Lacken or Lackan () is a
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...
and small village in the west of
County Wicklow,
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 ...
, located on the shores of the
Blessington lakes and western edge of the
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. ...
.
Lacken in situated on the
Blessington
Blessington, historically known as Ballycomeen (, from the Irish surname ''Ó Coimín''), is a town on the River Liffey in County Wicklow, Ireland, near the border with County Kildare. It is around 25 km south-west of Dublin, and is sit ...
'Lake Drive' and is sometimes noted for its view across the lake. The area has been used as a location for a number of number of films, including ''
Dancing at Lughnasa
''Dancing at Lughnasa'' is a 1990 play by dramatist Brian Friel set in County Donegal in Ulster in the north of Ireland in August 1936 in the fictional town of Ballybeg. It is a memory play told from the point of view of the adult Michael Eva ...
'' (1998), ''
This Is My Father
''This Is My Father'' is a 1998 film directed by Paul Quinn.
Plot
The film portrays a tragic love story set in late 1930s Ireland, focusing on the relationship between Fiona Flynn ( Moya Farrelly), a beautiful, feisty seventeen-year-old from a m ...
'' (1999) and ''
P.S. I Love You'' (2007).
As of the
2011 census of Ireland, the townland had a population of 200 people.
History
Built heritage
Evidence of ancient settlement in the townland includes
holy well
A holy well or sacred spring is a well, spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christian or pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualities, through the numinous presence of its guar ...
,
bullaun stone and ecclesiastical enclosure sites. The local Catholic church, Our Lady Of Mount Carmel church, is in the parish of Valleymount and was built in 1811.
A primary school was built in Lacken in 1869, and later converted to become a community centre.
A new primary school was built and opened in January 2011, and (as of 2013) had an enrollment of 71 pupils.
A
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...
was opened in Lacken on 4 September 1951 as a sub-office to Blessington, but has since closed.
RAF crash
At approximately 04:34am on 18 April 1941, a
Handley Page Hampden
The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden is a British twin-engine medium bomber that was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was part of the trio of large twin-engine bombers procured for the RAF, joining the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and Vickers ...
aircraft (Registration AD730)
[
The plane was one of seven aircraft which had departed RAF Lindholme, ]North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
the previous evening around 20.15pm on a bombing mission to Berlin.[ On the return leg, AD730 went missing. Lack of visibility, bad weather or failure of equipment due to technical or atmospheric problems have all been given as possible reasons for the plane going off course.][ The plane crashed in an almost inaccessible part of remote bog][ on Black Hill and it took searchers two days to find the remains of all four crew members.][ It appeared that death would have been instantaneous as the crew had not even been aware to put on parachutes.]Blessington
Blessington, historically known as Ballycomeen (, from the Irish surname ''Ó Coimín''), is a town on the River Liffey in County Wicklow, Ireland, near the border with County Kildare. It is around 25 km south-west of Dublin, and is sit ...
, by order of the Irish Government.[ In attendance was a Mr. Leywood of the British Legation, who had arrived in Blessington on Sunday 20th and visited the scene of the crash.][ ]The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
the day after reported that “During the funeral all shops in Blessington were closed and blinds drawn on windows.”[ A memorial stone was unveiled at the crash site on 18 April 1991][ The crew included ]wireless operator
A radio operator (also, formerly, wireless operator in British and Commonwealth English) is a person who is responsible for the operations of a radio system. The profession of radio operator has become largely obsolete with the automation of ra ...
/ gunner Sgt. Frederick Henry Erdwin, navigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's primar ...
Sgt. John Thompson Lamb, WOp/Gunner Sgt. Stanley Wright, and pilot officer John Kenneth Hill.[
]
See also
* List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
{{County Wicklow
Towns and villages in County Wicklow