Named after Arknell, a fearsome 9th century Viking warrior leader. Arklow has a long and interesting history especially with the sea. First established as a settlement 2000 years ago and set around the estuary of the river Avoca, Arklow is one of the ports identified on Ptolemy’s 2nd century map of Britannia.
Shipbuilding
Arklows highly skilled shipwrights turned out such legendary vessels as the national sail training vessel Asgard II, and Gypsy Moth III, the 40 foot yacht that Francis Chichester won the first solo transatlantic yacht race in 40 days 12 hours and 30 min in 1960.
Open all year round (excluding Christmas and New Years Day) the Arklow Maritime Musuem is a treasure trove of Arklow shipbuilding and maritime history.
An explosive part of Arklow History
Between the years 1895 – 1918 Arklow was home to Kynoch’s explosives factory. Kynoch’s were manufacturer of explosives to the British government, based in Birmingham.
They expanded to Arklow after looking at a number of sites, but the existing Arklow Chemical Works site at the mouth of the river Avoca proved to be the major decider in selecting Arklow. This site meant that the Kynoch’s factory in Arklow could be self sufficient in the manufacture of the newly discovered explosive “cordite”
You can take a walk around the site of Kynoch’s and find more information about the site on the Kynoch trail. You can find out more information and a the location of the start point here