Village a home to racing and arts

GRANGECON is a picturesque village with a population of about 200 people situated halfway between Baltinglass and Dunlavin in west Wicklow.

This quiet agricultural region has a lot of bloodstock activity including the breeding and training of racehorses. There are many stud farms and training yards throughout the locality.

The region is known for arts and crafts and there are a number of painters, sculptors, potters and ornamental ironworkers active in the locality.

Many of the local population travel to neighbouring towns to work and some commute to Dublin, which is about 50km away.

The village boasts two local pubs, one of which also serves as the local grocery store, as well as a small cafe and a post office. There is a small two-teacher national school but secondary education is provided in several schools in nearby towns.

The area is important archaeologically with many iron age sites in the surrounding countryside as well as early Christian and pre-Christian sites.

The village also boasts a very successful boxing club and GAA is also popular among local children.