work was carried out, including building a bridge to carry the railway over Dublin Corporation's Vartry watermain. Wicklow County Council recently removed much of the railway embankment in road widening, but left the bridge, which is directly opposite the ornate bridge carrying the watermain over the Cookstown River, a tributary of the River Dargle. The plan ran into financial difficulties, and the rails were lifted and sold off.

Two Dublin Bus routes, the 44 and 185, pass through the village.

Sports

There are two soccer clubs located in the village; Enniskerry Schoolboys/girls Football Club have twenty teams playing at underage levels, while Enniskerry Youth Club have several teams playing at adult and youth level. There is also a Gaelic football club in the village, as well as a boxing club.

Religion

Strong ecumenical links have been forged over the years between the Roman Catholic parish of St Mary and the Church of Ireland parish of St Patrick, Powerscourt, both in the village of Enniskerry, and St Brigid's Church of Ireland in nearby Kilbride.