The Glen of Imaal ( or ; ga, Gleann Uí Mháil) is a remote glen in the western

Wicklow Mountains The Wicklow Mountains (, archaic: ''Cualu'') form the largest continuous upland area in the Republic of Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into the counties of Dublin, Wexford and Carlow. ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is ringed by the

Lugnaquilla LugnaquillaLugnaquilla
.

Table Mountain Table Mountain ( naq, Huriǂoaxa, lit= sea-emerging; af, Tafelberg) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the ...

and

Keadeen Keadeen Mountain () at , is the 152nd–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 184th–highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the ...

. Much of the glen is used by the

Irish Army The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The A ...

as an artillery firing range, and hill walkers who use the glen are advised to observe the times of firing practice and to refrain from picking up strange objects. The Glen of Imaal is the subject of an eponymously titled Irish folk song, and also the place of origin of the eponymous dog breed, the

Glen of Imaal Terrier The Glen of Imaal Terrier ( gle, Brocaire Uí Mháil) is a breed of dog of the terrier category and one of four Irish terrier breeds. It is sometimes called the Irish Glen of Imaal Terrier or the Wicklow Terrier, and the name of the breed i ...

History

Early history

The Glen of Imaal is named from the

Uí Máil Uí Máil were an Irish dynasty of Leinster. They were descended from Maine Mál, the brother of the legendary high king Cathair Mór. The Uí Máil were a dominant dynasty in Leinster competing for the kingship in the 7th century before being even ...

, who dominated the kingship of Leinster in the 7th century. They were ousted by the

Uí Dúnlainge The Uí Dúnlainge, from the Old Irish "grandsons (or descendants) of Dúnlaing", were an Irish dynasty of Leinster kings who traced their descent from Dúnlaing mac Énda Niada. He was said to be a cousin of Énnae Cennsalach, eponymous ances ...

from the lowlands of what would be County Kildare, and from that time until the early 13th century were located along the western foothills of the Wicklow mountains. The valley appears to have been a center of their power. By the 14th century, O'Tuathail (O'Toole) (of the Uí Dunlainge) had taken the lordship of the Uí Máil, having in their turn been expelled from south Kildare by Norman incomers. Derrynamuck in the Glen Of Imaal is a cottage dedicated to the memory of

Michael Dwyer Michael Dwyer (1772–1825) was an insurgent captain in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, leading the United Irish forces in battles in Wexford and Wicklow., Following the defeat and dispersal of the rebel hosts, in July 1798 Dwyer withdrew into ...

, a celebrated 1798 leader. It is now known as the Dwyer-McAllister cottage, for it was there that a group of Irish rebels led by Michael Dwyer were hiding when they were surrounded by British forces. Samuel McAllister died when he drew enemy fire to allow Dwyer to escape. Warning Sign (geograph 1850213)

Military use

Since 1900, much of the Glen of Imaal (5,948 acres) has been used as an army artillery range. Because of this, caution is advised when attempting to use areas within the army range, and notices are posted as to when the army are on field exercises.

1941 disaster

On 16 September 1941, the Glen of Imaal was the site of the worst single incident involving loss of life in the history of the Irish Defence Forces. This incident, known as the Glen of Imaal Disaster, occurred during a training exercise involving 27 officers and men from the army's anti-aircraft battalion, artillery school, and corps of engineers. Sixteen soldiers were killed when an antitank mine unexpectedly exploded (15 dying immediately and 1 later succumbing to his wounds). Other injured soldiers were rushed to the Curragh military hospital where several received surgery. Three men were fully blinded in the accident, two more partially. One survivor later murdered two men in Dublin in 1947 but was found "guilty but insane". A memorial to the disaster was raised near Seskin Bridge in 1986.

1977 incident

In May 1977, five Irish soldiers were killed and three were injured when a mortar detonated unexpectedly during a training exercise.

1979 incident

On 15 April 1979, a fatal accident occurred in the Glen when a group of teenagers engaging in an orienteering activity triggered an explosive which subsequently detonated, killing three and seriously injuring others. The group originated from Lucan. The resultant inquiry found that the explosive was an unexploded shell which had been left in the region by the military during one of their exercises.

Bobby Molloy Robert Molloy (9 July 1936 – 2 October 2016) was an Irish politician who served as Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal and Minister of State to the Government from 1997 to 2002, Minister for Energy from 1989 to 1992, Minister for ...

, the

Minister for Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

, issued a statement in the chamber expressing his "personal regret" about the incident, and encouraged members of the public to avoid replicating the "tragic occurrences" by avoiding the area entirely to not encounter the shells. The deceased were buried in Esker Cemetery, and are commemorated annually at mass services in Lucan.

Firing range

The Glen of Imaal firing range is used throughout the year by the

as a training area. It is the only range in the country capable of accommodating field artillery such as the

105mm Light Gun The L118 light gun is a 105 mm towed howitzer. It was originally designed and produced in England for the British Army in the 1970s. It has since been widely exported. The L119 and the United States Army's M119 are variants that use a different ...

. The range area is also used for firing anti-tank weapons, mortars and heavy machine guns, as well as the vehicle mounted weapons of the Cavalry Corps. Military training in the area is not limited to the firing of heavy weapons. Tactical exercises also take place there, sometimes involving

MOWAG MOWAG is a Swiss company which develops, designs and produces armoured vehicles for military applications in both land-only and amphibious configurations. These vehicles have gross vehicle weights ranging from 9 tonnes to 30 tonnes. The compa ...

Armoured Personnel Carriers and

Irish Air Corps "Watchful and Loyal" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = ''see list of wars'' , decorations = , battle_honours = , battle_honours_label = , fl ...

helicopters. Exercises in peacekeeping operations are also undertaken in the Glen. Care is advised while driving on local roads due to the presence of heavy military traffic, and there have been some questions on the impacts of military exercises on residents and the safety of other road users in the area. Units using the Glen area are sometimes billeted in the nearby Coolmoney Camp. The Glen of Imaal is accessible to the

Curragh Camp The Curragh Camp ( ga, Campa an Churraigh) is an army base and military college in The Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the main training centre for the Irish Defence Forces and is home to 2,000 military personnel. History Longstanding ...

in County Kildare by the Dunlavin-Old Killcullen Road.

Mountain climbing

The highest mountain in Wicklow and one of the highest mountains in Ireland,

Lugnaquilla LugnaquillaLugnaquilla
.

List of Irish military installations This is a list of Irish military installations occupied by the Defence Forces (including Army, Air Corps, Naval Service and Reserve Defence Forces) in the Republic of Ireland by province and overseas. The Irish Defence Forces maintains approx ...

References

{{coord, 53, 0, 32, N, 6, 27, 55, W, source:nlwiki_region:IE_scale:400000_type:landmark, display=title Valleys of County Wicklow Glens of Ireland