placenamesSunnybank
Leaca na Gréine
Sunnybank’s earlier name recalls a medieval battle on the north side of the Dargle.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Leaca na Gréine · Irish · main form · non-validated name
- Sunnybank · English · main form
Place & story
A battle remembered
The Medieval Bray Project identifies the Upper Dargle Road area, later called Sunnybank, with the Bloody Banks battlefield of 1402. Its account describes John Drake, mayor of Dublin, leading forces against O’Byrne clansmen and their O’Meagher allies. It treats their retreat onto the steep ground as a probable reconstruction rather than a precisely documented route. [2]
A disputed sporting proposal
Bray Urban District Council’s minutes record a different contest in 1947: a proposed greyhound track behind Sunnybank and Rockville House. The Garda superintendent raised concerns about parking and access from a narrow, busy road. Local clergy objected to gambling and the proximity to St Peter’s church and cemetery; the council recommended refusing permission. [3]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Wicklow
- Barony
- Rathdown
- Civil parish
- Oldconnaught
- Within
- Oldconnaught
- Coordinates
- 53.20678, -6.11794
- Logainm ID
- 113193 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Sunnybank. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- The Battle of Bloody Banks · Medieval Bray Project
- Bray UDC minute book 1946–1949, Part B, item 490: Proposed establishment of a Greyhound Racing Track · Bray Urban District Council; held by Wicklow County Archives
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2026-06-08. How this page was prepared.