This scenic, wooded Leinster coastal county contains the towns of Wicklow, Bray, Rathnew, Arklow, Rathdrum, Enniskerry, Greystones, and Baltinglass. Because of its scenery and fine woodlands, Wicklow is known is the “Garden of Ireland,” and has been a popular resort area since the eighteenth century. The county has a wide coastal strip of fertile land, and the inland parts are mountainous. In pre-Norman times this county was the territory of the O’Byrnes and O’Tooles. The families of O’Cullen, O’Kelly, O’Teige (Tighe), (O’) Gahan, and McKeogh (or Kehoe) are also associated with the county. There were a number of Viking settlements on the Wicklow coast, including the towns of Arklow and Wicklow, whose names are of Danish origin. The family name of Doyle, which is common in the county (and elsewhere in Leinster), is also of Scandinavian origin. After the Norman invasion, the coastal parts of the county came under the control of various Norman adventurers. These included the families of Archbold, Cosgrave, and Eustace. Wicklow town itself was granted to Maurice Fitzgerald, who fortified it against the constant attacks of the O’Byrnes and O’Tooles, who regained control of the more extensive mountainous parts of the county.

The O’Byrnes and O’Tooles continued to rule most of Wicklow for many centuries afterwards, and made constant raids on the city of Dublin and on the Norman settlements in Wicklow. Their power was severely curtailed after the rebellion of the Irish Catholics in 1641, when Cromwell took every fort and stronghold in the county. However, the mountains of Wicklow continued to provide refuge for rebels until after the 1798 rebellion, when the so-called Military Road was built through the heart of the mountains to provide military access.