Wexford
Encyclopedia
Wexford is the county town
of County Wexford
, Ireland
. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland
, close to Rosslare Europort
. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network
. It has a population of 18,163 according to the 2006 census.
Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour
, the estuary of the River Slaney
. According to a local legend, the town got its Irish name, Loch Garman, from a young man named Garman Garbh who was drowned on the mudflats at the mouth of the River Slaney by flood waters released by an enchantress. The resulting lake was thus named, Lake of Garman. The town was founded by the Vikings in about 800 AD. They named it Veisafjǫrðr, inlet of the mud flats and the name has changed only slightly into its present form. For about three hundred years it was a Viking town, a city state, largely independent and owing only token dues to the Irish kings of Leinster
.
However, in May 1169 Wexford was besieged
by Dermot MacMurrough
, King of Leinster and his Norman
ally, Robert Fitz-Stephen
. The Norse
inhabitants resisted fiercely, until the Bishop of Ferns
persuaded them to accept a settlement with Dermot. Wexford was an Old English
settlement in the Middle Ages
. An old dialect of English, known as Yola
, was spoken uniquely in Wexford up until the 19th century.
County Wexford
produced strong support for Confederate Ireland
during the 1640s. A fleet of Confederate privateer
s was based in Wexford town, consisting of sailors from Flanders
and Spain
as well as local men. Their vessels raided English
Parliamentarian shipping, giving some of the proceeds to the Confederate government in Kilkenny
. As a result, the town was sacked
by the English Parliamentarians
during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
in 1649. Many of its inhabitants were killed and much of the town was burned.
County Wexford was the centre of the 1798 rebellion
against English rule. Wexford town was held by the rebels throughout the fighting and was the scene of a notorious massacre of local loyalists by the United Irishmen, who executed them on the bridge in the town centre.
Redmond Square, near the railway station
, commemorates the elder John Edward Redmond (1806-1865)
who was Liberal
MP
for the city of Wexford. The inscription reads: "My heart is with the city of Wexford. Nothing can extinguish that love but the cold soil of the grave." His nephew William Archer Redmond (1825-1880)
sat as an MP in Isaac Butt
's Home Rule Party
from 1872 until 1880. The younger John Redmond
, son of William Archer Redmond was a devoted follower of Charles Stewart Parnell
and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party
until his death in April 1918. He is interred in the Redmond family vault, St. John's Cemetery, Upper St. John's Street. Redmond Park was formally opened in 1931 as a memorial to Willie Redmond
, younger brother of John Redmond
. He was also an Irish Parliamentary Party MP and was killed in 1917 while serving with the 16th (Irish) Division on the Western Front during the Messines offensive
, where he was buried. Willie Redmond had sat as a Parnellite MP for Wexford from 1883 until 1885.
Wexford's success as a seaport declined in the 20th century, because of the constantly changing sands of Wexford Harbour. By 1968 it had become unprofitable to keep dredging a channel from the harbour mouth to the quays in order to accommodate the larger ships of the era, so the port closed. The port had been extremely important to the local economy, with coal being a major import and agricultural machinery and grain being exported. The port is now used exclusively by mussel dredgers and pleasure craft. The woodenworks which fronted the quays and which were synonymous with Wexford were removed in the 1990s as part of an ambitious plan to claim the quay as an amenity for the town as well as retaining it as a commercially viable waterfront. Despite the bankruptcy of the contractor, the project was a success.
In the early 20th century, a new port was built, about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) south, at Rosslare Harbour, now known as Rosslare Europort
. This is a deepwater harbour unaffected by tides and currents. All major shipping now uses this port and Wexford Port is used only by fishing boats and leisure vessels.
street performance group, Oyster Lane Theatre Group, Wexford Pantomime Society, Wexford Light Opera Society and Wexford Drama Group.
Wexford has a number of music and drama venues including Wexford Opera House, the Dun Mhuire Theatre and Wexford Arts Centre. Wexford's Theatre Royal
opera house
was recently replaced by the Wexford Opera House and it hosts the internationally recognised Opera Festival every October. Dr Tom Walsh started the festival in 1951, and it has since grown into the internationally recognised festival it is today. The Dun Mhuire Theatre holds music events and bingo as well as hosting shows by Oyster Lane Theatre Group and Wexford Pantomime Society. The Wexford Arts Centre hosts exhibitions, theatre, music and dance events. Various concerts are held in St. Iberius's Church (Church of Ireland
).
Until the mid-nineteenth century the Yola language
could be heard in Wexford, and a few words still remain in use. The food of Wexford is also distinct from the rest of Ireland, due to the local cultivation of seafood, smoked cod being a token dish in the region
The National Lottery
Skyfest was held in Wexford on the 19th of March providing a formidable fireworks display and a pyrotechnic waterfall on the towns main bridge spanning 300m. Buí Bolg also performed on the night.
Notable churches within the town include St. Iberius, Bride Street and Rowe Street with their distinctive spires, the impressive Saint Peter's College
, with a chapel designed by Augustus Welby Pugin and Ann Street Presbyterian church. A former Quaker meeting hall
is now a band room in High Street. Two of the most noticeable buildings in Wexford are the "Twin Churches" Rowe St. and Bride St. These churches can be seen from any part of Wexford and in 2008 celebrated their 150th anniversary. This was a huge event for the churches. Joe Kinsella is the caretaker of Rowe St. Church.
In May 2011 an official web portal for Wexford, was launched which encompassed local government, Wexford Tourism, and the Wexford Means Business website aimed at promoting the value proposition of Wexford as a business destination.
Beach in Wexford was the location in 1997 for the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan
The Irish National Heritage Park recreates over 9000 years of Irish History allowing the visitor to wander around recreations of historic Irish dwelling including crannogs
, Viking houses and Norman forts.
The Wexford Wildfowl Reserve is a Ramsar site based on slobland just outside Wexford. It is a migratory stop-off point for thousands of ducks, geese, swans and waders. Up to 12,000 (50% of the worlds population) of Greenland White-fronted Geese spend the winter on the Wexford slobs. There is a visitor centre open to the public and many 'hides' for viewing the wildlife.
Campile Co.Wexford is also the scene of the WW2 bombing which happened on Monday August 26th, 1940
opened on 17 August 1874. The railway line
from Dublin to Rosslare Harbour
runs along the quayside south of the town. In 2010 the Rosslare Strand to Waterford rail line closed down due to lack of customers.
Wexford is also served by local and national bus networks primarily Bus Eireann and Wexford Bus. There are also many local taxi and hackney providers.
Rosslare Europort is 19 kilometers south of Wexford and passenger and freight ferries run between Fishguard
and Pembroke
in Wales and Cherbourg and Roscoff
in France. The main ferry companies operating on these routes are Stena Line
, Irish Ferries and Celtic Link.
The closest airport to Wexford is Waterford Airport
which is approximately 1 hour away. Dublin Airport
is approximately 2 and a half hours away.
The town also has a shuttle-bus service which has stops at the towns main facilities.
football club were admitted to the League of Ireland
in 2007. Wexford Youths are the first Wexford-based club to take part in the competition. Wexford Youths is the brainchild of construction magnate and politician Mick Wallace, who has funded the construction of a complex for the new team's home at Newcastle, Ferrycarrig.
clubs. Though the town was traditionally associated with Gaelic football
, with six teams providing ample outlets for its youngsters, it wasn’t until 1960 that hurling took its foothold, with much due to local man Oliver “Hopper” McGrath’s contribution to the county’s All-Ireland Hurling Final
triumph over the then-champions Tipperary
. Having scored an early second-half goal to effectively kill-off the opposition, McGrath went on to be the first man from the town of Wexford to receive an All-Ireland Hurling winner’s medal.
One of the town’s local hurling
clubs, Faythe Harriers
, holds a record fifteen county minor championships, having dominated the minor hurling scene in the 1950s, late 1960s and early 1970s. However, the senior side has only enjoyed briefly successful periods, having won just five county senior championships.
Although the team has not achieved county senior football success since 1956, Volunteers (“the Vols”) of Wexford Town hold a record eleven county senior titles, as well as six minor titles. Other notable Gaelic football clubs in the town are Sarsfields, St. Mary’s of Maudlintown, Clonard and St. Joseph’s.
head coach and former Irish Olympian Billy Walsh is a native of Wexford town and has contributed greatly to the success of underage level boxers with local club St. Ibars/Joseph’s.
St Peter's College, Wexford (for boys),
Coláiste Eamon Rís, Loch Garman - C. B. S., Wexford (for boys),
Presentation Secondary School, Wexford (for girls),
Loreto Secondary School, Wexford (for girls),
and Wexford Vocational College V. E. C. (mixed).
Eileen Grey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Gray
with the following places: Coueron
, France
Annapolis, Maryland
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of County Wexford
County Wexford
County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, close to Rosslare Europort
Rosslare Europort
Rosslare Europort is a modern seaport located at Rosslare Harbour in County Wexford, Ireland, near the southeastern-most point of Ireland's coastline, handling passenger and freight ferries to and from Wales and France....
. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network
Rail transport in Ireland
Rail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland.Most routes in the Republic radiate from Dublin...
. It has a population of 18,163 according to the 2006 census.
History
Wexford Harbour
Wexford Harbour in County Wexford, Ireland is the natural harbour at the mouth of the River Slaney. The estuary originally was about ten miles wide at its widest point, with large mud flats on both sides. These were known as the North Slob and the South Slob from the Irish word slab, meaning mud...
, the estuary of the River Slaney
River Slaney
The Slaney is a river in the southeast of Ireland. It rises on Lugnaquilla Mountain in the western Wicklow Mountains and flows west and then south through counties Wicklow, Carlow and Wexford, before entering St George's Channel in the Irish Sea at Wexford town...
. According to a local legend, the town got its Irish name, Loch Garman, from a young man named Garman Garbh who was drowned on the mudflats at the mouth of the River Slaney by flood waters released by an enchantress. The resulting lake was thus named, Lake of Garman. The town was founded by the Vikings in about 800 AD. They named it Veisafjǫrðr, inlet of the mud flats and the name has changed only slightly into its present form. For about three hundred years it was a Viking town, a city state, largely independent and owing only token dues to the Irish kings of Leinster
Kings of Leinster
The following is a provisional list of the kings of Leinster who ruled the Irish kingdom of Leinster up to 1632 with the death of Domhnall Spainnach MacMurrough-Kavanagh, the last legitimately inaugurated head of the MacMurrough Kavanagh royal line...
.
However, in May 1169 Wexford was besieged
Siege of Wexford (1169)
The siege of Wexford took place in early May 1169 and was the first major clash of the Norman invasion of Ireland. The town was besieged by a combined force of Normans under Robert Fitz-Stephen and soldiers loyal to Diarmait mac Murchadha...
by Dermot MacMurrough
Dermot MacMurrough
Diarmait Mac Murchada , anglicized as Dermot MacMurrough or Dermod MacMurrough , was a King of Leinster in Ireland. In 1167, he was deprived of his kingdom by the High King of Ireland - Turlough Mór O'Connor...
, King of Leinster and his Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
ally, Robert Fitz-Stephen
Robert Fitz-Stephen
Robert Fitz-Stephen was a 12th century Cambro-Norman soldier, one of the leaders of the Norman invasion of Ireland, for which he was granted extensive lands in Ireland. He was a son of the famous Nest, daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr, the last king of Deheubarth . His father was Nest's second husband,...
. The Norse
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
inhabitants resisted fiercely, until the Bishop of Ferns
Bishop of Ferns
The Bishop of Ferns is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Ferns in County Wexford, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:...
persuaded them to accept a settlement with Dermot. Wexford was an Old English
Old English (Ireland)
The Old English were the descendants of the settlers who came to Ireland from Wales, Normandy, and England after the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169–71. Many of the Old English became assimilated into Irish society over the centuries...
settlement in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. An old dialect of English, known as Yola
Yola language
Yola is an extinct West Germanic language formerly spoken in Ireland. A branch of Middle English, it evolved separately among the English who followed the Norman barons Strongbow and Robert Fitzstephen to eastern Ireland in 1169....
, was spoken uniquely in Wexford up until the 19th century.
County Wexford
County Wexford
County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...
produced strong support for Confederate Ireland
Confederate Ireland
Confederate Ireland refers to the period of Irish self-government between the Rebellion of 1641 and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649. During this time, two-thirds of Ireland was governed by the Irish Catholic Confederation, also known as the "Confederation of Kilkenny"...
during the 1640s. A fleet of Confederate privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s was based in Wexford town, consisting of sailors from Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
as well as local men. Their vessels raided English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Parliamentarian shipping, giving some of the proceeds to the Confederate government in Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
. As a result, the town was sacked
Sack of Wexford
The Sack of Wexford took place in October 1649, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, when the New Model Army under Oliver Cromwell took Wexford town in south-eastern Ireland. The English Parliamentarian troops broke into the town while the commander of the garrison was trying to negotiate a...
by the English Parliamentarians
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland refers to the conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell landed in Ireland with his New Model Army on behalf of England's Rump Parliament in 1649...
in 1649. Many of its inhabitants were killed and much of the town was burned.
County Wexford was the centre of the 1798 rebellion
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
against English rule. Wexford town was held by the rebels throughout the fighting and was the scene of a notorious massacre of local loyalists by the United Irishmen, who executed them on the bridge in the town centre.
Wexford railway station
Wexford railway station serves the town of Wexford in County Wexford, Ireland. The station consists of a single platform, and up until April 2008 the station was devoid of a passing loop, although sidings existed, used in recent years by occasional permanent way trains...
, commemorates the elder John Edward Redmond (1806-1865)
John Edward Redmond (1806-1865)
John Edward Redmond was a banker and magistrate, Liberal M.P. for the city of Wexford from 1859-1865.- Family :John Redmond was the son Walter Redmond Esq. of Newtown Lodge and afterwards Ballytrent House, Co. Wexford. Walter and his brother John Redmond were well known in banking and shipping...
who was Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the city of Wexford. The inscription reads: "My heart is with the city of Wexford. Nothing can extinguish that love but the cold soil of the grave." His nephew William Archer Redmond (1825-1880)
William Archer Redmond (1825-1880)
William Archer Redmond sat for Wexford as a member of the Home Rule Party led by Isaac Butt from 1872 to 1880, and was the father of the Irish Parliamentary Leader John Redmond....
sat as an MP in Isaac Butt
Isaac Butt
Isaac Butt Q.C. M.P. was an Irish barrister, politician, Member of Parliament , and the founder and first leader of a number of Irish nationalist parties and organisations, including the Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society in 1836, the Home Government Association in 1870 and in 1873 the Home...
's Home Rule Party
Home Rule League
The Home Rule League, sometimes called the Home Rule Party, was a political party which campaigned for home rule for the country of Ireland from 1873 to 1882, when it was replaced by the Irish Parliamentary Party.-Origins:...
from 1872 until 1880. The younger John Redmond
John Redmond
John Edward Redmond was an Irish nationalist politician, barrister, MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party from 1900 to 1918...
, son of William Archer Redmond was a devoted follower of Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell was an Irish landowner, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party...
and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party
Irish Parliamentary Party
The Irish Parliamentary Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons at...
until his death in April 1918. He is interred in the Redmond family vault, St. John's Cemetery, Upper St. John's Street. Redmond Park was formally opened in 1931 as a memorial to Willie Redmond
William Hoey Kearney Redmond
William Hoey Kearney Redmond was an Irish nationalist politician. He was a Member of Parliament in the Irish Parliamentary Party for 34 years, a land reform agitator imprisoned three times, a determined advocate of Irish Home Rule, a barrister and a First World War fatality.-Family background:He...
, younger brother of John Redmond
John Redmond
John Edward Redmond was an Irish nationalist politician, barrister, MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party from 1900 to 1918...
. He was also an Irish Parliamentary Party MP and was killed in 1917 while serving with the 16th (Irish) Division on the Western Front during the Messines offensive
Battle of Messines
The Battle of Messines was a battle of the Western front of the First World War. It began on 7 June 1917 when the British Second Army under the command of General Herbert Plumer launched an offensive near the village of Mesen in West Flanders, Belgium...
, where he was buried. Willie Redmond had sat as a Parnellite MP for Wexford from 1883 until 1885.
Wexford's success as a seaport declined in the 20th century, because of the constantly changing sands of Wexford Harbour. By 1968 it had become unprofitable to keep dredging a channel from the harbour mouth to the quays in order to accommodate the larger ships of the era, so the port closed. The port had been extremely important to the local economy, with coal being a major import and agricultural machinery and grain being exported. The port is now used exclusively by mussel dredgers and pleasure craft. The woodenworks which fronted the quays and which were synonymous with Wexford were removed in the 1990s as part of an ambitious plan to claim the quay as an amenity for the town as well as retaining it as a commercially viable waterfront. Despite the bankruptcy of the contractor, the project was a success.
In the early 20th century, a new port was built, about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) south, at Rosslare Harbour, now known as Rosslare Europort
Rosslare Europort
Rosslare Europort is a modern seaport located at Rosslare Harbour in County Wexford, Ireland, near the southeastern-most point of Ireland's coastline, handling passenger and freight ferries to and from Wales and France....
. This is a deepwater harbour unaffected by tides and currents. All major shipping now uses this port and Wexford Port is used only by fishing boats and leisure vessels.
Culture
Wexford is the home of many youth and senior theatre groups including the Buí BolgBui Bolg Street Theatre Company
The Bui Bolg Street Theatre Company was established in Wexford in 1994 by a group of art graduates aiming to bring art out on to the streets and make it accessible for all....
street performance group, Oyster Lane Theatre Group, Wexford Pantomime Society, Wexford Light Opera Society and Wexford Drama Group.
Wexford has a number of music and drama venues including Wexford Opera House, the Dun Mhuire Theatre and Wexford Arts Centre. Wexford's Theatre Royal
Theatre Royal, Wexford
The Theatre Royal, was an opera house and performance venue in Wexford Ireland which opened in 1832 and closed in 2005. It was the home of the annual Wexford Festival Opera, and has now been replaced by Wexford Opera House.-History:...
opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
was recently replaced by the Wexford Opera House and it hosts the internationally recognised Opera Festival every October. Dr Tom Walsh started the festival in 1951, and it has since grown into the internationally recognised festival it is today. The Dun Mhuire Theatre holds music events and bingo as well as hosting shows by Oyster Lane Theatre Group and Wexford Pantomime Society. The Wexford Arts Centre hosts exhibitions, theatre, music and dance events. Various concerts are held in St. Iberius's Church (Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
).
Until the mid-nineteenth century the Yola language
Yola language
Yola is an extinct West Germanic language formerly spoken in Ireland. A branch of Middle English, it evolved separately among the English who followed the Norman barons Strongbow and Robert Fitzstephen to eastern Ireland in 1169....
could be heard in Wexford, and a few words still remain in use. The food of Wexford is also distinct from the rest of Ireland, due to the local cultivation of seafood, smoked cod being a token dish in the region
The National Lottery
National Lottery (Ireland)
The National Lottery is the state lottery of Ireland. It was founded when the Oireachtas passed the to support initiatives in the areas of sport and recreation, health and welfare, national heritage and the arts, and the Irish language. Since gaming operations began on 23 March 1987, over €3.6...
Skyfest was held in Wexford on the 19th of March providing a formidable fireworks display and a pyrotechnic waterfall on the towns main bridge spanning 300m. Buí Bolg also performed on the night.
Architecture
Wexford has witnessed some major developments such as the Key West centre on the Quays, the redevelopment of the quayfront itself, White's Hotel and the huge new residential development of Clonard village. Proposed developments include the development of a large new residential quarter at Carcur, a new river crossing at that point, the new town library, the refurbishment of Selskar Abbey and the controversial redevelopment of the former site of Wexford Electronix. Also, the relocated offices of the Department of Environment are currently under construction near Wexford on the New Ross Road.Notable churches within the town include St. Iberius, Bride Street and Rowe Street with their distinctive spires, the impressive Saint Peter's College
St Peter's College, Wexford
St Peter's College, Wexford is an Irish secondary school and former seminary located in Summerhill, overlooking Wexford town. It is a single sex school for male pupils. Currently its school population is approximately 700. The current principal is Mr. Patrick Quigley and the current vice-principal...
, with a chapel designed by Augustus Welby Pugin and Ann Street Presbyterian church. A former Quaker meeting hall
Friends meeting house
A Friends meeting house is a meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends , where meeting for worship may be held.-History:Quakers do not believe that meeting for worship should take place in any special place. They believe that "where two or three meet together in my name, I am there among...
is now a band room in High Street. Two of the most noticeable buildings in Wexford are the "Twin Churches" Rowe St. and Bride St. These churches can be seen from any part of Wexford and in 2008 celebrated their 150th anniversary. This was a huge event for the churches. Joe Kinsella is the caretaker of Rowe St. Church.
Economy
From an employment point of view, major employers in and around the town are Carl Zeiss Vision (formerly Sola Optical), Wexford Creamery, Celtic Linen, Wexford Viking Glass, Snap-Tite, Waters Technology, Kent Construction, Equifax and PNC Global Investment Servicing (formerly PFPC). Coca Cola are about to start construction of a new plant just outside the town. Jack n Jones,pamela scott and A-wear are few of many shops in the town. In the public sector, employment is provided at Johnstown Castle by Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority of the Department of Agriculture.In May 2011 an official web portal for Wexford, was launched which encompassed local government, Wexford Tourism, and the Wexford Means Business website aimed at promoting the value proposition of Wexford as a business destination.
Places of Interest
CurracloeCurracloe
Curracloe is a village in County Wexford, a few miles northeast of the town of Wexford, Ireland. It lies on the R742 regional road at the junction with R743, and is linked to the long and sandy Curracloe Strand by the short R743 road, to the east...
Beach in Wexford was the location in 1997 for the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American war film set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by Robert Rodat. The film is notable for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which depicts the Omaha Beach assault of June 6, 1944....
The Irish National Heritage Park recreates over 9000 years of Irish History allowing the visitor to wander around recreations of historic Irish dwelling including crannogs
Crannog
A crannog is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually built in lakes, rivers and estuarine waters of Scotland and Ireland. Crannogs were used as dwellings over five millennia from the European Neolithic Period, to as late as the 17th/early 18th century although in Scotland,...
, Viking houses and Norman forts.
The Wexford Wildfowl Reserve is a Ramsar site based on slobland just outside Wexford. It is a migratory stop-off point for thousands of ducks, geese, swans and waders. Up to 12,000 (50% of the worlds population) of Greenland White-fronted Geese spend the winter on the Wexford slobs. There is a visitor centre open to the public and many 'hides' for viewing the wildlife.
Campile Co.Wexford is also the scene of the WW2 bombing which happened on Monday August 26th, 1940
Transport
Wexford railway stationWexford railway station
Wexford railway station serves the town of Wexford in County Wexford, Ireland. The station consists of a single platform, and up until April 2008 the station was devoid of a passing loop, although sidings existed, used in recent years by occasional permanent way trains...
opened on 17 August 1874. The railway line
Dublin-Rosslare railway line
The Dublin-Rosslare railway line is a main rail route between Dublin Connolly station and Rosslare Europort, where it theoretically connects with ferry services to the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. The line between Dublin and Greystones is electrified and forms the southern part of the DART...
from Dublin to Rosslare Harbour
Rosslare Harbour
The village of Rosslare Harbour grew up to serve the needs of the harbour of the same name , first developed in 1906 by the Great Western Railway and the Great Southern and Western Railway to accommodate steamferry traffic between Great Britain and Ireland...
runs along the quayside south of the town. In 2010 the Rosslare Strand to Waterford rail line closed down due to lack of customers.
Wexford is also served by local and national bus networks primarily Bus Eireann and Wexford Bus. There are also many local taxi and hackney providers.
Rosslare Europort is 19 kilometers south of Wexford and passenger and freight ferries run between Fishguard
Fishguard
Fishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....
and Pembroke
Pembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock is a town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, lying north of Pembroke on the River Cleddau. Originally a small fishing village known as Paterchurch, the town was greatly expanded from 1814 onwards following the construction of a Royal Naval Dockyard...
in Wales and Cherbourg and Roscoff
Roscoff
Roscoff is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.The nearby Île de Batz, called Enez Vaz in Breton, is a small island that can be reached by launch from the harbour....
in France. The main ferry companies operating on these routes are Stena Line
Stena Line
Stena Line is one of the world's largest ferry operators, with ferry services serving Scotland, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Norway, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. Stena Line is a major unit of Stena AB, itself a part of the Stena Sphere, a grouping of Stena AB,...
, Irish Ferries and Celtic Link.
The closest airport to Wexford is Waterford Airport
Waterford Airport
Waterford Airport , is south-east of Waterford. It is in Killowen near Waterford City serving the south-east of Ireland. The airport is operated by Waterford Regional Airport Plc. In 2009 112,000 passengers passed through the airport...
which is approximately 1 hour away. Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
is approximately 2 and a half hours away.
The town also has a shuttle-bus service which has stops at the towns main facilities.
Golf
Wexford Golf Club has a newly built clubhouse and course, which were finished in 2006 and 2007 respectively.Soccer
The Wexford YouthsWexford Youths F.C.
Wexford Youths Football Club are an Irish football club from Wexford who compete in the Airtricity League First Division. The club joined the league after being awarded a First Division licence for the 2007 season. The opportunity to join the League of Ireland arose as Dublin City became bankrupt...
football club were admitted to the League of Ireland
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
in 2007. Wexford Youths are the first Wexford-based club to take part in the competition. Wexford Youths is the brainchild of construction magnate and politician Mick Wallace, who has funded the construction of a complex for the new team's home at Newcastle, Ferrycarrig.
Gaelic games
Wexford is also home to several Gaelic Athletic AssociationGaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
clubs. Though the town was traditionally associated with Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
, with six teams providing ample outlets for its youngsters, it wasn’t until 1960 that hurling took its foothold, with much due to local man Oliver “Hopper” McGrath’s contribution to the county’s All-Ireland Hurling Final
All-Ireland Hurling Final
The All-Ireland Hurling Final is the last match to be played in the All-Ireland Hurling Championships . The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final is one of the biggest sporting occasions to be held in Ireland every year...
triumph over the then-champions Tipperary
Tipperary
Tipperary is a town and a civil parish in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 4,415 at the 2006 census. It is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and is in the historical barony of Clanwilliam....
. Having scored an early second-half goal to effectively kill-off the opposition, McGrath went on to be the first man from the town of Wexford to receive an All-Ireland Hurling winner’s medal.
One of the town’s local hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
clubs, Faythe Harriers
Faythe Harriers
Faythe Harriers is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Wexford town, Ireland.-History:The history of the Faythe Harriers stretches back to the early 1940s, although the hurling club wasn't formed until 1949. In the late 1930s, the Mulgannon Harriers were the G.A.A...
, holds a record fifteen county minor championships, having dominated the minor hurling scene in the 1950s, late 1960s and early 1970s. However, the senior side has only enjoyed briefly successful periods, having won just five county senior championships.
Although the team has not achieved county senior football success since 1956, Volunteers (“the Vols”) of Wexford Town hold a record eleven county senior titles, as well as six minor titles. Other notable Gaelic football clubs in the town are Sarsfields, St. Mary’s of Maudlintown, Clonard and St. Joseph’s.
Boxing
Ireland’s boxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
head coach and former Irish Olympian Billy Walsh is a native of Wexford town and has contributed greatly to the success of underage level boxers with local club St. Ibars/Joseph’s.
Education
There are five secondary schools serving the population of the town:St Peter's College, Wexford (for boys),
Coláiste Eamon Rís, Loch Garman - C. B. S., Wexford (for boys),
Presentation Secondary School, Wexford (for girls),
Loreto Secondary School, Wexford (for girls),
and Wexford Vocational College V. E. C. (mixed).
People
- Novelist John BanvilleJohn BanvilleJohn Banville is an Irish novelist and screenwriter.Banville's breakthrough novel The Book of Evidence was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and won the Guinness Peat Aviation award. His eighteenth novel, The Sea, won the Man Booker Prize in 2005. He was awarded the Franz Kafka Prize in 2011...
was born in Wexford. - Father of the American Navy Commodore John BarryJohn Barry (naval officer)John Barry was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and later in the United States Navy. He is often credited as "The Father of the American Navy"...
was born in the village of TacumshaneTacumshaneTacumshane is a small village in the southeast of County Wexford, Ireland. It is located 15 km south of Wexford town.-Name:The official name of the village is Tacumshane. In Irish it is called Teach as Sheáin, which means "Seán's House" or literally "House of Seán". The name of the village is...
, 15 km south of Wexford. - Writer Eoin ColferEoin ColferEoin Colfer is an Irish author. He is most famous as the author of the Artemis Fowl series, but he has also written other successful books. His novels have been compared to the works of J. K. Rowling...
comes from Wexford. - Jane Elgee 'Speranza'Jane WildeJane Francesca Agnes, Lady Wilde was an Irish poet under the pen name "Speranza" and supporter of the nationalist movement; had a special interest on Irish Fairy Tales, which she helped to gather...
, mother of Oscar WildeOscar WildeOscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
came from Wexford. - Meteorologist and TV presenter Gerald FlemingGerald FlemingGerald Fleming is an Irish meteorologist and weather presenter. He joined Met Éireann in 1980 and has worked as co-ordinator of the RTÉ Television weather team. He is currently Head of Forecasting in Met Éireann.- Early and personal life :...
is from Wexford where he continues to live. - Larry KirwanLarry KirwanLarry Kirwan is an expatriate Irish writer and musician, most noted as the lead singer for the New York based Irish rock band, Black 47....
, an expatriate Irish writer, musician, leader of Black 47Black 47Black 47 are a New York City based celtic rock band with Irish Republican sympathies, whose music also shows influence from reggae, hip hop, folk and jazz...
, Sirius-XM Celtic Crush host, columnist for The Irish Echo, is from Wexford Town, County Wexford - Playwright Billy RocheBilly RocheBilly Roche is an Irish playwright and actor. He was born and still lives in Wexford and most of his writings are based there...
. - Dick RocheDick RocheDick Roche is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Wicklow constituency, and also served in Seanad Éireann from 1992 to 1997.-Early and private life:...
TD. - The only Irish boxer to fight for a world heavyweightHeavyweightHeavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
title Jem Roche comes from Wexford. - Singer and songwriter Pierce TurnerPierce TurnerPierce Turner is an Irish singer-songwriter. After forming a duo with Larry Kirwan he went solo in the mid-1980s and has since released several albums to critical acclaim.-Biography:...
. - Actor John WelshJohn Welsh (actor)John Welsh was an Irish actor.After an early stage career in Dublin, Welsh moved into British film and television in the 1950s. His roles included James Forsyte in the 1967 BBC dramatisation of John Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga, as well as the butler Merriman in The Duchess of Duke Street, Sgt...
and his brother Dr. Tom Walsh, founder of Wexford FestivalWexford Festival OperaThe Wexford Festival Opera is an opera festival that takes place in the town of Wexford in South-Eastern Ireland during the months of October and November.-Festival origins under Tom Walsh, 1951 to 1966:...
, came from Wexford. - Oscar nominated actor Dan O'HerlihyDan O'HerlihyDaniel O'Herlihy was an Oscar nominated Irish film actor.-Early life:O'Herlihy was born in Wexford, Ireland in 1919. His family moved to Dublin at a young age...
was born in Wexford. He is probably best known for his role in Robinson CrusoeRobinson Crusoe (1954 film)Robinson Crusoe , also known as Aventuras de Robinson Crusoe, is a film by director Luis Buñuel, based on the novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.... - Musician and Producer Declan SinnottDeclan SinnottDeclan Sinnott is an Irish musician and producer.Originally from Wexford, where his family ran a record shop in John Street, he came to Dublin in the late sixties. Around 1970 he was a member of the poetry-and-music group Tara Telephone, in which he composed, sang, and played guitar...
has worked with Moving Hearts, Mary and Frances Black and more recently as guitarist with Christy Moore - Singer and Promoter Michael LondraMichael Londra-Biography:At the beginning of his career, Michael Londra performed numerous roles in Ireland, including the title role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pish Tush in Hot Mikado, Charlie in Brigadoon, Joe in Some Like It Hot, the title role in the concert version of Martin Guerre...
was a lead singer with Riverdance on Broadway and regularly tours the U.S. with his own show. - Declan LowneyDeclan LowneyDeclan Lowney is an Irish television and film director. After directing a short film in 1980, Lowney worked for Radio Telefís Éireann, and directed musical events such as the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest, and The Velvet Underground's Live MCMXCIII...
is a BAFTA award winning TV and Film Director. He won his BAFTA for directing Father TedFather TedFather Ted is a comedy series set in Ireland that was produced by Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan and starring a predominantly Irish cast, it originally aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May... - Brendan Corish - Former Irish Labour Party leader and Tánaiste.
Eileen Grey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Gray
Wexford in popular culture
- Cry Before DawnCry Before DawnCry Before Dawn was a four piece rock band from Wexford in the Ireland. They released several singles and two albums in the late 1980s and toured the UK and US. Despite much promotion, they failed to crossover into the charts in either territory, although did succeed in the Irish charts...
, rock band who found success in the late 1980s, hails from Wexford.
Twinning
Wexford is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with the following places: Coueron
Couëron
Couëron is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.Couëron is one of the 24 communes of the Urban Community of Nantes.-Geography:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Annapolis, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
See also
- List of Market Houses in IrelandMarket Houses in the Republic of IrelandMarket houses are a notable feature of many Irish towns with varying styles of architecture, size and ornamentation making for a most interesting feature of the streetscape. Originally there were three, four or even five bays on the ground floor which were an open arcade. An upper floor was...
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
- Yola languageYola languageYola is an extinct West Germanic language formerly spoken in Ireland. A branch of Middle English, it evolved separately among the English who followed the Norman barons Strongbow and Robert Fitzstephen to eastern Ireland in 1169....
External links
- County Wexford Web Portal
- Wexford Tourism Website
- Wexford Means Business Website
- KilmoreGenealogy.com, Hidden Wexford Genealogy, a genealogy website devoted to those researching Wexford institutions
- Wexford GAA.ie
- WexfordWeb.com, The Web Portal for Wexford
- Anglican.org, Wexford Union and Kilscoran Union, Church of Ireland
- Wexford County Council (Local Government)