Bray Bré
—  Town  —
The town as seen from Bray Head The town as seen from Bray Head
Coat of arms
Motto: Féile agus Fáilte  (Irish) "Hospitality and Welcome"
Bray Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°12′04″N 6°06′41″W / 53.20102°N 6.11136°W / 53.20102; -6.11136Coordinates: 53°12′04″N 6°06′41″W / 53.20102°N 6.11136°W / 53.20102; -6.11136
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	County Wicklow
Dáil Éireann	Wicklow
EU Parliament	East
Elevation	18 m (59 ft)
Population (2006)
• Urban	27,041
• Rural	4,860
Time zone	WET (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference	O264185
Website	www.braytowncouncil.ie

Bray (Irish: Bré, formerly Brí Chualann) is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside resort, with a population of 31,901 making it the fourth largest in Ireland (excluding the five cities) as of the 2006 census.^[1] It is situated about 20 km (12 mi) south of Dublin on the east coast.

The town is the location of some industry, is home for many who commute to Dublin by car or rail, is a shopping town for the surrounding area and still attracts tourists particularly from Dublin at weekends. The town straddles the Dublin-Wicklow border, with a portion of the northern suburbs situated in County Dublin. Bray is home to Ireland's only dedicated film studios, Ardmore Studios where films such as Excalibur, Braveheart, and Breakfast on Pluto have been shot.

History[link]

In medieval times, Bray was on the border of the coastal district, governed directly by the English crown from Dublin Castle, known as the Pale. Inland, the countryside was under the control of Gaelic Chieftains, such as the O'Toole and O'Byrne clans. Bray features on the 1598 map "A Modern Depiction of Ireland, One of the British Isles" by Abraham Ortelius as "Brey". (It is worth noting the "O Byrne" name appearing prominently on the map). In August or September 1649 Oliver Cromwell is believed to have stayed in Bray on his way to Wexford from Dublin^{[citation needed]}. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Bray was still a small fishing village, but during the latter part of the 18th century, the Dublin middle classes began to move to Bray to escape city life, while still being relatively close to the city. The Dublin and Kingstown Railway, the first in Ireland, opened in 1834 and was extended as far as Bray in 1854. With the railway, the town grew to become the largest Irish seaside resort. The outbreak of World War II put the industry 'on hold' for its duration. However, during the 1950s tourists from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland returned to Bray in great numbers to escape the austerity of post-war rationing. The town's career as a resort declined fromt the 1960s onwards when foreign travel became an option for large numbers of people. However, the town is still popular with visitors who come to enjoy the seafront with its bars and restaurants,the mile long beach and the scenic walks on Bray head.

During the mid-nineteenth century (five years after the building of the railway) Turkish baths were also built in Bray, these were built in an extravagant Moorish style at a cost of £10,000 and met an end after a turbulent century of business when the demolition squad arrived in 1980.^[2]

Geography[link]

The River Dargle enters the sea here, from a source near Kippure, in the Wicklow Mountains. Bray Head is the situated at the southern end of the promenade and a well-worn track leads to the summit. The rocks of Bray Head are a mixture of greywackes and quartzite. The coastal railway line continues south from Bray along the seaward slopes of Bray Head. At the summit of Bray Head is a large concrete cross, visible from the famous Victorian promenade, which is regularly walked by locals and visitors.

The town is situated on the coast; Shankill, County Dublin lies to the north, and Greystones, County Wicklow to the south. The picturesque village of Enniskerry lies to the west of the town, at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains.

Local government[link]

Bray is governed by a town council, but before the Local Government Act 2001 it was an urban district. Part of the northern Bray area lies within the county of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, despite its seamless integration with the rest of the town. The border between County Wicklow and County Dublin lies along Old Conna / Corke Abbey, thereby making all areas north of that point Bray, County Dublin.

Bray is one of the few town councils to have twelve members in recognition of its size. Like Dundalk, Sligo and Drogheda, Bray also uses a ward system.

The area around the Southern Cross Road to the south of Bray is not included in the area governed by Bray Town Council, but by Wicklow County Council. The town itself is part of the Bray Local Electoral Area for elections to Wicklow County Council which elects 7 councillors.

Transport[link]

Bray Daly Railway Station.

A substantial public transport network, both north into Dublin and south into County Wicklow and County Wexford, serves the town. Bray is on the DART Rail Network which stretches north to Malahide and Howth and south to Greystones. The town is also on the mainline Iarnród Éireann Rail Network which connects north to Connolly Station in Dublin city centre and further to Drogheda and Dundalk. To the south, the rail line goes through Arklow, Gorey and Rosslare Europort. Bray's train station is named after Edward Daly, an executed leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. Bray Daly Station was opened on 10 July 1854.^[3]

Four bus companies pass through Bray; Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, Finnegan's Bray and St. Kevin's Bus Service to Glendalough. Dublin Bus is by far the biggest operator with frequent services to and from Dublin City centre and many services within the greater Bray area. Dublin Bus also provides services to Dún Laoghaire, Enniskerry, Greystones, Kilmacanogue, Kilcoole and Newtownmountkennedy. Finnegan's Bray also offer a nightlink service from Dublin City Centre at 1am and 3am, 3 nights a week and bank holidays. .^[4]

The Aircoach service which provides transport to and from Dublin airport also operates two stops from The Ramada Hotel and Castle street beside the Superquinn shopping centre. Aircoach buses operate as frequent as half hourly from this stop at peak times and hourly outside peak and take about an hour to reach the airport depending upon conditions.

There are plans to extend the Luas light rail system to Fassaroe, an area of development on the town's western periphery. However, the exact connection between the Luas and the town centre railway station has yet to be decided. Until 1958, the old Harcourt Street railway line ran from Harcourt Street in Dublin to Bray, along much of the route of the new Luas.

Bray lies along the M11 motorway corridor; an interchange at its northern side links with the M50 Dublin bypass.

Tourism[link]

Bray is a long-established holiday resort with numerous hotels and guesthouses, shops, restaurants and evening entertainment. The town also plays host to a number of high-profile festival events.

Available in the vicinity are fifteen 18-hole golf courses, tennis, fishing, sailing and horse riding. Other features of Bray are the amusement arcades and games centre. Bray is known as the Gateway to Wicklow and is the longest established seaside town in the country. It has a safe beach of sand and shingle to walk on, which is over 1.6 km (0.99 mi) long, fronted by a spacious esplanade. Bray Head, which rises steeply (241 m (791 ft) above the sea, dominates the scene, affording views of mountains and sea. The concrete cross at the top of the head was erected in 1950 for the holy year. The name of the town means hill or rising ground, possibly referring to the gradual incline of the town from the Dargle bridge to Vevay Hill.

Bray is a popular base for walkers, ramblers and strollers. It is notable for its mile-long promenade which stretches from the harbour, with its colony of Mute Swans, to Bray Head at the southern end of the promenade – from where a well worn track leads to the summit. Also very popular with walkers is the 7 km (4.3 mi) Cliff Walk along Bray Head out to Greystones.

The annual Bray Summerfest is an established tourist event, taking place over six weeks in July and August. The Summerfest features over 100 free entertainment events, including live music, markets, sporting entertainment, carnivals, and family fun. Performers who have headlined include Mundy, Brian Kennedy, The Undertones, The Hothouse Flowers, and Mary Black. In 2006, over 60,000 visitors attended the main festival weekend in mid-July.

Bray also hosts one of the largest carnival and festival events to celebrate the annual St Patrick's holiday. The Bray St Patrick's Carnival & Parade is presented by Bray & District Chamber and is a five-day festival of carnival fun, parades, and live entertainment.

Bray hosts an annual international Bray Jazz Festival jazz festival on the May bank holiday weekend each year. Described by The Irish Times as 'the connoisseur's jazz festival', Bray Jazz Festival has established itself as one of the main events taking place each year on the Irish jazz calendar. Established in 2000, the festival includes performances by leading-name jazz and world music artists from Ireland and abroad.

In 2009 the event was described by All About Jazz as "one of the very best small jazz festivals in Europe".

2011 performers will include BBC jazz singer of the year Christine Tobin, three times Grammy Award nominated Brazilian player Hamilton de Holanda, and American jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel.

It also hosts a yearly silent film festival, The Killruddery Film Festival in Killruddery Gardens, this runs from 13 April to the 15 April 2012. It shows such films as La Roue and Camille.^[5]

In January 2010, Bray was named the "Cleanest town in Ireland" in the 2009 Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey of 60 towns and cities.^[6]

The Lonely Planet Guide ranked The Harbour Bar in Bray the Best Bar in the World and the Best Off the Beaten Track Bar in the world. The O'Toole family have owned the bar for three generations.^[7]

There are many pubs and restaurants in Bray (for example, The Martello^[8] or The Porterhouse, who are specialists at brewing their own ales, stouts and beers^[9]) and restaurants such as the Italian Campo de Fiori^[10] and Shelbys Brasserie.^[11]

Custer's Last Stand-up was filmed in Bray^[12] and the town is currently being used to film Neil Jordan's latest film Byzantium.part of which was shot in the Bray Head Inn. ^[13]

The Bray Head Inn ,, the hotel of choice for the victorians ,cica 1860 , a coach and horses would leave the Shelbourne Hotel at 12 noon and arrive 1.30pm , the hotel has been used for a variety of movies over the last 25 years ,

Education[link]

Primary Schools

• St. Kieran's N S for Travelling Children
• St. Fergal's Junior and Senior School
• St. Peter's NS
• St. Philomena's NS^[14]
• Saint Cronan's Boys' National School ^[15]
• St. Andrew's NS^[14]
• Gaelscoil Uí Cheadaigh^[14]
• Scoil Chualann^[14]
• Bray School Project NS^[14]
• St. Patrick's NS^[14]

Secondary Schools

• St Kilians CS^[16]
• Coláiste Ráithín^[17]
• St Thomas CS^[18]
• St Brendans^[19]
• Presentation Brothers^[20]
• Loreto^[21]

People[link]

Swans where the Dargle flows into the harbour.

From Bray:

• Eva Birthistle, actress
• Reggie Corrigan, former Ireland and Leinster Rugby Captain
• Seamus Costello, Irish Republican
• Fergal Devitt, professional wrestler
• Eddie Jordan, founder of Jordan Formula One racing team.
• Ed Joyce, Middlesex and England cricket star grew up in Bray and began his cricket career on the pitches at Aravon school.
• Tristan MacManus, professional ballroom dancer, and cast member of Dancing With The Stars
• Paul McNaughton, Ireland rugby team manager
• Dara Ó Briain, comedian
• Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, former Attorney General, Chief Justice, and President of Ireland (1974–1976)
• Joshua Pim, tennis player.
• Darren Randolph, professional soccer player
• Fionn Regan, Mercury Prize-nominated folk singer
• Katie Taylor, champion boxer
• David Wheatley, poet and critic
• Laura Whitmore, MTV presenter

Lived in Bray:

• Isaac Weld, famous explorer and author lived in Ravenswell, Bray from 1813 to 1856.
• Chief Justice of Ireland, Thomas Langlois Lefroy, spent the last three years of his life (from 1866 to 1869) in Newcourt, Bray.^[22]
• James Joyce lived in One Martello Terrace, Bray (a house that is now the home of Labour Party TD, Liz McManus) for part of his childhood, from 1887 to 1891. The house next door, Two Martello Terrace, also had its share of well-known residents, including singer Mary Coughlan, composer Roger Doyle and film director and author Neil Jordan and his then partner Beverly D'Angelo.
• Charles Barrington was the first man to reach the summit of the Eiger in 1853.^[23][24]

• During the 1980s U2 star Bono owned the Martello Tower after which the terrace is named.^[25]
• The late comedy star Dave Allen lived in the town for a time, as did the RTÉ News journalist Charlie Bird.
• Oscar Wilde, Victorian poet, playwright and author, owned property on the Esplanade Terrace and is thought to have lived there for a time.
• Other well-known residents of the town include singer Sinéad O'Connor, wildlife filmmaker Éamon de Buitléar,^[26] broadcaster Brian Farrell, music writer and singer Phil Coulter, musical star Colm Wilkinson and novelist Anne Enright (winner of the 2007 Booker prize).

International relations[link]

Bray has town twinning agreements with:

• Bègles, France.
• Würzburg, Germany.
• Dublin, California.

See also[link]

• List of towns and villages in Ireland
• Market Houses in Ireland
• History of rail transport in Ireland
• Christ Church, Bray
• The Vicar of Bray
• Bray Jazz Festival

Gallery[link]

• 

  Bray from Bray Head

• Braydart.JPG

  Bray Daly Station

• Stpatricksdatbray.JPG

  St. Patrick's Day 2008

• 

  Bray Head Summit

• Parking lot at Presentation College, Bray, Ireland.jpg

  Pres Bray

• 

  Bray from Bray Head

• 

  St Cronan's BNS

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bray

• Bray Town Council
• Bray Tourism
• Bray at Wicklow County Tourism
• Bray People newspaper
• Bray Jazz Festival
• Bray Summerfest
• Bray in Lewis Topographical Dictionary of Ireland 1837
• Current weather and forecasts for Bray
• Bray Cancer Support Centre

v t e Places in County Wicklow County town: Wicklow Towns Arklow Bray Greystones Wicklow Unincorporated Towns Aughrim Avoca Baltinglass Blessington Carnew Dunlavin Enniskerry Newtownmountkennedy Rathdrum Rathnew Tinahely Villages Aghavannagh Annamoe Ashford Ballinaclash Charlesland Coolafancy Coolboy Delgany Donard Glendalough Glenealy Grangecon Greenan Hollywood Kilcoole Killincarrig Kilmacanogue Kilpedder Kilquade Kiltegan Knockananna Lacken Laragh Newcastle Rathdangan Redcross Roundwood Shillelagh Stratford-on-Slaney Valleymount Woodenbridge Townlands Ballinakil Ballyronan Butterhill Hempstown List of townlands in County Wicklow Category:Mountains and hills of County Wicklow Category:Rivers of County Wicklow Category:Geography of County Wicklow

Katie Taylor
Statistics
Rated at	60 kg
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Nationality	Irish
Born	(1986-06-02) June 2, 1986 (age 26) Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland
Stance	Orthodox
Medal record Medal record Competitor for  Ireland Women’s Boxing World Amateur Championships Gold 2006 New Dehli 60 kg Gold 2008 Ningbo 60 kg Gold 2010 Barbados 60 kg Gold 2012 Qinhuangdao 60 kg European Amateur Championships Gold 2005 Tønsberg 60 kg Gold 2006 Warsaw 60 kg Gold 2007 Vejle 60 kg Gold 2009 Mykolaiv 60 kg Gold 2011 Rotterdam 60 kg European Union Amateur Championships Gold 2008 Liverpool 60 kg Gold 2009 Pazardzhik 60 kg Gold 2010 Keszthely 60 kg Gold 2011 Katowice 60 kg

Katie Taylor (born 2 June 1986) is an Irish boxer and footballer. She studied at St. Kilian's Community School Bray from 1999-2005. Katie's 2 older brothers Peter and Lee and older sister Sarah also went to St. Kilians. She is the current Irish, European, and world women's boxing champion. She had also represented the Republic of Ireland in association football.

Career[link]

Boxing[link]

Katie Taylor started boxing (coached by her father Peter, himself a successful amateur boxer) in 1998, aged 12. Her first noteworthy success was at the 2005 European Amateur Championships, in Tønsberg, Norway. She won the gold medal, defeating Eva Wahlström of Finland in the final of the 60 kg lightweight class. Later that year, at the World Amateur Championships in Podolsk, Russia, Taylor advanced to the quarter-finals in the 60 kg weight class.

At the 2006 European Amateur Championships in Warsaw, Poland, Taylor won her second successive gold medal by stopping reigning world champion Tatiana Chalaya of Russia, also collecting the tournament's Best Boxer award. At that year's World Amateur Championships, contested in New Delhi, India, Taylor became Ireland's first World Champion, defeating Chalaya again in the semi-final and then Annabella Farias of Argentina in the 60 kg final.

In 2007 she won her third successive European Championship title in Denmark.^[1] In August 2008, she claimed her second consecutive Witch Cup gold medal in Hungary, following an inside-the-distance win in the 60 kg final against Wahlström.

Katie went on to claim her second World title at the 2008 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship, contested in November at Ningbo, China. In the 60 kg weight class, she defeated China's Cheng Dong in the final match which was her 100th bout.^[2]

On March 21, 2009 at the The O2 (Dublin), Ireland, Katie won a 27-3 win over thee time Pan American champion Caroline Barry of the United States on the undercard of a pro WBA super bantamweight world title fight between Bernard Dunne of Ireland and Ricardo Cordoba of Panama. Speaking after the fight, Taylor, who had stopped Barry in the final of the 2006 World Championships in New Delhi, said she was stunned by the welcome she received from Irish boxing fans. She said: "I couldn't believe the reception I got - it was an amazing experience for me. I knew it was going to be a tough fight and well done to her for never backing off."

Taylor won gold at the Russian Multi-Nations event at the Sports Palace in St Petersburg in July 2009 chalking up her 39th consecutive victory – and her 60th win in her last 61 bouts.^[3] She also went on to win her fourth successive European Championship title in September 2009 in Ukraine without conceding a point [2]. She picked up another gold medal at the 2010 European Union Championships in Hungary.

On 18 September 2010, Taylor went on to claim her third successive World title at the 2010 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship, in Barbados. In the 60 kg weight class, she again defeated China's Cheng Dong in the final match.^[4] This was Taylor's 100th career win.

Taylor won her second International Boxing Association (AIBA) World female boxer of the year award at a ceremony in Almaty, Kazakhstan in November 2010 [3].

She won Gold Medal at the EU Women Boxing Championships in Katowice, Poland in 2011. [4][5]

On 19 May 2012, Taylor won her fourth successive World title at the 2012 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship, in Qinhuangdao China. In the 60 kg weight class, she defeated Russian southpaw Sofya Ochigava [6].

Football[link]

As well as boxing, Taylor plays with the Ireland Women's senior football team. She scored in the opening UEFA 2009 qualifying round win over Hungary on 1 April 2007. She scored again and got sent off in a 4-1 loss in Italy on the 16th of February 2008.^[5] She came on as sub for Ireland days after coming back from Ukraine.^[6] Previously, she had played with the national teams at the U-17 and U-19 levels.

Katie also played Gaelic football with her local GAA club, Fergal Óg, Bray, and on a few brief occasions with Bray Emmets Under 14.

As for her preferred sport, "I love playing for Ireland, and I love soccer, but when it comes down to it I would choose boxing as my number one sport as I'd miss it too much if I wasn't involved."

Honours[link]

Advertising[link]

Taylor appeared in a Lucozade Sport advertisement in 2011 alongside English rapper Tinie Tempah and American musician Travis Barker. Her advertising of Lucozade was branded "disgusting" by the chairman of the Irish Heart Foundation Nutrition Council due to concerns that it sent the wrong message on childhood obesity.^[7][8]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site

Tyler Bray

Bray during an interview in 2011
Tennessee Volunteers — No. 8
Quarterback	Junior
Major: Sociology
Date of birth: (1991-12-27) December 27, 1991 (age 20)
Place of birth: Clovis, California
Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	Weight: 213 lb (97 kg)
Career history
High school: Kingsburg High School, Kingsburg, California
College(s): University of Tennessee (2010–present)
Bowl games
2010 Music City Bowl
Stats at ESPN.com

Tyler Ian Bray (born December 27, 1991) is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Volunteers. He is considered one of the best quarterbacks of his class.^[1] Bray will be a junior during the 2012 season and he is majoring in sociology.

Early years[link]

Bray attended Kingsburg High School in Kingsburg, California. As a senior he led his team to a perfect 13-0 season while throwing for 3,321 yards with 41 touchdowns. While being recruited he was considered the seventh best pro-style quarterback recruit by Rivals.com,^[2] and 26th best by Scout.com.^[3] Bray chose to accept Tennessee's offer after he had already verbally committed to San Diego State. He also chose Tennessee over Fresno State, and Louisville.^[4][5]

College career[link]

Freshman[link]

As a freshman in 2010, Bray played in the UT Martin, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina games, throwing 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions and 303 yards. Bray started his first career game on November 6 against the Memphis Tigers, replacing Matt Simms. In his first starting game Bray threw for 325 yards and five touchdowns in the 50-14 win over the Memphis Tigers ending the Vols four game losing streak. In fact, Bray set a school record for most passing yards in the first half going 19-33 with 308 yards through the air and 5 touchdowns.^[6] The Vols won 50-14. The next week against Ole Miss football Bray finished 18-34 for 323 yards and 5 Touchdowns as the Vols destroyed the Rebels 52-14. The next week against Vanderbilt Bray went 16-27 for 2 Touchdowns and 2 interceptions as they beat the Commodores 24-10. During the final home game against Kentucky Bray went 20-38 for 354 yards and had 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, the Vols won 24-14. Bray led the Vols to a 4-0 record in November, making them bowl eligible at 6-6. Tennessee was selected to play in the Music City Bowl in Nashville against the North Carolina Tar Heels. Tennessee lost 30-27 in 2 overtimes. Bray finished the day 27-45 for 312 yards with 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He threw for 1,537 yards (a new school record for freshmen), 17 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions as a starter.

Sophomore[link]

Tyler Bray began the 2011 season with a 2-0 starts with wins over Montana and Cincinnati. Bray completed 17-24 passes while throwing for 293 yards and 3 touchdowns during the opener against Montana as the Vols won 42-16. The next week against Cincinnati Bray improved upon this by completing 34-41 passes for 405 yards and 4 touchdowns as the Vols won 45-23, breaking Peyton Manning's record by throwing at least two touchdown passes in 8 consecutive games. Bray also had the highest the completion percentage ever recorded in a game by a Tennessee QB of 82.9%. Breaking Manning's record of 77.5% set as a senior against Georgia in 1997. Things were looking up on Rocky Top for the first time in several years but then everything turned around. For the third game of the season Tyler and the Volunteers were faced with the daunting task of facing the Florida Gators, a team Tennessee had not beat in six years. On Tennessee's opening drive sophomore receiver Justin Hunter went down with a torn ACL. The attitude of the team was noticeably different due to the absence of Hunter and the Vols ended up losing to Florida 31-21 in the Swamp. Bray finished the day 26-48 for 288 yards and 3 touchdowns with 2 interceptions. The next week Bray and co took on Buffalo and cruised to an easy victory, 41-10, as Bray threw for 342 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Georgia Bulldogs came to Neyland Stadium the next week and despite the season ending injury of Justin Hunter, Tennessee fans were still extremely confident in a win. Bray broke his thumb late in the game and would end up not returning until the week of the Vanderbilt game. The Vols lost 20-12 as Bray threw for 251 yards with 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, with Matt Simms assuming the starting role late in the game. Because of his injury Bray would not play in the next 5 games (against LSU, 2011, South Carolina, Middle Tennessee, and Arkansas). The Vols would go 1-4 during this run as senior quarterback Matt Simms and freshman quarterback Justin Worley failed to deliver. Tyler Bray came back during the Vanderbilt week and led the Vols to an upset win (which is abnormal considering Vanderbilt is Tennessee's little brother and the doormat of the Southeastern Conference) against the Commodores. Bray finished the day 16-33 for 189 yards and 2 touchdowns with 2 interceptions. The Vols won 27-21 in OT and it appeared that Tennessee was going to make it to a bowl game and finish the regular season 6-6. However despite the simple task of beating Kentucky for the 27th straight time, Tennessee managed to lose to the Wildcats in Lexington. Ending the season 5-7.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tennessee Volunteers bio
• Tyler Bray Freshman Season Feature on YouTube

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. No cleanup reason has been specified. Please help improve this article if you can; the talk page may contain suggestions. (June 2011)

Libba Bray
Libba Bray.
Born	Martha E. Bray (1964-03-11) March 11, 1964 (age 48) Alabama, USA

Libba Bray (born Martha E. Bray on March 11, 1964 in Alabama) is an author of young adult novels, including the books A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing and Going Bovine.

She lived in Texas until she was 26 years old. After that she moved to New York City, New York, where she now lives with her husband and nine-year-old son. Her father was a preacher and her mother, a teacher. In her autobiography on her official site she states:

Biography[link]

At the age of eighteen, Bray was involved in a serious car accident and had to undergo thirteen surgeries in six years to reconstruct her face. She has an artificial left eye because of this accident.^[1]

Bray graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1988 as a Theatre major. As a budding playwright, she felt it important to be in New York. When her childhood best friend, already living in Manhattan, called saying she was looking for a roommate, Bray was soon on her way to New York. Her first job was in the publicity department of Penguin Putnam, followed by three years at Spier, an advertising agency specializing in book advertising.

Bray was encouraged to write a young adult novel by her husband, Barry Goldblatt, a children's book agent and Ginee Seo, an editor at Simon & Schuster. Before this, using a pseudonym, she had written three books for 17th Street Press (a publisher of romances).

Her first novel, A Great and Terrible Beauty became a New York Times bestseller. In November 2006, a video promoting the book was a part of The Book Standard's Teen Book Video Awards.^[2] She wrote two more books to finish the trilogy she had started with A Great and Terrible Beauty: Rebel Angels and The Sweet Far Thing.

Libba is friends with many young adult authors including Maureen Johnson. Bray is also good friends with fellow YA fantasy authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare; all of them are represented by Bray's husband, a literary agent. Her blog can be read on http://libba-bray.livejournal.com/.

Going Bovine, a dark comedy about a 16 year old boy named Cameron who has mad cow disease and a 16-year-old dwarf named Gonzo whom he met in the hospital, was released in 2009 and received the 2010 Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature. Gonzo is a video gamer who thinks that everything is trying to kill him. Cameron has visitation from a punkish angel named Dulcie who has a propensity for spray-painting her wings. They are all on a mission to cure Cameron's mad cow disease.

Bray's newest novel Beauty Queens, about a group of beauty pageant contestants whose plane crashes on an island, was published by Scholastic Press on May 24, 2011.

Books[link]

• The Gemma Doyle Trilogy

• A Great and Terrible Beauty, Simon and Schuster (2003)
• Rebel Angels, Simon and Schuster (2005)
• The Sweet Far Thing, Simon and Schuster (2007)

• Going Bovine, Delacorte Books (2009)
• Beauty Queens, Scholastic Press (2011)

Other works[link]

• 21 Proms, Scholastic Paperbacks (2007)
• The Restless Dead, Candlewick (2007)
• Up All Night, HarperTeen (2008)
• Vacations from Hell, HarperTeen (2009)
• The Thirteenth Step, a short story in The Eternal Kiss (2009)

Sources[link]

1. ^ Libba Bray's Accident at 18
2. ^ Teen Book Video Awards Debut Tonight

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Live Journal
• Book Video for A Great and Terrible Beauty
• Libba Bray at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database

For alternative meanings, see: Vicar of Bray (disambiguation).

The Vicar of Bray is a satirical description of an individual fundamentally changing his principles to remain in ecclesiastical office as external requirements change around him. The religious upheavals in England from 1533 to 1559 and from 1633 to 1715 made it almost impossible for any individual to comply with the successive religious requirements of the state.

A satirical 18th century song, "The Vicar of Bray", recounts the career of a vicar of Bray, Berkshire, towards the end of this period and his contortions of principle in order to retain his ecclesiastic office despite the changes through the course of several monarchs from Charles II to George I. A comic opera covers a later period in 18th century history, while a film set in Bray, County Wicklow, in Ireland, covers Charles I, the English Civil War, the Commonwealth of England, The Protectorate, and restoration of Charles II.

Historical basis[link]

Several individuals have been proposed as the model for the Vicar of Bray.

• Thomas Fuller and the English dramatist Richard Brome argue that the model for the song was the 16th century cleric and vicar of Bray, Berkshire, Simon Aleyn (1540–1588), who lived in the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth.^{[citation needed]}

• The most frequently sung words refer to 17th century monarchs. Therefore, a later proposed model is Simon Simonds, who was an Independent in the Protectorate, a Church of England cleric under Charles II, a Roman Catholic under James II, and a moderate Anglican under William and Mary.

• Francis Carswell, who is buried in the church of Bray, was Vicar of Bray for 42 years, dying in 1709, and so lived through the period relevant to the song.

• Other candidates include Thomas Barlow (1607–1691), bishop of Lincoln; Timothy Bray (1480–1539), abbot of Heath, Derbyshire; and Edmund Waller (1606–1687), poet and politician.

Description of the song and lyrics[link]

In the song, "The Vicar of Bray", the eponymous vicar was the clergyman of the parish of Bray-on-Thames, Berkshire. The most familiar version of the lyrics recount his adaptability (some would say amorality) over half a century, from the reigns of Charles II to George I. Over this period, he embraced whichever form of liturgy, Protestant or Catholic, was favoured by the monarch of the day in order to retain his position as vicar of Bray.

The following lyric is a version of the song recorded by Richard Dyer-Bennet in 1955:

In good King Charles' golden time, when loyalty no harm meant,

A zealous high churchman was I, and so I gained preferment.

To teach my flock, I never missed: Kings are by God appointed

And damned are those who dare resist or touch the Lord's annointed.

(Chorus)

And this be law, that I'll maintain until my dying day, sir

That whatsoever king may reign, Still I'll be the Vicar of Bray, sir.

When royal James possessed the crown, and popery came in fashion,

The penal laws I hooted down, and read the Declaration.

The Church of Rome, I found, did fit full well my constitution

And I had been a Jesuit, but for the Revolution.

When William was our King declared, to ease the nation's grievance,

With this new wind about I steered, and swore to him allegiance.

Old principles I did revoke; Set conscience at a distance,

Passive obedience was a joke, a jest was non-resistance.

When Royal Anne became our queen, the Church of England's glory,

Another face of things was seen, and I became a Tory.

Occasional conformists base; I blamed their moderation;

And thought the Church in danger was from such prevarication.

When George in pudding time came o'er, and moderate men looked big, sir

My principles I changed once more, and I became a Whig, sir.

And thus preferment I procured From our new Faith's Defender,

And almost every day abjured the Pope and the Pretender.

The illustrious house of Hanover and Protestant succession

To these I do allegiance swear --- while they can hold possession.

For in my faith and loyalty I never more will falter,

And George my lawful king shall be --- until the times do alter.

Comic opera[link]

The Vicar of Bray is an 1882 comic opera by Sydney Grundy and Edward Solomon. The opera is based on the character described in the 18th century song, as well as on The History of Sandford and Merton, a series of 18th century moral tales.

1937 film version[link]

A film version of the tale was released in 1937 starring Stanley Holloway as the vicar.^[1] In the film, the vicar (of Bray, County Wicklow in Ireland) is given a more positive character and events are placed at a slightly earlier period, during the English Civil War. He successfully protects his parishioners by adopting a diplomatic approach during the turbulent events and secures forgiveness for moderate rebels from the restored Charles II.

Cultural impact[link]

The Vicar of Bray is also referenced in the song Parlour Songs in the Stephen Sondheim musical, Sweeney Todd, although the song has been removed from more recent performances of that musical. George Orwell wrote an essay called A Good Word for the Vicar of Bray.

A scientific hypothesis is named after the Vicar of Bray that attempts to explain why sexual reproduction might be favoured over asexual reproduction.^[2][3]

Vicar of Bray is the name of the last known surviving Whitehaven wooden-built ship. It was launched on 22 April 1841 by Robert Hardy.^[4]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Historical background of the song