Slíghe Chualann
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(; modern spelling ) was a road in
Early Christian Ireland Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * E ...
running south across ("the Ford of
Hurdle A hurdle (UK English, limited US English) is a moveable section of light fence. In the United States, terms such as "panel", "pipe panel" or simply "fence section" are used to describe moveable sections of fencing intended for agricultural us ...
s"; now
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
city) entering the territory of
Cualu Cualu or Cuala (genitive ) was a territory in Gaelic Ireland south of the River Liffey encompassing the Wicklow Mountains. History Edmund Hogan concludes from primary sources that it "seems to extend from Arklow to the Liffey, and to be coexten ...
or Cuala before going west 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. ...
. The ancient name for Dublin was ' Baile Atha Cliath', the '
Ath Ath (; nl, Aat, ; pcd, Ât; wa, Ate) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Arbre, Ath, Bouvignies, Ghislenghien, Gibecq, Houtaing, ...
' means "
ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
river crossing", while 'Cliath' means wattled, lattice framed, hurdle. It was one of the
five great roads of Ireland There have been routes and trackways in Ireland connecting settlements and facilitating trade since ancient times and the country now has an extensive network of public roads connecting all parts of the island. Early history The first routes in ...
; in legend these converged at Tara, inauguration site of the High King of Ireland, but in fact the Slíghe Chualann and three others met at Dublin. While George Petrie in 1839 suggested that Slíghe Chualann went from Tara to Dublin via an inland route through Ratoath, and then along the coast to
Bray, County Wicklow Bray ( ) is a coastal town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is situated about south of Dublin city centre on the east coast. It has a population of 32,600 making it the ninth largest urban area within Ireland (at the 2016 census). Bray is ...
, Petrie's hypothesis is no longer supported. Henry Morris in 1938 argues that the boggy terrain around Ratoath would not have suited chariots and cited sources for a coastal route through Swords, County Dublin as far as the Liffey. Morris goes on to trace the southern route inland, via references in Norman Irish sources to Road of Cualu" These show the Slíghe Chualann crossed back to the left bank of the Liffey near
Oldbawn Oldbawn (or Old Bawn, ) is a small suburban area now within Tallaght on Dublin's southside. Formerly a small village in its own right, it is situated between Sean Walsh Park and the River Dodder. A bawn is the defensive wall surrounding an Iri ...
and ran along the west side of the Wicklow Mountains to
Baltinglass Baltinglass, historically known as Baltinglas (), is a town in south-west County Wicklow, Ireland. It is located on the River Slaney near the border with County Carlow and County Kildare, on the N81 road. Etymology The town's Irish name, ''Be ...
and Old Leighlinbridge, then down the
River Barrow The Barrow ( ga, An Bhearú) is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest of the three rivers, and at 192 km (120 mi), the second-longest ri ...
by Old Ross towards
Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...
. The Wicklow Way, a long-distance trail through County Wicklow inaugurated in 1980, follows much of the same route and has the Irish name (). "Slí Cualann Athletics Club" is an umbrella
Athletics Ireland Athletics Ireland, officially the ''Athletic Association of Ireland'' or AAI, is the governing body for athletics in Ireland, with athletics defined as including track and field athletics, road running, race walking, cross country running, mount ...
club whose feeder clubs are in north and east Wicklow: Parnell AC ( Rathdrum),
Greystones Greystones () is a coastal town and seaside resort in County Wicklow, Ireland. It lies on Ireland's east coast, south of Bray and south of Dublin city centre and has a population of 18,140 (2016). The town is bordered by the Irish Sea to ...
& District AC, Bray Runners,
Roundwood Roundwood, historically known as Tóchar ( ga, an Tóchar , meaning 'the causeway'), is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. It was listed as having a population of 948 in the 2016 census. Geography Roundwood is located where the R755 roa ...
& District AC, St. Benedicts AC, Glendalough AC and Inbhear Dee AC (
Wicklow Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has a ...
town).


See also

*
History of roads in Ireland There have been routes and trackways in Ireland connecting settlements and facilitating trade since ancient times and the country now has an extensive network of public roads connecting all parts of the island. Early history The first routes in ...
*
History of Dublin to 795 Dublin is Ireland's oldest known settlement. It is also the largest and most populous urban centre in the country, a position it has held continuously since first rising to prominence in the 10th century (with the exception of a brief per ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slighe Chualann Ancient Ireland Historic trails and roads in Ireland