Province of Leinster

County Wicklow

Known as The Garden of Ireland. For the gardens and the glens: Powerscourt, Mount Usher, and the wooded valleys running down from the mountains within an hour of Dublin.

Did you know? Wicklow was the last county in Ireland to be created (1606) — its mountains sheltered the O'Byrnes and O'Tooles, unconquered for 400 years within sight of Dublin Castle.

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Through the ages — who held Wicklow

8,000 BC – 4,001 BC Mesolithic hunter-gatherers The First Irish

4,000 BC – 2,501 BC Neolithic farming communities The Tomb Builders

2,500 BC – 501 BC Bronze Age Ireland The Age of Gold & Bronze

500 BC – AD 99 Iron Age Ireland The Iron Age

AD 100 – AD 399 Manapii Ptolemy's Ireland

AD 400 – 1013 Laigin (Leinster) The Five Fifths Patrick & the Rise of the Uí Néill Saints & Scholars The Viking Storm Norse Cities & the Rise of Brian

1014 – 1168 Kingdom of Leinster (Mac Murrough) Kings with Opposition

1169 – 1541 O'Byrne & O'Toole country The Norman Invasion High Tide of the Colony The Gaelic Resurgence The Kildare Ascendancy

1542 – 1607 Kingdom of Ireland (Tudor crown) The Tudor Conquest

1608 – 1640 Kingdom of Ireland The Plantation of Ulster

1641 – 1652 Confederate Ireland Confederate Ireland & Cromwell

1653 – 1800 Kingdom of Ireland Ascendancy Ireland

1801 – 1915 United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland The Act of Union An Gorta Mór — The Great Famine Land & Liberty

1916 – 1921 Irish Republic (declared, contested) The Revolution

1922 – 1936 Irish Free State Partition — Free State & Northern Ireland

1937 – 1948 Ireland (Éire) Éire

1949 – 2026 Republic of Ireland The Republic & the Troubles Peace & the New Ireland

Clans & surnames of Wicklow

Byrne Ó Broin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Bran, 'raven'” Cullen Ó Cuilinn Gaelic sept · “descendant of Cuileann, 'holly'” Doyle Ó Dubhghaill Norse-Gaelic · “descendant of Dubhghall, 'dark foreigner' — a Viking” Kehoe Mac Eochaidh Gaelic learned family · “son of Eochaidh — from each, 'horse'” Keogh Mac Eochaidh Gaelic learned family · “son of Eochaidh — from each, 'horse'” Kinsella Cinnsealach Gaelic dynasty · “of the Uí Cheinnsealaigh — the royal line of south Leinster” O'Toole Ó Tuathail Gaelic sept · “descendant of Tuathal, 'ruler of the people'”

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On the ground in Wicklow

Castletimon Ogham Stone · ogham stone
Crossoona Rath · ogham stone
Fassaroe Cross · high cross
Glendalough · round tower · complete · 30.5 m
Piper's Stones · stone circle
Rathcoran · tomb
St. Mark's Cross · high cross
2 castles · Kindlestown Castle, Rathdown Castle

Every pin is placed by its documented coordinates. All the monuments of Ireland →

Quick answers

What is the Irish name for County Wicklow?

Cill Mhantáin. Wicklow is one of the 12 counties of Leinster (Cúige Laighean).

Who ruled County Wicklow in the Middle Ages?

Around 1014 it was held by Kingdom of Leinster (Mac Murrough); by 1450, O'Byrne & O'Toole country. The full era-by-era chronology is on this page.

What surnames come from County Wicklow?

Names historically associated with Wicklow include Byrne, Cullen, Doyle, Kehoe, Keogh, Kinsella, O'Toole.

Trace your ancestors in Wicklow

Free, from the holding institutions. How to begin: the six-step guide → · Spotted an error on this page? Suggest a correction.