Dublin, California has an Irish Sister City – Bray. Bray has a population of about 32,600 and is known in Ireland as the “Gateway to Wicklow”.

“Bray” means “hill, rising ground”. The location is dominated by Bray Head, which rises 790 ft above the sea, affording views of mountains and ocean.

It is the longest established seaside town in the country. It has a safe beach of sand and shingle to walk on, which is over 1 mile long.

Bray is the only example in the Republic of Ireland of a seaside resort town. By the middle of the 19th century, Bray, due to tourism development, was known as the Brighton of Ireland. The fisherman’s huts, with their nets and boats on the shore, were replaced with elegant houses and hotels for the prosperous Victorian visitors and the new residents to Bray.

Originally a one-street town, Bray is now a busy urban center serving south county Dublin and Wicklow. The town retains some of the reminders of the distant medieval past and much of its outstanding Georgian and Victorian architecture.

Bray makes an ideal place for walkers and strollers of all ages. There is the “Slí na Sláinte” (The Healthy Walk) which is 8.75 miles of signposted coastal and urban walks in and around the town. There is also the scenic cliff walk – 4 miles around the side of Bray Head to Greystones which offer fine views all the way up the Dublin coast.

Also available in the immediate vicinity are golf courses, tennis courts, fishing, sailing, horse riding, snooker, cinemas and night-clubs. There are also a number of large festivals that take place in Bray.

Other attractions in Bray include the Old Courthouse (1841), Victorian seafront and Bray harbour (1891), St. Paul’s Church (1609), Bray Town Hall, and Ardmore film studios.

For more information, visit the Bray Ireland website at http://www.bray.ie.