This is worth a stop on any tours of Ireland that take you near Wexford. Johnston Castle does not qualify for most commonly accepted definitions as a castle. It is in fact a 19th century Gothic mansion. But as it does incorporate the remains of an old castle...
This is 8 miles south of New Ross and worth a look on any tours of Ireland. The abbey was founded in 1182 by Hervey de Monte Marisco, Marshal to King Henry the Second. He donated the abbey to the monks of Buildwas, in Salop, Shropshire. In turn...
This town is a popular seaside resort. It has a great six-mile beach which is really nice to walk along. Add to that some fantastic golf courses and fine angling opportunities. So, a number of reasons to visit Rosslare on any tours of Ireland. There is an interesting causeway...
This tapering headland of gentle landscapes scattered with ancient ruins and quiet villages is perfect for a circular tour. The “Ring of Hook” route begins south of New Ross at Dunbrody Abbey, the ruins of a 12th century Cistercian church, but Ballyhack is another good...
This tiny island, surrounded by a salt lake and cut off from the sea by a sand bar, has been a place of pilgrimage since pre-Christian times. It was St Ibar who absorbed it into the Christian Church and dedicated it to the Virgin Mary....
Narrow streets only 12ft wide in places – a legacy of Viking times – are crammed along Wexford’s waterfront , where the quays tell of the times when the town was a busy port. But the harbour silted up in the late 19th century and...
The lighthouse at Hook Head is an astonishing building , if only for the fact it was constructed some 600 years before the stone-built lighthouses pioneered in the 18th century by James Smeaton. It was a Norman , Raymond le Gros , who built it...
Home to the Strawberry Fair every July. The County Museum is housed in the Norman castle overlooking the River Slaney. It contains some interesting documentation on both the 1916 and 1798 rebellions. The castle itself , built in 1205 , has had many owners , including...
Wexford was founded by the Vikings as a base for raids , a flourishing port grew up here and it was the first town to be captured by the Anglo-Normans in 1169. In 1649 Cromwell slaughtered its residents , breaking its terms of surrender ,...
The horse was the most vulnerable animal in traditional Ireland , and accordingly many folk beliefs and superstitions centred on it. As well as sickness and injury , other dangers threatened the horse , for it was thought that an envious neighbour could harm it...