July 2021 – By Eugene Finnegan
On this itinerary, we’ve created a link between East and West Wicklow discovering some of hidden gems along the way. We collected a total of five Wicklow Passport Stamps. See itinerary map and directions here
Starting out from Bray, we made our way into the Glencree Valley which is one of so many u-shaped glacial valleys in Co Wicklow that owe their formation to the last great ice age which ended about 13,000 years ago.
You might like to stop off in the lovely village of Enniskerry or even visit the world famous Powerscourt Gardens, but on this occasion, we headed straight up to Glencree.
The German War Cemetery is set in the peaceful setting of a former stone quarry with the soothing sounds of a nearby stream and is overlooked by a High Celtic Cross. The cemetery was opened in 1961. It contains he bodies of 134 German sailors, airmen and civilians who lost their lives over Ireland or at sea around our coasts during both world wars and who were reinterned there from their previous resting places.
If you are feeling energetic then take a stroll down the path over the stream, passing the grotto before making your way to the Glencree Centre for reconciliation.
The Glencree complex was originally built as an army barracks at the end of the 18th century just after the rebellion of 1798 and when rebels were still roaming the Wicklow mountains. Napoleon was conquering Europe and the British feared he might use Ireland as a steppingstone to invade Brittan from the West, which he didn’t.
Drop in at the Armoury Café for some refreshments and don’t forget – get the passport stamped.
Wander upstairs to have a look at the displays that tell the story of this place from its inception as an military encampment to infamous reform school and later after WWII as the base for Operation Shamrock which was a project that helped bring 500 German orphans to live in Ireland. Today, as the Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, it plays host to many groups of various political, religious and ethnic diversities in an effort to bring this people together in an environment where they could relate and possible reconcile with each other.