Wexford county guide in Ireland
county wexford
Wexford is a coastal county in the south-east of Ireland that is within the province of Leinster. It shares boundaries with Wicklow, Carlow, Kilkenny and Waterford. The River Barrow forms a natural border to the west of the county, while the southern part of the coast faces the Celtic Sea. The slightly longer east coast overlooks the St George Channel, part of the Irish Sea. The Blackstairs Mountains or the southern Wicklow Mountains cover most of the northern boundary of the county.
Wexford is often called “Ireland’s sunny south-east” due to its statistically proven higher number of sunshine hours than anywhere else in Ireland. This helps make it a popular weekend destination for people who live in Dublin, around 2 hours away by car. The population of the county is 132,000, of which one third live in urban locations and the remaining two thirds in rural dwellings.
The main settlement is the historic town of Wexford, which has a large natural harbour. Its strategic location and troubled past have made the town of Wexford the scene of many infamous and bloody battles in years past. One of the most scandalous acts of war occurred in 1649 when local colonists were massacred while considering the terms of surrender to the English Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell.
Wexford’s second largest town is Enniscorthy, located 14 miles north of Wexford town on the River Slaney. Enniscorthy Castle is an imposing Norman stronghold dating from 1205. Just to the south of the city of Wexford is the town of Rosslare and its nearby port, or Europort, which handles freight as well as car and foot passengers on shipping routes. ferry to Wales and France.
Wexford’s next largest towns are New Ross, Gorey and Bunclody. Other notable towns include Adamstown, Ballycanew, Ballycullane, Ballyhack, Bridgetown, Camolin, Campile, Castlebridge, Castlellis, Clongeen, Clonroche, Coolgreany, Courtown Harbour, Duncannon, Ferns, Fethard, Kilmore Quay, Kilrane, Murntown, Newbawn, Oilgate, Piercetown, and Tagmon.