
Rathnew ()
is a village in
County Wicklow
County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. Located south of the capital
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
along the
M11 between Dublin and
Wexford
Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N1 ...
, it is close to the
county town of
Wicklow
Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has ...
, which is situated to the east.
Education
Rathnew is home to Gaelscoil Chill Mhantáin, an
Irish language
Irish (an Caighdeán Oifigiúil, Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic languages, Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European lang ...
primary school, which was established in 1996. The school was Ireland's first inter-denominational primary school, and draws pupils from
Rathdrum,
Brittas and
Newcastle, as well as Rathnew.
Rathnew is also home to St Coen's National School, a co-educational
national (primary) school which was formed following the amalgamation of a number of former/smaller schools in the area.
As of 2019, it had over 270 pupils enrolled.
The local secondary school is Coláiste Chill Mhantáin, which opened in September 2011. Coláiste Chill Mhantáin is the amalgamation of two previous secondary schools based in
Wicklow Town, Abbey Community College and De La Salle.
Since late 2006 Clermont Convent, previously a private Secondary School for girls, has reopened on the same grounds as a Third Level College affiliated to the
Institute of Technology, Carlow
The Institute of Technology, Carlow (IT Carlow; ga, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Cheatharlach) was an institute of technology, located in Carlow, Ireland. The institute had campuses in Carlow, Wexford, and Wicklow, as well as a part-time prov ...
.
Sport
The village's
Gaelic football
Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by ki ...
team has won the
Wicklow
Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has ...
Senior Provincial Championship more than 30 times, most recently in 2017.
Rathnew's soccer club was founded in 1958. For a time there the village had two soccer teams, Rathnew Ernans and Rathnew Celtic. Rathnew Celtic was only team to ever go through the
Leinster Junior Cup without conceding a goal in 1978/1979 season. In 1986 both teams joined to make Rathnew A.F.C. a team which is still present today The club is based in Shamrock Park. Since late 2010, Rathnew A.F.C. has also played host to Rathnew Ladies A.F.C. soccer side, the first women's team in the history of the club, and which won the
DWSL Shield in 2011.
Tourism

Rathnew is home to the historic Tinakilly House, the former residence of
Capt. Robert Halpin and now a hotel. It is situated in the center of the village opposite the local cemetery with narrow entrance to a mile-long avenue. The building was first built in 1883 when it became Halpin's residence. The house overlooks the
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
with a large gardens surrounding it.
Transport
Rathnew railway station opened on 1 September 1866, closed for goods traffic on 9 June 1947, and finally closed on 30 March 1964. For rail transport today, the closest station is
Wicklow railway station, two miles inwards.
The local
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
goes through the village every hour and stops outside the local primary school.
Economy
Rathnew is home to three pubs: The Rathnew House, Fitzpatricks, and Shay Doyle's. Rathnew is also home to two chip shops as well as three shops one of which is also a petrol station. Rathnew held three sawmills two of which are still operational: Duffy's and Jameson's. M.D. & Sons industrial steel manufacturers is another local company.
The local postoffice is located at Merrymeeting Shopping Centre.
Community Space
* Rathnew Women's Shed
* Rathnew Men's Shed
Famous people associated with Rathnew
*
Francis Chomley (1822-1892) - businessman
*
Tom Cullen
Thomas Cullen (born 17 July 1985) is a Welsh actor and director. He had roles in the independent film '' Weekend'' (2011), as Anthony Foyle, Viscount Gillingham in the television series ''Downton Abbey'', and as Sir Landry in the historical d ...
(1891-1926)
Irish republican
Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate.
The develop ...
*
Johnny Doran (1908-1950) -
uilleann piper
The uilleann pipes ( or , ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Earlier known in English as "union pipes", their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the elbow"), from their ...
*
Susyn M. Andrews
Susyn M. Andrews (born 1953) is a British taxonomic horticulturist. Her research has focussed on temperate and subtropical woody plants, especially Holly and Lavender.
Life and work
Andrews went to school at Rathnew, County Wicklow, Ireland, st ...
(b. 1953) -
horticulturist
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
*
Patricia O'Brien
Patricia O'Brien (born 8 February 1957)is Ambassador of Ireland to Italy. She served as Ambassador to France and to Monaco from 2017 to 2021. She had served from 2013 as the Permanent Representative (Ambassador) of Ireland to the United Nations ...
(b. 1957) - diplomat
*
Leighton Glynn
Leighton Glynn is a Gaelic football and hurling player from County Wicklow in Ireland. He was born and raised in Glenealy, County Wicklow. He has represented the Wicklow senior GAA teams in both football and hurling. At club level, he plays h ...
(b. 1982) -
Gaelic football
Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by ki ...
er
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
External links
Rathnew at Wicklow County TourismRathnew GAA Club
{{County Wicklow
Towns and villages in County Wicklow