Overview
Laragh is where most Glendalough trips actually begin: it has the free car park, the bus stop and the back-road walk into the valley that the monastic city itself doesn’t. The village sits at the junction of three mountain roads – the R115, R755 and R756 – where the Glenmacnass River drops down off the moor to meet the Avonmore. Sally Gap and the Glenmacnass Waterfall are to the north, Glendalough and the Wicklow Gap to the west, Glenmalure to the south. It’s small – a couple of hundred people, a few pubs, a woollen-mill shop – but it’s the natural base for walking this corner of County Wicklow.
History & Local Character
The name is An Láithreach – ‘the site, or ruins, of a building’. Laragh’s own past is more military than monastic. It was a centre of resistance in the 1798 rebellion and home to men who fought on with Michael Dwyer in the mountains afterwards; the British answer to that is still the road you drive in on, the Old Military Road (R115), cut through the hills in the early 1800s specifically to flush rebels out of them. Laragh Castle, at the edge of the village, isn’t a castle – it was built as barracks around 1800–1805 and is now a private house. The novelist Francis Stuart lived in it for a time. St Kevin founded the monastery down the valley at Glendalough in the 6th century, and it’s that, rather than the village, that brings the crowds.
What to See & Do
Glendalough Monastic Site
A short walk north along the River Avonmore brings you to the ruins of Glendalough. The site is dominated by a 30-metre round tower, a 12th-century cathedral, and St Kevin’s Church, all set between two glacial lakes. Interpretive panels around the grounds detail the daily life of early medieval monks, while the surrounding woodlands offer quiet benches for reading or sketching. The valley floor is fully accessible, and the upper lake area provides clear reflections of the stonework and surrounding peaks.
On the Wicklow Way
The Wicklow Way runs right through Laragh, and it’s where a lot of walkers join it – but it isn’t the start. Ireland’s first long-distance trail (opened 1980, 131 km) actually runs from Marlay Park on the edge of Dublin south to Clonegal in Carlow; Laragh is a waypoint, not a trailhead. What the village gives you is easy reach of the best day-walks on the route, the Spinc loop above Glendalough’s Upper Lake chief among them. Follow the waymark – a yellow arrow, not the red acorn some guides mention – and for the first stretch out of the village take the Green Road behind the Woollen Mills rather than the main road.
Glendalough Woollen Mills
The Woollen Mills sit at the edge of the village in a nineteenth-century mill building. The shop sells tweed, blankets and knitwear, and the car park beside it is the free one – open 8am to 8pm, next to the GAA grounds, and the handiest place to leave the car before walking into the valley. Whether the looms still run for visitors comes and goes, so go for the shop and the parking rather than a guaranteed mill tour.
Practical Information & Visitor Tips
Getting here without a car is genuinely doable. St Kevin’s Bus runs daily from Leeson Street in Dublin to Laragh and Glendalough (about €20 return), and Local Link services connect from Wicklow town and Rathdrum. Driving, come in on the R755 from Rathdrum and park free in the village car park (8am–8pm) beside the Woollen Mills rather than paying at Glendalough, where the Upper Lake car park is €5 and the Visitor Centre €4. The centre itself opens daily, roughly 9.30am to 6pm from mid-March to October; check ahead off-season.
One thing worth knowing: Laragh is a Sunday-morning gathering point for motorcyclists and road cyclists, who meet here before the run over The Gap (the R756) to Rathdrum – part of the buzz if you want it, worth avoiding if you don’t. Weather in the valley turns fast, so bring waterproofs and proper footwear year-round, and keep dogs on a lead near livestock. The Wicklow Walking Festival, each October, sets off from the village.
Nearby Attractions
- Avondale – A short drive north, Avondale Forest Park and House combine woodland trails with historic estate grounds. The nearby “Meeting of the Waters” is a notable natural feature where the Avonmore and Avonbeg rivers converge.
- Blessington – The town of Blessington and its twin lakes offer sailing, fishing, and a paved lakeside promenade, providing a relaxed alternative to mountain hiking.
Laragh works best when visited early in the day, before the midday crowds arrive at Glendalough. Arriving before 9 am guarantees parking at the Woollen Mills, clearer trail conditions on the Wicklow Way, and a quieter experience at the monastic ruins.