Dunlavin 4.37

Dunlavin is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland, situated about south-west of Dublin. It is centred on the junction of the R412 and R756 regional roads. It was founded around the end of the 17th century and became a prominent town in the area for a time.The chief attraction for visitors is its proximity to the well known Rathsallagh House Golf & Country Club and the Wicklow National Park. It is also close to Ireland's premier horse racing centre, the Curragh, County Kildare. Dunlavin's unusually wide streets are characteristic of the village. The Courthouse in the centre of the village, built in the Doric style of Grecian architecture, is one of three such buildings in Ireland. The Dunlavin Festival of Arts is held in the summer.HistoryThe settlement of Dunlavin was founded during the late 1650s by the Bulkely family from Cheshire (occasionally and erroneously referred to as "Buckley"). In 1702, Heather Bulkely married James Worth-Tynte and started the long association of the Tynte family with Dunlavin.In 1777 the Dunlavin Light Dragoon's were founded as a Volunteer corps, which were raised to defend Ireland from French invasion.The Massacre of Dunlavin Green occurred in 1798. The Catholic Church (dedicated to St Nicholas of Myra) was built on adjacent land donated by the local Tynte family. The church dates from 1815, although Catholic worship was observed on the site prior to this.