Overview
Arklow sits where the River Avoca meets the Irish Sea, at the southern end of County Wicklow. It is a town of 13,399 people (2022 census) that has always made its living from the water – fishing, oysters and shipbuilding – and now doubles as a commuter base for Dublin. The main street is split in two by the river and joined by the Nineteen Arches Bridge, the longest handmade stone bridge in Ireland.
Be clear about what Arklow is: a working port, not a postcard. The town itself is more industrial than scenic, and its pleasures are specific – the bridge, the shipbuilding story in the museum, and a long sandy beach – rather than a pretty centre to wander. If you have an hour, give it to the bridge and the museum; with an afternoon and children, add the South Beach or the Duckpond.
History
Vikings founded Arklow in the ninth century; its Irish name, Inbhear Mór, means ‘the large estuary’, while the English name comes from the Norse leader Arnkell. Tradition has it that Palladius, the first bishop sent to Ireland, landed here in 431. Over the centuries the town passed from the Anglo-Norman Theobald Walter to the Butler and Proby families, and grew into a serious fishing and shipbuilding centre. Arklow also had the first RNLI lifeboat station in Ireland, established in 1826.
The Battle of Arklow, on 9 June 1798, was one of the bloodiest days of that summer’s rebellion; a monument to the dead stands in front of St Mary’s and St Peter’s churches. In the 19th century the town’s oyster beds were famous across these islands, and the John Tyrrell shipyard turned out celebrated boats including Francis Chichester’s Gypsy Moth III and the sail-training ship Asgard II. The trade is not just history: Arklow Shipping still runs a working fleet from here, and the story is told in the Arklow Heritage Museum (formerly the Arklow Maritime Museum).
What to see and do
Nineteen Arches Bridge and the River Walk
The stone bridge, finished in 1759, carries the town across the Avoca to the northern district of Ferrybank. A plaque on the south side records its claim as Ireland’s longest handmade stone bridge. It is best at first light, when the river holds the colour of the houses along the quay. From the bridge, a paved riverside walk of about 3 km loops past carved woodland animals and resting benches – flat, pram-friendly and fine after rain.
Arklow Heritage Museum
Tucked into the Bridgewater Shopping Centre, the museum covers the town’s boat-building, lifeboat and fishing past. The pieces to look for are the original figurehead recovered from the sunken Asgard II, a builder’s model of the same ship, exhibits on the Kynoch explosives works and Arklow Pottery, and the story of that first 1826 lifeboat station. It is volunteer-run and generally open daily 10:00–17:00, but hours can vary, so check the website before a special trip. The centre takes school groups and can arrange private tours outside normal hours.
Visit the official museum website
The Duckpond
Arklow’s award-winning Duckpond area is the one to know if you’re travelling with children. Alongside the pond and its wildlife there is free parking, a playground, a sensory garden, a skate park, an outdoor gym, table football, basketball courts, crazy golf, a dog park and a seaside walkway – enough to fill a morning without spending a cent.
Beaches
The South Beach is the closest to town, a long sandy stretch with easy parking near the RNLI station; lifeguards are on duty through summer, and at low tide the sands open out for beachcombing. Just south, the Cove is a sheltered spot with calmer currents that local swimmers favour. Ten minutes further south, Clogga Beach is a tidal hideaway that changes shape with the water.
St Saviour’s Church
On Main Street, this 19th-century Gothic Revival church is a working parish church with stained glass, worth a look in if the door is open.
Arklow Golf Club
Founded in 1927, this traditional seaside links lies about 500 m south of the river. The clubhouse serves meals, and its bay window looks straight out over the links and the Irish Sea.
Coral Leisure Arklow
For a wet day, Coral Leisure has a 25 m pool, a children’s pool, a sauna, a gym with over 50 stations, squash and racquetball courts, a skate-park and a playground.
A musical footnote
Arklow turns up in song more than its size would suggest. Van Morrison’s ‘Streets of Arklow’ is on his 1974 album Veedon Fleece, and the Arklow Silver Band plays on U2’s ‘Red Hill Mining Town’. The week-long Arklow Music Festival has run as a competition since 1970.
Sailing and the harbour
Arklow Harbour is a small commercial and fishing port with an active sailing club that runs courses for beginners and experienced sailors. There are moorings on the inner quays, the tidal streams are moderate, and day-sails from May to September are reliable. For a view over the whole lot, Arklow Rock is a low hill southwest of the town that looks out across the harbour and coast.
Nearby
The scenery improves the moment you head inland or up the coast:
- Brittas Bay (about 20 km north) – a Blue Flag beach with surf schools and cafés.
- Vale of Avoca – where the Avonmore and Avonbeg rivers meet, the spot behind Thomas Moore’s poem ‘The Meeting of the Waters’.
- Croghan Mountain – a 606 m hill on the Wicklow–Wexford border, reached by a marked trail from Raheenleagh Wood.
- Avondale Forest Park – a short drive north, around Avondale House (home of Charles Stewart Parnell), with woodland walks, a lake and a visitor centre.
- Avoca Handweaving Mill – the historic mill and craft shop in Avoca village, an easy half-day.
Practical information
Getting there
- By train – Iarnród Éireann runs four to five daily services from Dublin Connolly to Arklow (about 1 h 40 min). The 1863 station sits on the Dublin–Rosslare line.
- By bus – Bus Éireann routes 2 and 2X link Arklow with Dublin and the south-east; Wexford Bus also serves the town, with a stop at M11 junction 20.
- By car – the M11/N11 bypasses the town between junctions 20 and 21; the 2015 upgrade gave a direct motorway run from Dublin down to Gorey.
Parking and access
- Free on-street parking is available on most side streets in the centre; the Bridgewater Shopping Centre has a paid car park.
- The Nineteen Arches Bridge is fully accessible to pedestrians and wheelchair users, with gentle ramps at both ends.
- Arklow Harbour has on-site moorings and a sailing club, open year-round.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair-friendly routes include the bridge, the Heritage Museum (ground-floor access) and Coral Leisure (ramps and lifts).
- Public toilets are at the leisure centre and the train station.
Accommodation
- Arklow Bay Hotel – a four-star seaside hotel with spa, pool and conference facilities.
- Bridge Hotel – a family-run hotel near the bridge, with free Wi-Fi and easy harbour access.
- Woodenbridge Lodge – a quieter option a few miles inland, with garden views and on-site dining.
Essential services
- Tourist office – the Arklow Community Tourist Office (Discover Ireland) has maps, event listings and local advice.
- Phone – the local tourist information line is +353 402 33400.
Seasonal notes
- Lifeguards patrol the South Beach from late May to early September.
- The Seabreeze Festival, a three-day event with live music and a fireworks finale, takes over the town in mid-July – accommodation fills fast, so book ahead if you’re coming for it.
For most visitors Arklow is a stop rather than a stay: park near the bridge, walk the museum and the quay, then push on to Brittas Bay or up the Vale of Avoca for the scenery the town itself doesn’t pretend to have.