Bray Bré (Irish) | |
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Town | |
 Bray Town Hall -193247.jpg) Boats in Bray Harbour -139520.jpg) Businesses on Goldsmith Terrace -193416.jpg) Period terraced homes on Quinsborough Road | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Bray Location in Ireland Show map of Ireland Bray Bray (Europe) Show map of Europe | |
| Coordinates:53°12′05″N06°06′39″W / 53.20139°N 6.11083°W /53.20139; -6.11083 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Wicklow,County Dublin |
| Government | |
| • Dáil constituency | Wicklow,Dún Laoghaire |
| • EP constituency | South |
| Area | |
• Total | 9.9 km2 (3.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 18 m (59 ft) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 33,512[1] |
| • Rank | 10th |
| • Density | 3,398/km2 (8,800/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (IST (WEST)) |
| Eircode (Routing Key) | A98 |
| Area code | 01 (+3531) |
| Irish Grid Reference | O264185 |
| Website | www |
Bray (Irish:Bré[bʲɾʲeː])[2] is a coastal town in northCounty Wicklow, Ireland. It is situated about 20 km (12 mi) south ofDublin city centre on the east coast, and parts of the town's northern outskirts are inCounty Dublin.[3] It has a population of 33,512 making it thetenth largest urban area withinIreland (at the2022 census).[1] Bray is home toArdmore Studios, and some light industry is located in the town, with some business and retail parks on its southern periphery. Commuter links between Bray and Dublin are provided byrail,Dublin Bus and the M11 and M50 motorways. The town is in atownland andcivil parish of the same name.[2]
Originally developed as a plannedresort town in the 19th century, Bray's popularity as aseaside resort was serviced by theDublin and Kingstown Railway, which was extended to Bray in 1854. During the late 20th century, the town's use as a resort declined when foreign travel became an option for holiday-makers. However, day-trippers continued to come to Bray during the summer months.
The nameBray is ananglicisation of the IrishBré, whose meaning is unclear.[2]Liam Price suggested it may be an old name for theRiver Dargle or a tributary.[2] In 1875P. W. Joyce mistakenly ascribed the Irish nameBrí, an old word meaning "hill", referring in this case toBray Head.[2][4] In a 1905Gaelic League publication advocating use of Irish-language postal addresses,Seosamh Laoide coined the nameBrí Cualann "Brí inCualu", as part of his policy that "If the name of the town [in Irish] be one word, the [ancient Gaelic] territory should be added to it in thegenitive case".[2][5]Brí andBrí C[h]ualann remained in use in the mid 20th century despite having been refuted byLiam Price andOsborn Bergin.[2]Bré was adopted by statute in 1975.[6]
During the medieval period of Irish history, Bray was situated on the southern border ofthe Pale, and the coastal district was governed directly by the English crown fromDublin Castle. Inland, the countryside was largely under the control of Gaelic Chieftains, such as the O'Toole and O'Byrne clans. Bray features on the 1598 map "A Modern Depiction of Ireland, One of the British Isles"[7] byAbraham Ortelius as "Brey".William Brabazon, 1st Earl of Meath purchased theKillruddery Estate in Bray in 1627 with the establishment of the Earl title.
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TheDublin and Kingstown Railway, the first in Ireland, opened in 1834 and was extended as far as Bray in 1854. With the coming of the railway in the mid-19th century, the town grew to become a seaside resort.[8] It was developed primarily by local entrepreneurs as a plannedresort town, modelled on theseaside resorts of the English south-coast, specificallyBrighton.[8] Hotels and residential terraces were built in the vicinity of the seafront. Railway entrepreneurWilliam Dargan developedVictorian Turkish baths, designed by architect and sculptorRichard Barter[9] in aMoorish style at a cost of £10,000. They opened in 1859 and were demolished in 1980, though the baths closed long before that.[10]
Bray was a popular destination from the 1860s onwards. While small amenities such asregattas, firework displays and band performances were plentiful in the town, Bray failed to secure the necessary capital to develop major attractions and sustain tourism, leading to its decline in the early 1900s.Pleasure piers such as thePalace Pier were a mainstay of resorts at that time. Despite repeated efforts, Bray never acquired such a pier and abandoned plans to build one in 1906. Additional planned amenities which were never built included aconcert hall, atheatre, anexhibition centre, a marine aquarium,winter gardens and an electrifiedtramway along the seafront.[8] It experienced a brief revival from British tourists in the years immediately afterWorld War II. However, Bray's popularity as a seaside resort declined significantly when foreign travel became an option for holiday-makers. Its proximity to Dublin still makes it a popular destination for day-trippers from the capital.[8]
The town is situated on the eastcoast to the south of County Dublin.Shankill, County Dublin lies to the north, andGreystones, County Wicklow to the south. The village ofEnniskerry lies to the west of the town, at the foot of theWicklow Mountains. People participate in such sports as sailing, rowing, and swimming. The beach and seafront promenade are used by residents and visitors. While Bray's promenade and south beach is to aBlue Flag standard,[11] the north beach has been affected by erosion and the leaching of a variety of toxic chemicals – including asbestos, rusted metal, plastics, and bricks – into the groundwater since the closure and sale of the former Bray Urban Council municipal landfill, immediately beside the beach, containing 200,000 tonnes or 104,000 cubic metres of waste. The dump was closed in 1968 and sold to Woodbrook golf club in 1992. By 2017, plans were being discussed to deal with the situation.[12][13][14]
TheRiver Dargle which enters the sea at the north end of Bray rises from a source nearDjouce, in the Wicklow Mountains.Bray Head is situated at the southern end of the Victorian Promenade with paths leading to the summit and along the sea cliffs. The rocks of Bray Head are a mixture ofgreywackes andquartzite. There is a large cross at the summit.[15]
Bray has atemperate oceanic climate (Köppen:Cfb), similar to most other towns inIreland, with few extremes of temperature and abundantprecipitation year round. However, Bray is relatively sheltered from the prevailing south-westerly winds by theWicklow Mountains and receives around 750 mm (30 in) of rainfall per year.[16] The sunniest months on average are May and June, while October is by far the wettest.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Max (°C) | 11 °C (52 °F) | 10 °C (50 °F) | 10 °C (50 °F) | 11 °C (52 °F) | 13 °C (55 °F) | 15 °C (59 °F) | 18 °C (64 °F) | 17 °C (63 °F) | 17 °C (63 °F) | 16 °C (61 °F) | 14 °C (57 °F) | 13 °C (55 °F) |
| Average Min (°C) | 8 °C (46 °F) | 7 °C (45 °F) | 7 °C (45 °F) | 7 °C (45 °F) | 8 °C (46 °F) | 11 °C (52 °F) | 12 °C (54 °F) | 14 °C (57 °F) | 13 °C (55 °F) | 13 °C (55 °F) | 11 °C (52 °F) | 10 °C (50 °F) |
A public transport network, both north into Dublin and south into County Wicklow and County Wexford, serves the town. Bray is on theIrish RailDART Rail Network which stretches north toMalahide andHowth and south toGreystones. The town is also on the mainlineInterCity andCommuter rail network which connects north toConnolly Station in Dublin city centre and further toDrogheda andDundalk. To the south, the rail line goes throughArklow andGorey before reachingRosslare Europort. Bray's railway station is named afterEdward Daly, an executed leader of the1916 Easter Rising. Bray Station was opened on 10 July 1854.[18] TheDublin and South Eastern Railway had two lines out from Bray into Dublin, the coastal line (formerly known as the Kingstown and Bray branch line) and theHarcourt Street line. The latter was closed in 1958 but most of it has been reopened as part of theLuasGreen Line, which is proposed for an extension to Bray.[citation needed]
Bray lies along theM11 motorway corridor; an interchange at its northern side links with theM50 Dublin bypass.
Several bus companies pass through Bray:Dublin Bus,Go-Ahead Ireland,Bus Éireann,Aircoach, and St. Kevin's Bus Service toGlendalough. Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland are the two primary bus operators in the town operating service on behalf of theNTA. Bus services serving the town include the E1 which is routed from Ballywaltrim, just south of Bray, to Northwood viaUCD and Dublin city centre. Other routes include the 45A/B, 84N, 131, 181, 185t, 702, L1, L2, L12, L14, X1, and X2.[19][20]
Wexford Bus also offer services to the village ofKilmacanogue, just to the south of Bray, with routes 740/A/X and UM11, and Bus Éireann route 133 from the same stop.
Finnegan Bray formerly offered two local town services (routes 143 and 144, which finished on the 24th of January 2025, becoming part of route L14[21]) as well as a night bus service from Dublin[22] (route 984N), however, this was suspended in March 2020 due to Covid restrictions. It was discontinued in late 2022, with the company blaming "unfair competition from state subsidised services" in a Facebook post.[23]
Dublin Airport is reachable via the M50, which passes to the west of Dublin City, and is served by Aircoach route 702 at Castle Street and Vevay Road, though this is scheduled to be removed on the 2nd of March 2025.[24][25] Newcastle Aerodrome is the closest private airfield a short distance south of Bray.[26]
Bray has a growing population of permanent residents.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 26,953 | — |
| 1996 | 27,923 | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 30,951 | +10.8% |
| 2006 | 31,901 | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 31,872 | −0.1% |
| 2016 | 32,600 | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 33,512 | +2.8% |
Bray is represented onWicklow County Council by twolocal electoral areas. Bray East (4 seats) is approximately two-thirds of the town, while Bray West (4 seats) is the other third and includes the neighbouring villages ofEnniskerry andKilmacanogue. The electoral divisions of Bray East are Bray No. 1 Urban, Bray No. 2 Urban, Bray No. 3 Urban and Rathmichael (Bray). The electoral divisions of Bray West are Enniskerry, Kilmacanoge and Powerscourt. Bray Municipal District consists of both of these local electoral areas.[27]
The Bray Town Commissioners were established by alocal act in 1866. TheEarl of Meath was named in the act as the first chairman of the commissioners.[28] In 1899, this body became anurban district council under theLocal Government (Ireland) Act 1898. At the same time, a portion of the town which had been inCounty Dublin was transferred to County Wicklow and the jurisdiction of the urban district.[29] The boundary of the town was further extended in 1952 (taking in the area aroundKillruddery),[30] in 1958 (taking in the area in Rathmichael which had been transferred the previous year from County Dublin to County Wicklow),[31] and in 1978 (extending the town to the west).[32]
The urban district council became atown council in 2002.[33][34] It was abolished by theLocal Government Reform Act 2014, with the powers and functions of the town council given to the county council, but its functions could be administered by the new municipal district council created by the act.[35][36]
Part of the northern Bray area lies within the local authority area ofDún Laoghaire–Rathdown, and forms part of theShankill–Killiney local electoral area. The border betweenCounty Wicklow andCounty Dublin (Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown) lies along Old Connaught Avenue and runs down along and across the Dublin Road to Ravenswell, making all areas north of that line Bray, County Dublin.[37]
Bray is a long-established holiday resort dating back to the early 19th century. The Parliamentary gazetteer of 1846 described it thusly:
The town has for many years been a favourite summer resort of the wealthier of the Dublin citizens and of the gentry from a large part of Ireland; and it possesses, in a state of high facility and polish, the various appliances required for their accommodation and comfort, whether as lodgers or as tourists. Handsome cottages ornees, boarding houses on different scales of economy, and furnished houses from the small abode to the luxurious mansion, abound both in the town and in its environs, for the special use of visitors.[8]
Bray has numerous hotels and guesthouses, shops, restaurants and evening entertainment. The town also hosts a number of festival events. In the town's vicinity are an 18-hole golf courses, a tennis club, fishing, a sailing club and horse riding. Other features of Bray are the amusement arcades and theNational Sealife Centre. It has a beach of sand and shingle which is over 1.6 km (1 mi) long, fronted by an esplanade andBray Head, which rises 241 m (791 ft) from the coast, has views of mountains and sea. The concrete cross at the top of Bray head was erected in 1950 for theholy year.
Bray is used as a base for walkers, and has a 1.5 km-long (1 mi) promenade which stretches from the harbour, with its colony ofmute swans, to the base of Bray Head at the southern end. A track leads to the summit. Also used by walkers is the seven km (4+1⁄2 mi) Cliff Walk along Bray Head out toGreystones.
In January 2010, Bray was named the "cleanest town in Ireland" in the 2009 Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey of 60 towns and cities.[41]
Tourist sites in the area include the Elizabethan-revival mansionKillruddery House (which is open to the public in the summer months),[42] and the hill and headland atBray Head (which has a number of walking trails).[43]Raheen-a-Cluig, a medieval church which is catalogued asnational monument, is located on the north face of Bray Head. Other religious sites and churches in the area include theFassaroe Cross (12th century),[44] theHoly Redeemer Church, Bray (1792), and theGothic Revival churches ofChrist Church (1863) andBray Methodist Church (1864).
The Bray St. Patrick's Carnival and Parade is presented by Bray and District Chamber to celebrateSaint Patrick's Day.
Bray also hosts a yearly silent film festival, the Killruddery Film Festival inKillruddery Gardens.[45]Bray Jazz Festival takes place annually on the May bank holiday weekend and includes performances by jazz and world music artists.
The annual Bray Summerfest takes place over six weeks in July and August and includes free entertainment, live music, markets, sporting events, and carnivals. Performers who have headlined includeMundy,Brian Kennedy,the Undertones,the Hothouse Flowers andMary Black.
TheBray Air Display is an annualair display that takes place over the beach,[46] typically in late July or early August.
Hell & Back is an adventure race that takes place in Kilruddery Estates.[47]The 10 km Cliff Run from Bray to Greystones is an annual run on the coast around Bray Head Mountain.[48] In 2023, Bray was named byTime Out magazine as one of the fourteen most underrated travel destinations in the world.[49]
Bray's pubs and restaurants include the firstPorterhouse bar, who brew their own ales, stouts and beers.[50] In 2010, the Lonely Planet Guide ranked the Harbour Bar in Bray the Best Bar in the World and the Best off the Beaten Track Bar in the world.[51] The O'Toole family owned the bar for three generations, but it was bought by the Duggan family in 2013.[52]
There are twelve fully licensed restaurants, several unlicensed restaurants and cafes, and fast food outlets in Bray. In 2015,The Irish Times published a study which analysed the presence offast food outlets in Ireland. Bray was found to have the lowest per capita concentration of the ten towns and cities included, with just 0.09 stores per 1,000 people.[53]
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Bray is home to Ireland's oldest film studios,Ardmore Studios, established in 1958, where films such asExcalibur,Braveheart andBreakfast on Pluto have been shot.Custer's Last Stand-up was filmed in Bray[54] and the town was also used to filmNeil Jordan's 2012 filmByzantium, part of which was shot in the Bray Head Inn.[55] Neil Jordan's 1991 filmThe Miracle is set in Bray.[56]
Bray hosts a number of theatre groups including the Bray Arts and Square One Theatre Group.[57]
Authors who have lived in Bray have includedJames Joyce,Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,Molly Keane andNeil Jordan. Situated on Eglinton Road is aCarnegie Library dating from 1910.[58] There is also another library serving the Ballywaltrim district on Boghall Road, at the southern end of the town
TheBray People newspaper is focused on the news in the local areas and neighbourhoods, as does thefreesheetWicklow Times (North Edition).[59]East Coast FM Radio Station also operates locally.[60]
Musicians associated with Bray includeMary Coughlan,[61]Maria Doyle Kennedy,[62]Fionn Regan,[63] andHozier.[64]
The singerSinéad O'Connor was also a resident of Bray for a number of years, living in a house overlooking the sea on Strand Road. After O'Connor died in London, her funeral procession took place on Bray seafront in August 2023.[65]
Bray is home toLeague of Ireland football clubBray Wanderers who play at theCarlisle Grounds. It also hosts schoolboy football club Ardmore Rovers and Wolfe Tone F.C. The localGaelic Athletic Association club's are Fergal Og's andBray Emmets.[66] Bray Emmets Established in 1885, the club hosts the annualAll-Ireland Kick Fada Championship.[67]
There are a number of golf clubs and pitch & putt courses in the area, including Bray Golf Club, Dun Laoghaire Golf Club, and Old Conna Golf Club.[68][69] Bray is also host to Bray Bowling Club, which trains in Fáilte Park,[70] and there is 10 Pin Bowling at the Bray Bowling Alley.[71]
There is fishing in both the River Dargle and on the sea coastline, and a number of clubs locally, including Bray Head Fishing Club and Dargle Anglers Club.[72] Other clubs and facilities in the area include Bray Wheelers Cycling Club,[73] Brennanstown Riding School,[74] Bray Sailing Club,[75] Wicklow Lawn Tennis Club, founded in 1894 and located on Vevay Road,[76] Bray Hockey Club,[77] and Wicklow County Cricket Club.[78]
A short-livedgreyhound racing track existed in the town from 1949 until 1955, run by the Bray Greyhound Racing Association Ltd.[79] In December 1947, notice was given that a track would be constructed at Sunnybank but the Wicklow County Manager refused the application. However, the greyhound company continued to build the facilities and in 1949 the track opened. It was not until 1950 that the High Court ruled against the company for building without planning permission and levied a fine of £470. The dispute continued until, in 1955, the track was bought by Bray Urban Council under a compulsory purchase order. The site, consisting of almost five acres, was bought at £440 per acre, and 36 houses were built on the land.[80]
Thousands of people turned out on the seafront to see Olympic boxing championKatie Taylor, return home from London in August 2012.[81]
There are approximately 13 primary schools in the Bray area, includingnational schools (likeSaint Cronan's Boys' National School),[82]gaelscoileanna (like Gaelscoil Uí Chéadaigh), a co-educational day school (St. Gerard's School),[83] and schools for additional needs. Secondary schools in the area include Saint Brendan's College, Loreto Secondary School and St. Kilian's Community School andPresentation College, Bray. A number of "English as a foreign language" and third-level schools also operate locally, including Bray Institute of Further Education.[84]
Former or current residents of the town have included (in alphabetical order):
Bray hastown twinning agreements with:[104][105]
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