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NEWTOWNMOUNTKENNEDY

CO. WICKLOW · IE

Newtownmountkennedy
Baile an Chinnéidigh, Co. Wicklow

The Ireland's Ancient East
STOP 03 / 06

Baile an Chinnéidigh · Co. Wicklow

A 19-letter place name and a five-star golf resort two kilometres from a commuter village main street. Only one of those things is easy to explain.

Newtownmountkennedy is an honest place. It will not pretend to be a destination village with a market square and an artisan cheese shop. It is a commuter town on the N11 corridor, built largely on houses that went up quickly when Dublin expanded south in the 2000s, and its main street carries the evidence: a pub, another pub, a takeaway, a pharmacy. That is not a criticism. It is simply the shape of the place.

The name is the first thing to reckon with. Nineteen letters. Sir Robert Kennedy, a legal officer in the Court of the Exchequer, arrived in Upper Newcastle parish in the 1620s, bought land steadily through that decade and the 1630s, and was made a baronet in 1665. His estate became the Manor of Mount Kennedy. The settlement nearby already had 'Newtown' in its name - one of dozens of newtowns scattered across the island from the plantation era - and over time the two halves fused. The first record of 'Newtownmountkennedy' as a single word dates to the early 1670s. The last male Kennedy owner of the estate died in 1710, but the name stayed. Today people who live here call it NTMK.

Two kilometres from the main street, down a road off the N11, sits Druids Glen Golf Resort - five stars, 360 acres, two championship courses, a spa and an 18-metre pool, and Hugo's Restaurant. The original Druids Glen course opened in 1995 and immediately began hosting the Irish Open: Colin Montgomerie won in 1996 and again in 1997, David Carter in 1998, and in 1999 a nineteen-year-old Sergio Garcia took the title for what was his first win as a professional. The Druids Heath course opened in 2003. The resort sits in a different category to the village - a different price point, a different clientele, a different sense of what Wicklow is for. The two exist in parallel and rarely touch.

The village pubs carry the social weight that most Irish village pubs carry. The Mount Kennedy Inn on the main street is the gastropub of the group, under new management since late 2021 and cooking seasonal food - seafood chowder, Wicklow brie, weekend roasts. The Druids Well is the traditional option, with live music most Saturday and Sunday nights. The Parkview Hotel on the edge of town has Nanny Kelly's Bar if you want something in a hotel context. None of this adds up to a food destination, but it adds up to a functioning village with a place to eat and a place to drink, which is what most people living here need from it.

Population

3,539 (Census 2022)

Pubs

4and counting

Walk score

Flat village centre; Coillte woodland loop from the edge of town

Founded

Named for Sir Robert Kennedy, who made it his principal residence c.1665; 'Newtownmountkennedy' first recorded in the 1670s

Coords

53.0917° N, 6.1094° W

01 / 09

At a glance.

Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.

01 Druids Glen Golf Resort

Two championship courses, a five-star hotel, and four consecutive Irish Opens.

The main Druids Glen course opened in 1995 on 360 acres of Wicklow countryside a short distance off the N11. It hosted the Irish Open four times in a row - 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 - with Colin Montgomerie winning back-to-back in 96 and 97, and a nineteen-year-old Sergio Garcia taking 1999 as his first professional title. The Druids Heath course was added in 2003. The five-star hotel has 134 rooms, 11 suites, Hugo's Restaurant, and a spa with an 18-metre pool. The resort sits in its own world, largely separate from the village.

Where to sleep → 02 The place name

19 letters. Second-longest in Ireland.

Newtownmountkennedy has 19 letters, making it the second-longest place name in Ireland - behind only Muckanaghederdauhaulia in Galway, which runs to 22. The name compounds 'Newtown' (a new settlement, one of many planted across Ireland) with 'Mount Kennedy' - the estate of Sir Robert Kennedy, a legal officer in the Court of the Exchequer who bought up land in Upper Newcastle parish in the 1620s and 1630s, was created a baronet in 1665, and gave his title to the town. The Irish name, Baile an Chinnéidigh, means simply 'Kennedy's town'. Locals abbreviate it NTMK.

Stories → 03 The commute

Forty minutes to Dublin, off the N11 - that is what built this town.

Newtownmountkennedy is an N11 commuter village. The housing grew fast between 2000 and 2010 as Dublin workers moved south along the national primary road corridor, and the population has continued to climb - from 2,548 in 2006 to 3,539 by 2022. The village centre has a main street, some pubs, a petrol station, a GP. The golf resort is down the road, largely in its own orbit. Greystones is 10 minutes north, Wicklow town 15 minutes south. Both have more going on than the village itself.

Getting there →

02 / 09

The pubs.

None of these are themed Irish pubs, because they don't need to be. A few that earn the trip:

The Mount Kennedy Inn

Relaxed, food-forward, live music every second Saturday

Gastropub, Main Street

On the main street of the village. Under new management since the end of 2021. The kitchen runs a seasonal, locally sourced menu - seafood chowder, Wicklow brie, burgers, fish and chips, weekend roasts. Live music every second Saturday night. The most food-oriented of the village pubs. Books tables through OpenTable.

The Druids Well

Local, live music weekends, community events

Traditional pub, Newtownmountkennedy

A traditional pub with live music on Saturday and Sunday nights. Used for charity nights and local events. The village's live-music house, without the food emphasis of the Mount Kennedy Inn.

The Village Inn

Straightforward local - no frills, regular crowd

Local pub, Main Street

A third-generation family-run pub on Main Street. The no-ceremony option: a pint and a seat and not much else being asked of you.

Nanny Kelly's Bar

Modern, spacious, bar food daily, cocktails

Hotel bar, Parkview Hotel

The bar at the Parkview Hotel, a 60-room hotel on the edge of the village. Bright and spacious, serving bar food daily from noon, with daily specials and a cocktail menu. Synotts Bistro is the hotel's sit-down restaurant.

03 / 09

Where to eat.

Place	Type	€	Local note
The Mount Kennedy Inn	Gastropub, Main Street	€€	The main food option in the village itself. Seasonal menu updated regularly; locally sourced where possible. Seafood chowder, Wicklow brie, burgers, wings, fish and chips, roasts at weekends. Book ahead for Friday and Saturday evenings.
Hugo's Restaurant	Fine dining, Druids Glen Hotel and Golf Resort	€€€€	Two AA rosettes. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the woodland grounds of the resort. Local ingredients, seasonal menus, refined cooking. A different category entirely from the village pubs - set inside the five-star resort and priced accordingly. The Garden Rooms and Bar at the same resort holds 1 AA rosette and is the more informal option. Booking essential.
Synotts Bistro	Hotel restaurant, Parkview Hotel	€€	The restaurant at the Parkview Hotel. Breakfast, dinner, and kids meals. A solid option if you are staying at the hotel or want a sit-down meal without the resort price point of Druids Glen.

04 / 09

Where to sleep.

Place	Type	Local note
Druids Glen Hotel and Golf Resort	5-star hotel and resort, Newtownmountkennedy	134 deluxe rooms and 11 suites across 360 acres of Wicklow countryside. Spa with seven treatment rooms, 18-metre pool, jacuzzi, sauna, plunge pool, steam room. Two championship golf courses: Druids Glen (opened 1995) and Druids Heath (opened 2003). Hugo's Restaurant; Garden Rooms and Bar with 1 AA rosette. Named IGTOA Golf Resort of the Year 2023. Approximately 40 minutes from Dublin Airport. Accessed via N11 Exit 12.
Parkview Hotel	3-star hotel, Newtownmountkennedy	60 rooms in the village itself, with Nanny Kelly's Bar and Synotts Bistro on-site. Free parking, conference facilities, wedding venue. The more affordable base for the area - useful if you want to be in the village rather than inside a golf estate.

05 / 09

Stories & lore.

The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.

One baronet, one estate, and a name that stuck for 350 years

Sir Robert Kennedy and a 19-letter town

In the 1620s and 1630s, Robert Kennedy - a legal officer in the Court of the Exchequer - bought up land in Upper Newcastle parish, north Wicklow. By 1665 he had enough standing to be created a baronet, and his land became the Manor of Mount Kennedy. The settlement nearby was already a newtown - a common plantation-era place name - and in the early 1670s the two parts fused into a single word for the first time in the records. The last male Kennedy owner died in 1710, the family line ran out, but the compound name remained. Today it runs to 19 letters, making it the second-longest place name in Ireland. The longest - Muckanaghederdauhaulia, in County Galway - has 22.

Four consecutive championships, and Garcia's first professional win

Druids Glen and the years of the Irish Open

When the Druids Glen Golf Course opened in 1995, it was immediately considered one of the best new parkland layouts in Ireland. Within a year it was hosting the Irish Open. Colin Montgomerie won back-to-back in 1996 and 1997. David Carter took the 1998 edition. Then in 1999, a nineteen-year-old Sergio Garcia - already regarded as one of the most gifted young players in European golf - won what became his first professional title. He would go on to a Ryder Cup career of exceptional distinction, but this was where it started, on a parkland course in north Wicklow. The tour moved the Open elsewhere after 1999; the resort built Druids Heath in 2003 and the five-star hotel followed. The four championship years remain the sharpest entry in the course's history.

How a road reshaped a village

The N11 and the commuter tide

In 1840, a topographical survey recorded Newtownmountkennedy as a post-town of 825 inhabitants. A century and a half later it was still small. Then rising Dublin house prices and the N11 national primary road combined to transform it. The population reached 2,548 by 2006 and grew to 2,835 by 2016 - one of the highest growth rates in County Wicklow in that period - and reached 3,539 by the 2022 census. The village did not grow because of its own economy. It grew because Dublin is 40 minutes up the road and the houses were cheaper here.

06 / 09

Things to do outside.

Wear waterproofs. Bring a sandwich. Tell someone where you're going if it's the mountain.

Coillte and Newtownmountkennedy Circular A gentle loop through Coillte-managed woodland following the Altidore River. The forest has over 17 tree species. Trail starts from the edge of the village. Flat to gently undulating, suitable for most fitness levels.

Approximately 5 km loopdistance

1.5 hourstime

Callow Hill and Keeloge Upper Circular A short loop on the slopes of Callow Hill, combining forestry tracks and open hillside. Views across north Wicklow on a clear day. The most elevated option accessible from the village without driving to a trailhead further into the mountains.

3.9 kmdistance

1 to 1.5 hourstime

07 / 09

When to go.

There is no bad time. There are different times.

Spring

Mar-May

The Druids Glen course is at its best before summer. Golf packages are available and not yet at peak pricing. The woodland walks are good in April and May.

◉ Go

Summer

Jun-Aug

The resort is at full capacity with golf and spa breaks; book well ahead. The village itself is not a summer destination - no beach, no festival. If you are here for golf, summer works but costs more.

◐ Mind yourself

Autumn

Sep-Oct

October is a good month for the resort - golf pricing eases, the Wicklow woodland turns, and the spa is a reasonable proposition after a walk. The village pubs are quieter.

◉ Go

Winter

Nov-Feb

The resort stays open year-round and runs winter packages at better rates. The village has limited entertainment in January. If you want a golf and spa break with competitive pricing, winter works. If you want a destination with atmosphere, look elsewhere.

◐ Mind yourself

08 / 09

What to skip.

Honestly? Don't bother.

If a local was sitting beside you, this is the bit where they'd lean in.

Expecting a village with its own food scene

The Mount Kennedy Inn does solid gastropub work and is worth a meal. Beyond that, the village does not have the depth of restaurants you find in Greystones (10 minutes north) or Ashford (10 minutes south). Hugo's at the resort is in a different category, but at a resort price.

Arriving at Druids Glen without a booking

The resort operates as a members and guests operation. Tee times on the championship courses require advance booking and are not cheap. The hotel, spa, and restaurants all benefit from booking ahead. Turning up on a summer weekend to see what is available tends not to work at a five-star resort.

Using the village as a base for Glendalough

Glendalough is 35 minutes west by road, which is manageable, but Laragh - the village at the Glendalough gate - has accommodation closer to the site. If the goal is the monastic valley and the mountain walks, base yourself there. Newtownmountkennedy makes more sense as a golf resort base.

Getting there.

By car

Dublin city centre to Newtownmountkennedy is approximately 40 km via the N11/M11 south. Take Exit 12 off the N11 for the village or for Druids Glen resort. Journey time 40 to 50 minutes depending on traffic. Free parking at the Parkview Hotel and at the resort.

By bus

Bus Eireann route 133 connects Newtownmountkennedy with Dublin city and Wicklow town along the N11 corridor. Journey to Dublin city centre is approximately 55 to 70 minutes depending on stops and traffic. Route 131 provides a Wicklow-Bray connection.