The new Wicklow Town Heritage Trail, which has been in planning for over two years, was opened by Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys on Monday.
The Heritage Trail, which was funded by the County Wicklow Partnership, has been a core project for the Wicklow Town Team, will bring a significant addition to the tourist offering of the capital town.
A huge amount of work was carried out by the Town Team’s Tourism subcommittee and Wicklow Municipal Council to ensure that the project was completed
Leaflets detailing the full story of the Wicklow Town Heritage Trail are now available in many local shops and in public buildings in Wicklow Town.
The Heritage Trail features 24 points of interest, detailing the history of Wicklow Town, from the landing of St. Patrick in 432 to the end of the Civil War in 1923.
Local Historian John Finlay with Minister Heather Humphreys
There are seven storyboards featuring:
- The construction of St. Patrick’s church, which commenced in 1839.
- The story of the Franciscan Abbey, which dates back to the 12th Century.
- Robert Halpin’s achievement in laying the Trans-Atlantic cable.
- The story of Billy Byrne and the 1798 Rising.
- The history of the Black Castle.
- The attempted landing by St. Patrick at Travalahawk beach.
- The history relating to the Barrow Green including stories of the secret burials that took place there.
There is now a mural at the top of Quarantine Hill, painted by local artist Robert Teeling. It features a petty criminal in stocks, getting his punishment from the locals for the crimes he had committed.
On all of the storyboards there are QR codes which will enable each tourist to view a video with local actors at each site telling the significance of each site.
When you visit Wicklowtown.ie the Wicklow Town Heritage Trail is featured and you can view all the videos of local actors telling the stories and history relating to each Storyboard.
There are 10,000 brochures printed which will be available at key tourist points throughout the county to promote the new Wicklow Town Heritage Trail.
Sincere thanks is due to local historian John Finlay for his expertise in assisting the accuracy and context of all the material featured in the videos and the printed brochures.
As part of the project there are now eight new maps located throughout the Town. The new updated map was developed by a Wicklow Town Chamber subcommittee and was designed by local agency Shark Design.
Wicklow Town is currently undergoing a real revival, with the development of Fitzwilliam Square and the Market Square. The new Wicklow Town Heritage Trail will now provide the town with a first-class tourist attraction.
