Grangecon is a village in County Wicklow

County Wicklow

County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. It has a population of about 200 people, and is located between Baltinglass

Baltinglass

Baltinglass or Baltinglas is a town in south-west County Wicklow, Ireland. It is situated on the River Slaney near the border with County Carlow and County Kildare, on the N81 road. Its Irish name means "the way of Conglas", Conglas being a member of the mythological warrior collective, the Fianna...

 and Dunlavin

Dunlavin

Dunlavin is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland, situated about thirty miles south west of Dublin. It is centred on the junction of the R412 and R756 regional roads...

.

History

While the name Grange Con is said to be of celtic origin the earliest recorded history of it is from the Middle Ages when the Abbot of Baltinglass Abbey had a castle built there. The monks are also said to have had a mill there powered by the local stream. Most of the surrounding land belonged to the Abbey at the time.
Following the dissolution of the monasteries, Thomas Eustace was in 1541 made Viscount Baltinglass and granted the lands of the Abbey including the Castle and lands at Grangecon. These were forfeited in 1581 following a rebellion by the third Viscount and subsequently granted to Sir Henry Harrington. It appears that these lands remained in the Harrington family for a number of generations.

The house at Grangecon Demesne later became the seat of the O'Mahony clan and remained so until about 1930 when Pierce O'Mahony, the last "the O'Mahony" died. See for more detailed information about the O'Mahony connection with Grangecon.
Some ruins of an older castle still exist in the grounds but these are quite minimal.
Grangecon Demesne is now home to the well-known Grangecon Stud, breeder of top grade thoroughbred racehorses.

The Hall

Grangecon village is still known by many as "The Hall".

Location

The village is set in a valley, amid the low rolling hills of West Wicklow. The Wicklow Mountains

Wicklow Mountains

The Wicklow Mountains form the largest continuous upland area in Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into Counties Carlow, Wexford and Dublin. Where the mountains extend into County Dublin, they are known locally as the Dublin Mountains...

 are to the east, while to the west lie the lowlands of Kildare and the midlands.

Development

Property developers are showing an interest in the area. Local opposition and county council planning decisions have so far controlled building in the area. An Bórd Pleanála have recently overturned a decision by Wicklow County Council to grant planning permission for a development of large houses on an elevated site overlooking the main street of the village. This was as a result of an appeal by many local residents.

Transport

Grangecon railway station opened on 1 Sept 1885, closed for passenger traffic on 27 January 1947, closed for goods traffic on 10 March 1947, and finally closed altogether on 1 April 1959. The station building and Station Master's house still exist today as private residences. Part of the original railway cutting can still be seen in the village, as can an original railway overbridge. There is little by way of public transport serving the village now apart from school buses and an occasional service by the Wicklow Rural Transport service.

Amenities and Sport

The village is well serviced for its size, and boasts two local pubs, one of which also serves as the local grocery store, though the local post office has been closed down. There is a small national school, and secondary education is available in several schools in all the nearby towns. A recently constructed Catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 church stands in the centre of the village, while there is a Church of Ireland

Church of Ireland

The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...

 church at Ballynure, a short distance away.

There is a local community owned park in the village where the local Soccer Club, Grangecon A.F.C, play their home fixtures and the local School Children play football and hurling while football and hurling at juvenile levels and football up to senior level are played at the Stratford / Grangecon GAA club.

It is located in an area of mixed agriculture, and has a lot of bloodstock activity including the breeding and training of racehorses. The famous trainer of National Hunt horses, Paddy Sleator, had his establishment here as does current trainer Francis Flood. There are also several stud farms in the locality.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

External links

• Grangecon community website