| Around Wexford Town |
|
|
Around Wexford Town
|
|
|
Accommodation_Wexford
The
IRISH NATIONAL HERITAGE PARK (call 053-20733 for information) is an
outdoor theme park retracing Irish History. Amongst the recreations you
will be able to see a Mesolithic camp site, a Neolithic farmstead, a
stone circle, a ring fort, a Viking longship, and many more…
JOHNSTOWN CASTLE & GARDENS are located about 7km southwest of
Wexford. The splendid estate consists of a castellated house and of 20
hectares of wooden gardens with ornamental lakes. The |
estate hosts the
Irish Agricultural Museum.
ROSSLARE HARBOUR is a busy harbour with connections to to Wales and
France. A bus will take you to the beach of Rosslare Strand once daily
in the morning and some trains also stop there. The Yola Farmstead Folk
Park is an interesting 18th century themed park (call 32610 for
information). A few places of interest South of Rosslare Harbour are
the village of Carne and Our Lady’s Island.
KILMORE QUAY is a peaceful village which hosts the Seafood Festival in
July. You will find a small maritime museum (call 21572 for
information) in the Guillemot Lightship. Offshore from Kilmore Quay are
the SALTEE ISLANDS which feature some of the oldest rocks in Europe.
The islands are actually one of Europe’s most important bird
sanctuaries. Over 375 species of birds have been recorded there,
including the gannet, guillemot and puffin. You can book a crossing
from Kilmore Quay with several boatmen: Dec Bates (call 053-29684 or
087 252 9736 for information) John Devereaux (call 053-29637 or 087 292
6469 for information) Dick Hayes (call 053-29704 or 087 254 9111 for
information)
The HOOK PENINSULA dominates the Southwest of the county and terminates
at Hook Head. A lot of Norman ruins are to be found on the peninsula,
as the Anglo-Normans made their first landing in Ireland at Baginbun
Head. Fethard-on-Sea, the largest town on the peninsula, is also the
principal eating spot of the aera. It is a lovely journey out to Hook
Head which possibly hosts the world’s oldest lighthouse, and if you
enjoy walking you will happily take one of the paths on the sides of
the head. From Duncannon you will be able to see Waterford Harbour.
North of Duncannon, a ferry leaves Ballyhack to Passage East in County
Waterford. Finally, do not miss Dunbrody Abbey and Castle on the
western side of Hook Head.
Scuba divers will enjoy the spots on Hook Head as the underwater
scenery is lovely with crevasses, caves and gullies. You can contact
the Hook Sub-Aqua Club on 388 302 or the Wexford Diving Centre &
Dive Charters on 053-39373 for information.
ENNISCORTHY
The town lies on the hills on the banks of river Slaney. The story of
the fightings of the 1798 Rising are told at the visitor centre.
Sightseeing and visiting
Enniscorthy Castle was built by the Normans (call 35926 for
information) in 1205. It now houses the Wexford County Museum. The
tourist office is located inside the Castle & County Museum (call
34699 for information). The 1798 Visitor Centre is an interpretative
visitor centre, it relates the story of Wexford’s abortive uprising
against British rule in Ireland (call 37596 for information). The
museum has been classified as Ireland’s best museum.
St Aidan’s Cathedral is a massive Roman Catholic cathedral built in
1846 and beautifullly restored to its original glory. Entertainment
The Strawberry Fair happens in June/July when strawberries and cream
are widely on offer. The Tavern on Templeshannon and the Antique Tavern
on Slaney St are nice places for a pint. Enniscorthy and the area are a
famous pottery centre.
FERNS is a small village with a great history as it was the base of the
MacMurrough kings of Leinster. The castle was built in the early 13th
century but only a few walls and moats remain today. Getting around the
area
Buses and trains depart from the Rosslare Europort station at Rosslare
Harbour ferry terminal.
Stena Line (call 339997 for information) sails from Rosslare Harbour to
Fishguard in Wales. Irish Ferries (call 33158 for information) sails to
Pembroke in Wales, Cherbourg and Roscoff in France.
Bus Eireann runs a daily service to Enniscorthy and only one train line
serves Dublin, Wexford and Rosslare Harbour from Enniscorthy. |
|
|
