The huge number of Dublin registration cars in the driveways of new estate houses in Wicklow town is a fair indication of the volume of newcomers who have settled here in recent years. It is estimated that eight out of 10 house-buyers here are out-of-town people. One of the estates has been dubbed "New Crumlin" because several of the residents were neighbours in Dublin.
Wicklow town has an attractive working harbour, good beaches and a coastline which is an oasis for rare flora and fauna. It's an hour's drive from Dublin when traffic is light, a much shorter journey than from many of the midland towns Dubliners are flocking to. And, so far, Wicklow has escaped the unsightly sprawl of massive new housing schemes experienced elsewhere.
When St Patrick tried to land at Wicklow, he received a hostile reception from the locals. Patrick's friend lost his teeth in the same fracas and became known as Mantan or "toothless one". Undeterred, he returned and built his first church, Cill Mhantain, in Market Square. The people are friendlier now and the harbour is bustling with ships unloading Scandinavian timber for the Irish printing industry. From its position at the edge of the Pale, Co Wicklow people have a long tradition of mistrusting strangers. This has created a two-tier society of "long tails", long-established families and "runners-in". With so many outsiders getting involved in the social scene, the differences are beginning to break down, many newcomers say. Pam Beacom of the Kilmantin Arts group came here 27 years ago when she married an Englishman working in the town. They love being near the sea and the mountains and having the city just up the road.
"It's still a small town, a bit off the beaten track. We don't know what we've got here, friends tell us," says Pam. The Kilmantin group meets every Tuesday at Phil Healy's pub for creative writing and once a month for painting. The gallery on Bridge Street, which exhibits their work, is a must for visitors. It's a bone of contention with residents that Wicklow has no dedicated theatre or arts centre. The Kilmantin group has applied for Arts Council funding to renovate a building in the town and create a visual and performing arts venue.
Ten years ago, Wicklow was a somewhat drab town. Now you wouldn't recognise it. Encouraged by a strong Chamber of Commerce, shopfronts have been painted a kaleidoscope of colours and the town has acquired an "Enniskerry" look. Every other shop sells pine furniture and pretty household knick-knacks and it's an ideal place to do Christmas shopping. There are lots of cafes and home bakeries if you're feeling peckish, and don't miss Brian O'Rourke's beautiful greengrocer's on Main Street.
It's an historic town, named Wykingalo by the Vikings, with many reminders of the role of townspeople in the 1798 rebellion. The Billy Byrne monument shows a pikeman of the period and commemorates the heroism of Byrne, Michael Dwyer and other Wicklow people who took part. The old cutstone jail, built to hold prisoners under the Penal Laws, is now a county heritage centre.
It's rare to find a house in Wicklow Town that doesn't have some kind of sea or mountain view. Sandwiched between Wicklow Head and the sea, the town has spread up the hill and south along the coast. The Vartry River runs through the centre of town to the quays, which is probably the most attractive part of town to live. Period townhouses come in various shapes and sizes, some of them at the water's edge.
Look at Leitrim Street, Quay Street and Strand Street near the quays or Hill Street, Convent Road, New street, Fitzwilliam Street and High Street, up behind Main Street, for tiny period townhouses with character. Harrington Lait is currently selling a two-bedroom mid-terraced house on High Street for £115,000.
On Bradshaw's books is a pretty two-bed period cottage on Fitzwilliam Row priced £140,000. Dooley Poynton is asking in the region of £140,000 for a three-bedroom semi on Monkton Row, two minutes from the harbour. James Gormley Auctioneers has a two-bedroom end-of-terrace in need of work on Kilmantin Hill with a price tag in the region of £165,000.
Other good buys are older ex-council houses close to the centre of town. Bradshaw's is selling one of these with two bedrooms on Old Dunbar Road for £135,000 and RE/MAX has a three-bedroom semi at Mount Carmel for £130,000. Builders are favouring larger houses, so new developments tend to be too pricy for firsttime buyers here. RE/MAX is handling Fern Hill Court at Glebemount, where three-bedroom semis are selling at £200,000. Marlton Park is a smart new estate of detached houses close to the Dublin side of town, fetching close to £300,000.
Second-hand houses are worth thinking about, since extras like carpets and kitchen equipment are usually included and gardens are mature. Bungalows are plentiful in Wicklow. Harrington Lait has a four-bedroom bungalow at Glebemount, near the station, for excess £175,000 and RE/MAX is selling a bungalow on a third of an acre at Keatingstown for excess £300,000.
In probably one of the best locations in the town, a three-bed bungalow with a beautiful walled garden on Wentworth Place is for sale through Harrington Lait for around £340,000. A pretty three-bed cottage on Marlton Road is for sale through RE/MAX, with an asking price of £200,000.
Urban renewal along the quays has introduced apartment living to Wicklow, although the 9 per cent duty is a deterrent for those investing now for eventual retirement - a significant purchasing group in Co Wicklow. A three-bedroom apartment with terrific views over the harbour at The Anchorage has a price tag of £220,000 with the Harrington Lait agency.
The Wicklow Town Development Plan was adopted in 1997 and the Wicklow Town Environs Development Plan 1994 is currently being reviewed. The town has developed beyond its boundaries into county council lands, so the future of Wicklow is a joint responsibility. Because of this, the County Development Plan, the Town Development Plan and the Environs Development Plan all have implications for the town. Wicklow has been identified as a Primary Growth Area under the Greater Dublin Strategic Guidelines, which were signed into law this month.
According to a recent report on the town and environs carried out by planning consultants Cunnane Stratton Reynolds, the population should jump from its present 12,000 to about 18,000 within the next 10 years. John Slattery of Wicklow Chamber of Commerce disagrees with the report's findings, claiming the population increases and amount of land needed for industrial development are too low. "If Wicklow is to fulfil its role as a Primary Growth Area, it has to be considerably more than this. Three or four times the amount of business and industrial re-zoning is needed to get the town up and running," he says.
The route of a new port access road to divert quayside traffic away from the Main Street is currently under discussion. This will probably leave the N11 at Rathnew and proceed across The Murrough industrial area to the quays. A secondary sewage treatment plant is to be built to take in growing populations in Rathnew and Ashford.
Wicklow, not traditionally an industrial town, needs to increase its commercial base to create jobs for a growing population. Then, as town clerk Frank O'Toole optimistically forecasts, "people will be living in Dublin and commuting here to work".
