03 Mar Wicklow , County Wicklow
The name Wicklow is the modern version of Wykinglo – Viking Meadow – the name of the 9th century Viking settlement here. After the Vikings came the early Christians , whose traces remain in the fragments of a 13th century Franciscan friary at the West end of Main Street.
Notable 18th century buildings include the Town Hall , and behind it the remains of the Old Jail , built in 1702. This was the scene of executions until the end of the 19th century – including that of Billy Byrne , a leader of the 1798 Rebellion , commemorated by a monument in Market Square. The Old Jail ceased to be a prison in 1924 , and is now a Heritage Centre and museum.
On a grassy knoll South of Wicklow’s sheltered harbour are the remains of the Black Castle , successor to the Castle built in 1169 by the Anglo-Norman Maurice Fitzgerald for protection against the O’Byrne chieftains who frequently raided he town.
Wicklow is a must see attraction and is worth a visit on your tours of Ireland.