Wicklow was one of the last areas of Ireland to be shired. Its existence in its modern form dates only from the early seventeenth century. Traditionally its society and economy has been dominated by the two coastal towns of Wicklow and Arklow. From the late nineteenth century Bray in the north of the county became a watering place for Dubliners in the classic way of Victorian seaside resorts, and was indeed dubbed the Brighton of Ireland.