Newtownmountkennedy (Irish: Baile an Chinnéidigh, meaning 'Kennedy's town') is a

small town in County Wicklow, Ireland. It developed within the historic townland of
Ballygarny (Irish: Baile Ó gCearnaigh), although all that remains of the village is
an old church and graveyard just 0.45 km (0.28 mi) outside the town.[2] It acquired
its present name in the mid-seventeenth-century, when Sir Robert Kennedy, M.P. for
Kildare, made it his principal residence.[3] It is just off the N11 road to
Wexford, just south of Kilpedder and south-west of Greystones. It is about 15 km
(9.3 mi) north of Wicklow town, 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Bray and approximately 35
km (22 mi) from Dublin. The R772 regional road passes through the village. This was
the main Dublin-Wexford route, the N11, but the village was bypassed by the new N11
dual carriageway in 1990. This town has one of the longest place names in Ireland.

Between the 2011 and 2016 census, the population of the town increased by 17.6%
(from 2,410 to 2,835 inhabitants), one of the highest growth rates in County
Wicklow on the period.[4][1][5] The area is a dormitory town for some workers
commuting to Bray and Dublin.[citation needed]

The headquarters of Coillte, the Irish Forestry Board, are situated in the village
forest. Newtownmountkennedy is in the Roman Catholic parish of Kilquade and one of
the Kilquade parish's two chapels of ease is located in the village at the junction
with the Roundwood Road.

Contents
1 Education
2 Transport
3 Sports
3.1 Gaelic games
3.2 Football
3.3 Golf
4 Economy
5 People
6 References
7 External links
Education
Newtownmountkennedy Primary School (St. Joseph's Boys National School and St.
Bridget's Girls National School) is located just west of the village. It was
formerly split into three buildings, one for male students, and one for female
students, while the third building was reserved for the Centre for Autism. The
boys' school was known as St Joseph's, while the girls' school was known as St
Bridget's. In 2007, the two schools were merged, leaving the lower classes (Junior
infants, Senior infants and First class) in the former girls' school,[6] while the
remaining classes (Second class, Third class, Fourth class, Fifth class and Sixth
class) took residence in the former boys' school.[7]

The autism centre stayed in the third building. The name given to the new school is
Newtownmountkennedy Primary School. The majority of secondary school students
travel to the nearby Coláiste Chroabh Abhann in neighbouring Kilcoole.[citation
needed]

Transport
The area is served by the 184 bus route connecting the town with Kilpedder,
Greystones and Bray. Bus Éireann route 133 connects the town with Dublin, Bray and
Wicklow.

The closest train stations are Greystones and Kilcoole. Greystones and the further,
bigger Bray Daly station are accessible by route 184.

The nearest airport is Dublin Airport served by the 133 route and the nearest
airfield is Newcastle Aerodrome.

The closest ferry ports are Dublin to the north and Rosslare Europort to the south.

Sports
Gaelic games
The Gaelic Athletic Association club of Newtown, known in Irish as Báile úi
gCearnaigh, is one of the oldest clubs in the country, being founded in 1887. The
club has two adult teams, one contesting the Senior League and Championship, one
contesting the Junior A League and Championship. There are also underage teams,
ranging from Minor (U-18) down to "Super Sevens" (U-8 and younger).

The club has a number of county championships to its name, including the County
Senior Championship, won on in 1964 and 1975.

Newtown GAA Club[8] plays in the colours Black and White, leading to some fans to
dub them "The Magpies".

Football
Newtown has two football clubs, Newtown United and Newtown Juniors. Newtown Juniors
are for players up until the age of 16. After that, they move on to the senior
teams of Newtown United. Both teams use the same home ground, the Matt Kelly
Community Grounds.

Golf
Druids Glen Golf Resort, which hosted the Irish open from 1996 to 1999, is located
about a kilometre east from Newtown.[9] Druids Heath Golf Course, another
championship course, is also located in Druids Glen. Glen Mill Golf Club is located
to the south of the Newtown past Killadreenan.[10]

Economy
Coillte, the Irish Forestry operator, has its headquarters just north of the town.
French company Procap had its Northern European plant in the town.[11] There is
also a small industrial estate located to the south of the village.

The Parkview Hotel opened in the village centre in March 2007. The hotel has 60
bedrooms and conference facilities.[12]

Ecologic received planning permission to build a data centre in Newtownmountkennedy

that has an area of 1.1 million square feet (100,000 square metres).[13] This plan
was approved by the Supreme Court in December 2013 after numerous appeals by An
Bord Pleanála and quashing the High Court's refusal to approve the development.[14]

There is also a shopping center in the town, which includes a Dunnes Stores,[15] a
pharmacy and a cafe. A major development was the creation, in 2015, of a new
housing development "Wicklow Hills" which comprises a mix of two, three and four
bedroom houses.[16]

People
Sonny Condell, Irish singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and graphic artist.
[17]
Paul Heffernan, former professional footballer with several English Football League
and Scottish Premiership sides.[citation needed]
Leo Cullen, coach (and former captain) of Leinster Rugby.[18]
Clive Clarke, former footballer.[citation needed]
Sir Richard Kennedy, 2nd Baronet, High Court judge and head of the Kennedy family
who gave their name to the town.[19]