The Original Hollywood

visitors blessed to uncover the small, charming 
village of Hollywood, Co. Wicklow 
(Cillín Chaoímhín) are generally seen 
snapping photos of the Oifig An Phoist 
(Hollywood Post Office), and our Hollywood 
sign on the green fields of Dragoon Hill, 
surrounded by grazing sheep.

How funny, they must think; there’s a village 
in the hills of Ireland named after Tinseltown, 
but if only they knew the truth.

Hollywood, Co. Wicklow is the original 
Hollywood. We boasted the name almost a 
thousand years before our 
Californian counterparts.

In fact, local emigrant Matthew Guirke 
christened the Los Angeles suburb in honour 
of his native village. 
Matthew left home after the famine. 
He made it big in business over there 
and owned a race-track.

Amazingly, Matthew Guirke was the 
great-granduncle of Jim Guirke, 
Hollywood’s long-serving Post Master.

If only those clicking their cameras knew…