Valleymount ( or ''An Chrois'') is a small village in western

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The name 'Valleymount' does not appear before 1839. Previously, the village was known as 'the Cross of Ballymore' or simply 'the Cross', with 'cross' referring to land belonging to the church.

Location and transport

Vallymount is located approximately 32km from

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

city centre. Valleymount is at an average elevation of 198m above sea level and is situated on the R758 regional road. The village is on a land spit created by the flooding of the

River Liffey The River Liffey (Irish language, Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major Tributary, tributaries include t ...

and its primary tributary the King's River in the late-1930s and early-1940s for the

Poulaphouca Poulaphouca, officially Pollaphuca (), is the name of a waterfall and bridge on the River Liffey between County Wicklow and County Kildare. It is primarily known for its hydroelectric generating station and the associated artificial lake, know ...

Dam project. The Poulaphouca project now supplies water to the

Greater Dublin Area The Greater Dublin Area (GDA; Irish: ''Mórcheantar Bhaile Átha Cliath''), or simply Greater Dublin, is an informal term that is taken to include the city of Dublin and its hinterland, with varying definitions as to its extent. At the expansive ...

, and electricity to the ESB national grid. It is serviced by the

Dublin Bus Dublin Bus () is an Irish State-owned enterprise, state-owned bus operator providing services in Dublin. By far the largest bus operator in the city, it carried 145 million passengers in 2023. It is a subsidiary of CIÉ, Córas Iompair Éireann ...

65 route which connects to

twice daily (Mon - Fri). The Valleymount Spur of St Kevin's Way, the pilgrim route to the ancient monastery site at

Glendalough Glendalough (; ) is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin. From 1825 to 1957, the head of the Glendalough Valley was the site of a galena lead min ...

runs through Valleymount village. Another spur runs from the nearby village of Hollywood to Glendalough. Vallymount neighbours the villages of

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

Ballymore Eustace Ballymore Eustace () is a small town situated in County Kildare in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, although until 1836 it lay within an exclave of County Dublin. It lies close to the border with County Wicklow. The town is in a Civil parishes in I ...

Blessington Blessington, historically known as Ballycomeen (, from the Irish surname ''Ó Coimín''), is a town on the River Liffey in County Wicklow, Ireland, near the border with County Kildare. It is around 25 km south-west of Dublin, and is situat ...

, Ballyknockan and Lacken.

Townlands

The

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

s in the area of Valleymount include: Ballyknockan, (The) Togher, Monamuck, Valleymount (or Cross), Humphrystown, Lockstown Upper, Lockstown Lower, Baltyboys Upper, Baltyboys Lower, Rathballylong, Annacarney, Blackditches Upper, Blackditches Lower, Carrigacurra, Lugnagroagh, Tulfarris, Granabeg Upper, Granabeg Lower, Knocknadruce and Knocknadruce Upper. Nearby (to the NE) is the 'lost' townland of Ballinahown which was completely flooded by the Poulaphouca project in the late-1930s and early-1940s

Built heritage

St. Joseph's Church

St. Joseph's church The most notable building is St. Joseph's Catholic Church. Built in 1803, to which a porch extension was added around 1835, the '

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

style' of the church is attributed to design ideas brought home by Irish emigrants returning from New Mexico, and adapting the style to the local area. The church features

stained glass windows Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

Harry Clarke Henry Patrick Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) was an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement. His work was influenced by both the Art Nouveau ...

, a leading figure in the Irish

Arts and Crafts Movement The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

and art students from Dublin's Art colleges sometimes visit the church to see the windows.

Star Inn

The pub was established around 1836, and changed owners. The current proprietor took over the family business in 1985 and refurbished the premises in 1996. The Inn is apparently named after the

Morning Star Morning Star, morning star, or Morningstar may refer to: Astronomy * Morning star, most commonly used as a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise ** See also Venus in culture * Morning star, a name for the star Siri ...

that could be seen from the entrance.

Other notable buildings

Valleymount House is a stone building that was the village's one and only shop and post office until it closed in 2006. The village also used to have its own

forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to the ...

which was active until the 1980s. There is a prehistoric sweathouse in the townland of Annacarney near Valleymount.

Sports

Honours won by Valleymount

GAA Gaa may refer to: * Gaa language, a language of Nigeria * gaa, the ISO 639 code for the Ga language of Ghana GAA may stand for: Compounds * Glacial (water-free), acetic acid * Acid alpha-glucosidase, also known as glucosidase, alpha; acid, an e ...

club include the Intermediate Football Championship (1952,1964,1978,1989), Junior Football "A" Championship (1963,1998,2020), Minor Football Championship (1951), Junior Hurling Championship (1988), and Intermediate Hurling Championship (1989). Rugby player Brian Carney played

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

for Valleymount GAA and won a junior championship medal in 1998 with the club.

Cultural references

The following films were made in or near Valleymount: * '' The Outcasts'' (1982) includes a scene filmed by

Cyril Cusack Cyril James Cusack (26 November 1910 – 7 October 1993) was an Irish stage and screen actor with a career that spanned more than 70 years. During his lifetime, he was considered one of Ireland's finest thespians, and was renowned for his inte ...

in the old forge in Valleymount (south of the Star Inn) * ''

Widows' Peak ''Widows' Peak'' is a 1994 British-Irish mystery film directed by John Irvin and starring Mia Farrow, Joan Plowright, Natasha Richardson, Adrian Dunbar and Jim Broadbent. The film is based on an original screenplay by Hugh Leonard and Tim Ha ...

'' (1994) was filmed in the area, particularly in Ballyknockan. * ''

Braveheart ''Braveheart'' is a 1995 American epic film, epic historical drama, historical war drama film directed and produced by Mel Gibson, who portrays Scottish warrior William Wallace in the First War of Scottish Independence against Edward I of Engl ...

'' (1995) was partially filmed near Valleymount, and a route around the lake is called "Braveheart Drive". * ''

This Is My Father ''This Is My Father'' is a 1998 Canadian-Irish film directed by Paul Quinn. Plot The film portrays a tragic love story set in late 1930s Ireland, focusing on the relationship between Fiona Flynn ( Moya Farrelly), a beautiful, feisty seventeen-ye ...

'' (1998), featuring

Aidan Quinn Aidan Quinn (born March 8, 1959) is an Irish-American actor. He made his film debut in '' Reckless'' (1984), and has starred in over 80 feature films, including ''Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985), '' The Mission'' (1986), '' Stakeout'' (1987) ...

and

James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Academy Award an ...

, was filmed around Valleymount, Hollywood and

Kilteel Kilteel () is the name of a village, townland and civil parish located in the barony of South Salt, County Kildare, Ireland. The townland of Kilteel Upper contains the remains of a church with a decorated Romanesque chancel arch, the ruins of ...

in County Kildare. * '' P.S. I Love You'' (2007), starring

Hilary Swank Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974) is an American actress and film producer. She first became known in 1992 for her role on the television series '' Camp Wilder'' and made her film debut with a minor role in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (19 ...

, saw some scenes filmed locally near Valleymount and in Ballyknockan.

People

Jack Reynor Jack Reynor (born 23 January 1992) is an Irish actor. His notable roles include the films '' What Richard Did'' (2012), '' Transformers: Age of Extinction'' (2014), '' Glassland'' (2014), ''Macbeth'' (2015), '' Sing Street'' (2016) and '' Midso ...

(born 1992), Irish-American actor, grew up in ValleymountTara Brady
"Wandering Jack"
, ''The Irish Times'', 8 December 1012

References

{{County Wicklow Towns and villages in County Wicklow