County Wexford (Irish: Contae Loch Garman) is in Southeast Ireland, and historically part of the province of Leinster. Its coast is lined by long sandy beaches and by caravan parks. Inland is a rich heritage, especially of medieval times and of the rebellion of 1798.
County Wexford forms the southeast corner of Ireland, where the coast turns from the Irish Sea to face the Atlantic. It's low-lying and fertile, less boggy than elsewhere, so it was settled from early times: there are many remnants of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. Long stretches of sandy beach, which nowadays draw the day-trippers and the caravan parks, for earlier arrivals meant you could land a small boat almost anywhere. So it was well-connected to the rest of Ireland and to England: in the 5th century it was one of the first areas to become Christian. Wexford and Carlow comprised the Gaelic kingdom of UΓ Ceinnselaig (Kinsella) who at times ruled all of Leinster, with their capital at Ferns. From the 8th century the Vikings raided then settled around Wexford town, and the first Norman beachhead in 1169 was near Fethard-on-Sea. The Normans laid out the present pattern of counties or shires in Ireland, and this was entrenched under the Tudors.
This led to a colonial era where a few incomers enjoyed wealth and political power at the expense of the native majority. A major uprising in 1641 established an independent Irish Confederation, smashed by Cromwell in 1652. County Wexford had only minor involvement in the Williamite Wars of the 17th / 18th century, but it was central to the 1798 rebellion of United Irishmen. This became known as "The Year of the French", though the French incursion was only a brief coda when the main rebellion was already crushed. But of all the lurid events of that year, the aspect seared into establishment minds was that of the French (who'd beheaded their own king and aristocracy) marching unchecked for 11 days across County Mayo, with a raggle-taggle band of Irish rebels flocking to join them.
The Society of United Irishmen sought to bring together Catholics and Protestants, and to free and reform Ireland along the lines of republican France and the United States. They tried but soon despaired of constitutional methods of reform. Outright rebellion broke out in May 1798, but its centre in Dublin collapsed at the outset, and it was soon quelled in other counties. Its main success was in County Wexford - by the end of May the rebels held the entire county and proclaimed a revolutionary republic. Now it only remained to liberate the rest of Ireland. On 5 June 1798 they assaulted New Ross and captured it for a few hours, then were driven back with great slaughter. On 9 June they attacked Arklow but were repulsed by gunfire. They retreated to Wexford as government troops converged upon them. Their last stand was on Vinegar Hill in Enniscorthy on 21 June. Even then, many escaped through a gap in the surrounding forces, but thereafter they could only mount pinprick attacks, and inexorably they were hunted down. The long-promised French support only arrived in Aug 1798, landing in County Mayo. It had unexpected success, brushing aside opposition, but 12 days later was encircled. The French surrendered while their Irish comrades were cut down by British bayonets. A last French landing attempt was at Lough Swilly in Donegal in October, but it was trounced by the Royal Navy, and the rebel leader Wolfe Tone was captured. Perhaps some 10,000 died in the course of the rebellion, and with them died the vision of United Irishmen. Future resistance to Britain, and interpretation of the events of 1798, was along sectarian lines, developing the fault line that would eventually sunder Ireland.
Five trains a day run from Dublin Connolly via DΓΊn Laoghaire, Bray, Wicklow Town, Rathdrum and Arklow to Gorey, Enniscorthy, Wexford, Rosslare Strand and Rosslare Europort the ferry terminal. The line between Rosslare and Waterford was axed in 2010.
Rosslare Europort has daily ferries from Pembroke and Fishguard in Wales, taking about four hours. In summer there are also ferries from Cherbourg, Roscoff and Bilbao, but these didn't sail in 2020.
There's competition on the bus route from Dublin: Expressway and Wexford Bus both run hourly from Dublin Airport and city centre via Arklow to Gorey, Enniscorthy and Wexford.
A cross-country bus runs from Rosslare Europort to Wexford, New Ross, Waterford, Cork, Killarney and Tralee.
By road from Dublin follow N11 / M11 along the coast.
Train is the best option for anywhere along the Dublin-Europort line, with stops at Rosslare Strand, Wexford, Enniscorthy and Gorey.
Bus is a good option for anywhere along the route from Dublin (eg to Ferns, which doesn't have trains) or the cross-country route to Waterford (eg to New Ross). Beyond that is a sparse service of rural and Local Link buses. You need your own wheels to get around the many outlying places, especially on Hook Peninsula. The county is low-lying and the distances aren't great, so cycling is an option.
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