Powerscourt Waterfall ( ga, Eas Chonaill) is the second highest waterfall in

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 ...

at high, it is located at the base of the Glensoulan Valley on the

River Dargle The River Dargle () is a river that flows from the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland to the Irish Sea. It forms Powerscourt Waterfall, receives the Glencree and Glencullen Rivers, and later the Glenmunder Stream / County Brook, and the Swan River ...

near

Enniskerry, County Wicklow Enniskerry (historically ''Annaskerry'', from ) is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. The population was 1,889 at the 2016 census. Location The village is situated on the Glencullen River in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains in the e ...

. Powerscourt is overlooked by the peaks of

Djouce Djouce () at , is the 74th–highest peak in Ireland on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Arderins, Arderin scale, and the 91st–highest peak on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Vandeleur-Lynams, Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September ...

() and

Maulin Maulin (), at , is the 272nd–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, however, being below 600 m it does not rank on the Vandeleur-Lynam or Hewitt scales.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Va ...

(), and flows continuously all year in a horsetail-fan pattern. The waterfall is part of the

Powerscourt Estate Powerscourt Estate ( ga, Eastát Chúirt an Phaoraigh), located in Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland, is a large country estate which is noted for its country house, house and landscaped gardens, today occupying . The house, originally a 13th ...

, which is open to the public for an entrance fee.

Geography

Powerscourt Waterfall, known in

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

as ''Eas Chonaill'', lies at the base of the Glensoulan valley, a

hanging valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

, through which the River Dargle flows from its source on the southern slopes of

Tonduff Tonduff () at , is the 169th–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 202nd–highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins" ...

mountain, eventually falling into the steep corrie in which the waterfall lies. Several mountains surround the upper section of the Glensoulan valley in a "horseshoe-shape", being:

War Hill War Hill () at , is the 106th–highest peak in Ireland on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Arderins, Arderin scale, and the 129th–highest peak on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Vandeleur-Lynams, Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (Sept ...

, and

. The waterfall is bounded by

Crone Woods Crone Woods, or Crone Forest, is located in the northeastern section of the Wicklow Mountains, just below the summit of Maulin , in Wicklow in the Ireland. Crone Woods have an extensive network of forest trails and hikes which can be accessed fr ...

on its northern section.

Geology

Geological Survey of Ireland Geological Survey Ireland or Geological Survey of IrelandS.I. No. 300/2002 - Communications, Energy and Geological Survey of Ireland (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2002 ( ga, Suirbhéireacht Gheolaíochta ...

(GSI) regard the waterfalls an "important site for both the glacial feature and for the geological influence of the rocks themselves on the formation of the waterfall"; and describe the Powerscourt corrie, in which the waterfall sits, as "a fine example of glacial erosion, where accumulated ice has scoured out a deep basin, with a waterfall flowing down the steep backwall". The Powerscourt waterfall flows over Irish Ribband Group

schists Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes o ...

, which sit in a

metamorphic aureole Metamorphism is the transformation of existing rock (the protolith) to rock with a different mineral composition or texture. Metamorphism takes place at temperatures in excess of , and often also at elevated pressure or in the presence of chem ...

of Leinster

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

. The cleavage (or

schistosity Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes o ...

) dips steeply outwards, paralleling the sides of the granite

pluton In geology, an igneous intrusion (or intrusive body or simply intrusion) is a body of intrusive igneous rock that forms by crystallization of magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Intrusions have a wide variety of forms and com ...

, which forms the surface over which the water cascades; however, the GSI note the contact between schist and granite is some distance upstream of the waterfall. Both boulders of schist (a silvery-sheen appearance), and of granite (a speckled crystalline appearance), can be seen in the pools at the base of the waterfall.

Access

The waterfall is part of the

, who grant paid-access to the public through a separate visitor entrance (6 miles from the main estate entrance) during set times. At the base of the waterfall are visitor facilities, car parking, picnic and

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...

area, and various concessions. The waterfall can also be viewed from Ride Rock in

, which also offers trails to the summit of Maulin. A 7-kilometre 3-hour hill-walking route known as the Maulin Circuit, takes in Crone Woods, Maulin and the Powerscourt waterfall.

Notable events

In August 1821, during the visit of King

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

to Ireland,

Richard Wingfield, 5th Viscount Powerscourt Richard Wingfield, 5th Viscount Powerscourt (11 September 1790 – 9 August 1823) was an Anglo-Irish peer. He was the son of Richard Wingfield, 4th Viscount Powerscourt and Lady Catherine Meade, daughter of John Meade, 1st Earl of Clanwilliam. ...

dammed the waterfall so he could release a torrent while the two stood on the bridge below the falls. For reasons unknown, the king did not leave the banquet at Powerscourt House to view the waterfall, which was fortunate as, when the water was finally released, the bridge was washed away.

In popular culture

The waterfall appears in the medieval fantasy film ''

Excalibur Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...

'' (1981) and the television historical drama series ''

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

'' (2013–2020). Some of the waterfalls scenes for Willow (film) were shot at these falls, although

Burney Falls Burney Falls is a waterfall on Burney Creek, within McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, in Shasta County, California. The water comes from underground springs above and at the falls, which are 129 feet high, and provides an almost consta ...

in Norther California was also used for filming.Where Was Willow Filmed: All Locations
/ref>

Gallery

File:Nov12019 powerscourt (106) s.jpg, Waterfall in autumn File:521 Powerscourt Waterfall, County Wicklow.jpg, Waterfall and visitor picnic area File:Power's Court Waterfall (5).jpg, The waterfall in July 2008 File:View over PowerscourtWaterfall from Maulin Mtn Co Wicklow 6thApr 2012.JPG, From

on slopes of

File:Powerscourt Deerpark and Waterfall.jpg, Glensoulan Valley and

behind

References

{{reflist

External links

Official WebsitePowerscourt Waterfall
World Waterfall Database (2019)
SkyCam View of Powerscourt Waterfall

TheJournal.ie ''TheJournal.ie'' is an internet publication in Ireland. It was a mixture of original and aggregated content, before moving to entirely original content. The website was founded in early 2010. It was edited by Jennifer O'Connell in 2010–2011, ...

(2014) Waterfalls of the Republic of Ireland Tourist attractions in County Wicklow