Slíghe Chualann was an ancient roadway which stretched from the residence of the High King of Ireland at Tara to the lands of Cuala. Cuala is the area that is seen today as from South County Dublin to North County Wicklow including Bray. The old Irish name for Bray was Brí Chualann rather than its current Irish name of Bré, thus showing its ancient association to the Slíghe Chualann.
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The word slíghe (slí in modern spelling) is familiar to many people in Ireland today from the phrase Slí na Sláinte, meaning "Path to Health", used by the Irish Heart Foundation to promote healthy walking routes to encourage people to be more active.
Cuala
As referenced in the book A dictionary of Celtic mythology by James MacKillop, "Cuala was the name of the former territory in Leinster from the river Liffey to Arklow, roughly coextensive with modern County Wicklow, including the celebrated monastic centre of Glendalough. The area takes its name from the Cualainn, an early people who were there in Ptolemy's time (2nd century AD, see Ptolemy's world map). Crích Cualann is the district of Cualu. Slí Chualann is the way or the road to Cualu."
The five Slíghe roads
There were five Slíghe roads that stretched from Tara the focal point of the High King of Ireland.
Spelling variations
Slighe Chualann is also in the modern shortened orthography Slí Chualann. The name Cuala stands alone. Cualann is the genitive form of the name Cuala; the h after the first letter being a grammatical lenition required of masculine nouns. Slí Cualann Athletics Club represents most of County Wicklow in national competitions. It is an amalgamation of members from Parnell AC (Rathdrum), Greystones & District AC, Bray Runners, Roundwood & District AC and Inbhear Dee AC (Wicklow Town).