Page updated 9/1/2021
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The Cottage, the Scalp, Co.Wicklow
The quaint thatched cottage or the Scalp Tearooms as it became in later years seen here on an early 20th century William Lawrence card. I had the good luck to have tea and scones there c.1971 and being a child being disgusted that it took the old lady running the place a good half an hour to produce the goods. Of course, it was all wonderful, freshly baked stuff but trying telling that to a starving 12-year old! The tearooms closed many years ago and it is now a private house.
The Eagle’s Nest Restaurant, Bray Head, Co.Wicklow
About halfway to the summit of Bray Head was the Eagle’s Nest Restaurant and Ballroom – opened in 1932 – and which could only be accessed by horse-drawn cart along a lengthy, stony track. In 1952 a new owner, Eamonn Quinn, took over the restaurant and constructed a chairlift to bring people from the lower reaches of Bray Head to the restaurant. The chairlift could transport as many as 300 people an hour in each direction and proved very popular with visitors and locals alike. Sadly the chairlift is long gone and the restaurant too but the building is still extant and traces of the chairlift may still be seen.
Silver Strand, Co.Wicklow
Even among those that head for the East coast beaches during the summer months, Silver Strand remains off the radar. With smuggler’s caves, and hidden bays it’s a place well worth seeking out – just a few miles south of Wicklow Head.
Above: Further south down the coast from Silver Strand is Brittas Bay and a long stretch of beautiful sandy beach, but few visitors ever came near the, then, unspoilt northern end. Back in the early 1970s I enjoyed many a family picnic in just the location of this photograph – shrimping in the shallow Potter’s River and even damming it when the water level was low. Today there’s a small holiday home development close by, and I’m sure that the place is no longer the tranquil spot that it was in my youth.
Irish Postcards 