The Protestant population of the village attended church in the grounds of the Powerscourt Demesne until 1859. Mervyn Wingfield, 7th Viscount Powerscourt built a new church, Saint Patrick's, in the village which was completed two years later, in 1861. This coincided with an extensive renovation programme that also established the Italian gardens at Powerscourt. The Viscount Powerscourt claimed the old church following the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland by the Irish Church Act 1869. The consequences were that only those with a right to be buried next to the old church within the Demesne could claim these rights thereafter. Powerscourt Estate, comprising a large house and gardens today occupying, is located near the town and is a popular visitor attraction. The extensive formal gardens form the grounds of an 18th-century Palladian house, designed by Richard Cassels, which was destroyed by fire in 1974, and lay as a shell until extensive restorations were carried out in 1996. Powerscourt Waterfall in the grounds of the estate, at 121 metres, is the highest waterfall in Ireland.
Culture
Film
In 1944, Enniskerry was the setting for some scenes of Laurence Olivier's film adaptation of Henry V. The local community provided a number of the extras in the film. Johnny Nobody was partly filmed in Enniskerry. It starred Nigel Patrick, with support from Cyril Cusack, Noel Purcell and a number of other well-known Irish actors of the time. Scenes from a number of other films, including Into the West and Leap Year were also shot locally, and the Powerscourt Estate was used as a location for The Count of Monte Cristo.
Television
The village has been the set for numerous television advertisements. From 1996 to 2001, along with Avoca, County Wicklow, it played host to the television series Ballykissangel. On 16 March 2009, Meredith Vieira and Al Roker broadcast live in Enniskerry for NBC's Today Show.
Transport
The Bray and Enniskerry Railway was proposed in the 19th century, to link the town to Bray. Some initial work was carried out, including building a bridge to carry the railway over Dublin Corporation's Vartry watermain. Wicklow County Council recently removed much of the railway embankment in road widening, but left the bridge, which is directly opposite the ornate bridge carrying the watermain over the Cookstown River, a tributary of the River Dargle. The plan ran into financial difficulties, and the rails were lifted and sold off.
Sports
There are two soccer clubs located in the village; Enniskerry Football Club and Enniskerry Youth Club. Enniskerry Football Club was founded in the early 1970s as Enniskerry Schoolboys Football Club. The club, which now fields teams of boys and girls, is based in the Bog Meadow. Enniskerry FC participates in the Metropolitan Girls League with all-girls teams, the Wicklow Schoolboys/Girls Soccer League for their all-boys teams and the Athletic Union League for the men's team. Enniskerry Youth Club have several teams playing at adult and youth level. There is also a Gaelic football club in the village, as well as a boxing club.
Religion
Strong ecumenical links have been forged over the years between the Roman Catholic parish of St Mary and the Church of Ireland parish of St Patrick, Powerscourt, both in the village of Enniskerry, and St Brigid's Church of Ireland in nearby Kilbride.
