Arklow ("the great estuary") is a town in County Wicklow on the east coast of Ireland, overlooked by Arklow Hill. Founded by the Vikings in the ninth century, Arklow was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the 1798 rebellion. Arklow's proximity to Dublin led to it becoming a thriving commuter town with a population of 14,080 at the 2011 census, making it the third largest town in the county.
Arklow is at the mouth of the River Avoca (formerly Avonmore), the longest river wholly within County Wicklow. The town is divided by the river, which is crossed by the Nineteen Arches Bridge, a stone arch bridge linking the southern or main part of the town with the northern part, called Ferrybank. The Nineteen Arches Bridge is the longest handmade stone bridge in Ireland and is considered a famous landmark. The plaque on the south end of the bridge is testimony to this.
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