Wexford Loch Garman
'Per Aqua et Ignem' 'Through Water and Fire'
Location
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52°20′03″N 6°27′27″W / 52.3342, -6.4575
Irish grid reference T051213
Statistics
Province:	Leinster
County:	County Wexford
Dáil Éireann:	Wexford
European Parliament:	East
Dialling code:	053, +353 53
Elevation:	1 m
Population (2006)	18,163 [1]
Website: www.wexfordcorp.ie

Wexford (derived from Old Norse Veisafjǫrðr (in some sources spelled "Waes Fiord") – veisa meaning "mudflat, stagnant pool", also Irish: Loch Garman, Latin: Menapia) is the county town of County Wexford in the Republic of Ireland. Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth The Irish grid reference system is a system of geographic Grid references commonly used in Ireland (both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland Poetic description This dinnseanchas poem named Ard Ruide (Ruide Headland poetically describes the kingdoms of Ireland Leinster (ˈlɛnstər Irish: Laighin, lainʲ one of the Provinces of Ireland, lies in the east of Ireland and comprises the counties of Since the late 16th century the Island of Ireland has been divided into 32 counties ( Irish language contae or condae County Wexford (Contae Loch Garman is a maritime county in the southeast of Ireland, in the province of Leinster. ga '''Dáil Éireann''' ( English House of Representatives of Ireland) is the principal chamber of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament Wexford is a Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU East is a Constituency of the European Parliament in Ireland. Subscriber trunk dialling ( STD, also known as subscriber toll dialling) is a term for the UK Telephone system allowing subscribers to dial trunk The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. County Wexford (Contae Loch Garman is a maritime county in the southeast of Ireland, in the province of Leinster. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. It is situated near the south-eastern tip of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Rosslare Europort ( Irish: Calafort Ros Láir) is a modern Seaport located at Rosslare Harbour in County Wexford, Ireland The town is connected to the capital Dublin via the N11 National Primary Route (European route E1), and the national rail network. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Ireland, both north and south of the border, has an extensive network of roads The international E-road network is a numbering system for Roads in Europe developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE. Rail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland Recently Wexford enjoyed a building boom resulting in new developments across the county and town.

History

Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney. Wexford Harbour, Loch Garman, County Wexford, Ireland is the natural Harbour at the mouth of the 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 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. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas 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 1169 Wexford was besieged by Dermot MacMurrough Kavanagh, King of Leinster,and his Norman ally, Robert Fitzstephen. Early Life and Family Mac Murchadha was born in 1110 a son of Donnchadh, King of Leinster and Dublin he was a descendant of Brian Boru. The Norse inhabitants resisted fiercely, until the Bishop of Ferns persuaded them to accept a settlement with Dermot. It is largely accepted that the Murphy Clan of Wexford descended from the King's brother.

Wexford in the Middle Ages was an Old English settlement. The Old English (Seanghaill were the descendants of the settlers who came to Ireland from Wales, Normandy and England after the Norman An old dialect of English, known as Yola, was spoken uniquely in Wexford up until the 19th century. Yola is an extinct West Germanic language formerly spoken in Ireland.

By a disputed theory, Mary Seymour - daughter of Thomas Seymour, Baron Seymour of Sudeley, and Catherine Parr, widow of Henry VIII of England - was removed in infancy to Wexford and raised under the care of a Protestant family there, the Harts, who had been engaged in piracy off the Irish coast under the protection of a "profit-sharing arrangement" with her father Thomas Seymour. Mary Seymour ( 30 August 1548 -after 1550 ? was the only daughter of Thomas Seymour, Baron Seymour of Sudeley and Catherine Parr, widow of Thomas Seymour may refer to Thomas Seymour 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley (1508–1549 English nobleman Thomas H Catherine Parr ( c 1512 &ndash 5 September 1548 also known as Katherine or Katharine Parr(e, was the last of the six wives of Henry Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of

County Wexford produced strong support for Confederate Ireland during the 1640s. Confederate Ireland refers to the period of Irish self-government between the Rebellion of 1641 and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649 A fleet of Confederate privateers was based in Wexford town, consisting of sailors from Flanders and Spain as well as local men. A privateer was a private Warship authorized by a country's Government by Letters of marque to attack foreign shipping Their vessels raided English Parliamentarian shipping, giving some of the proceeds to the Confederate government in Kilkenny. Kilkenny, ( is a city and county town of County Kilkenny in Ireland. 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 much of the town was burned. 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 The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649-53 refers to the re-conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell

County Wexford was the centre of the 1798 rebellion against English rule. County Wexford (Contae Loch Garman is a maritime county in the southeast of Ireland, in the province of Leinster. The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (Éirí Amach 1798 Turn Oot 1798 or 1798 rebellion as it is known locally was an uprising in 1798 lasting several months against the 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 centre of Wexford town. In general a loyalist is one who maintains loyalty to an established government political party or sovereign especially during war or revolutionary change The Society of United Irishmen was founded as a Liberal political organisation in eighteenth century Ireland that sought Parliamentary reform

Redmond Square, near the railway station, commemorates the elder John Redmond who was Liberal MP for the city of Wexford between 1859-65. Wexford railway station (O'Hanrahan Station serves the town of Wexford in County Wexford, Ireland. John Edward Redmond was Liberal MP for the city of Wexford from 1859-1865 The Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the rise of the Labour Party in the 1920s and a third party A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. 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 sat as an MP. William Archer Redmond sat for Wexford as a member of the Home Rule Party led by Isaac Butt from 1872 to 1880 in Isaac Butt's Home Rule Party between 1872 and 1880. Isaac Butt 6 September 1813 &ndash 5 May 1879) was an Irish Barrister, and the founder and first leader of a number of Irish nationalist The Home Rule League, sometimes called the Home Rule Party, was a Political party which campaigned for Home rule for the island of Ireland from 1873 to The younger John Redmond, son of William Archer Redmond was a devoted follower of Charles Stewart Parnell and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party till his death in April 1918. John Edward Redmond (Seán Éamonn Mac Réamoinn (1 September 1856 &ndash 6 March 1918 was an Irish nationalist Politician, Barrister, MP Charles Stewart Parnell ( 27 June 1846 &ndash 6 October 1891) was an Irish Protestant landowner nationalist The Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP (commonly called the Irish Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing He is interred in the Redmond family vault, St. John's cemetery, Upr. St. John's St. It is kept in a very neglected condition by the Wexford Borough Corporation. Redmond Park was formally opened in 1931 as a memorial to Willie Redmond, the younger brother of John Redmond. William Hoey Kearney Redmond ( 15 April, 1861 &ndash 9 June, 1917) (commonly known as Willie Redmond) was an Irish John Edward Redmond (Seán Éamonn Mac Réamoinn (1 September 1856 &ndash 6 March 1918 was an Irish nationalist Politician, Barrister, MP 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. Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914 the German army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining The Battle of Messines was a battle of the western front of World War I. Willie Redmond had sat as a Parnellite MP. for Wexford from 1883-1885.

Wexford's success as a sea port declined in the twentieth 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 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. Against all the odds, as well as bankruptcy of the contractor, the project was a success. In the early 20th Century, a new port was built, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) south, at Rosslare Harbour, now known as Rosslare Europort. Rosslare Europort ( Irish: Calafort Ros Láir) is a modern Seaport located at Rosslare Harbour in County Wexford, Ireland 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.

Modern Wexford

John F. Kennedy visiting the John Barry Memorial at Crescent Quay, Wexford town, Ireland - 27 June 1963. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of John Barry (1745 – 13 September, 1803) was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and later in

The town of Wexford closely follows the quays, which run in a northwest to southeast direction and are built upon re-claimed land. The main street runs more or less parallel to the river and is about a mile long from Redmond Square at the northwest end to Barrack Street at the southeast end. It starts as Selskar Street, then North Main Street from the junction with George's Street, runs into the square called the Bull Ring, then proceeds as South Main Street. Almost all the shops in Wexford lie along this one line, although new retail centres on the town's outskirts are now attracting the larger multiples. Wexford serves a large hinterland in South County Wexford, including townlands and villages such as Ballycogley and Castlebridge. Ballycogley is a large Townland located 8 miles from Wexford town in Ireland. Other important Wexford towns include Gorey, Enniscorthy and New Ross, the ancestral home of the Kennedy family whose members include JFK, Bobby Kennedy and senator Ted Kennedy. This article is about the town in Ireland For the artist see Edward Gorey, for the town in Jersey please see Gorey Jersey Gorey Enniscorthy ( is the second-largest town in County Wexford, Ireland (town and environs population 9538) New Ross ( is a town located in southwest County Wexford, in the southeast of Ireland. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy (November 20 1925 – June 6 1968 also called RFK, was the United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964 and a Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy (born February 22 1932 is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic The scenic Bannow Drive, a short distance from Wexford, is popular with tourists. It's a signposted route through four Wexford villages including Duncormick, Cullenstown, Bannow and Wellingtonbridge. Duncormick (Dun Cormaic is a picturesque rural village and surrounding community located in the sunny south of County Wexford, Ireland.

A modern bridge connects Wexford town with the northern part of the county. It is one of the longest bridges in Ireland.

Over the last decade, Wexford has witnessed some major developments such as the Key West centre on the Quays, the redevelopment of the Quayfront itself, Whites Hotel and the huge new residential development of Clonard Village, roughly 4km from the town centre. Recently, Tesco opened up a new store in the town, on the former site of the Pierce Foundry. Tesco Ireland Limited is a Supermarket company in the Republic of Ireland formed in Tesco plc's 1997 acquisition of the Irish retailing The store is the supermarket chain's largest in Ireland outside Dublin.

Modern building developments in Wexford have not shirked from the architectural cutting edge, as attested to by buildings such as Whites Hotel, the new Theatre Royal (currently under construction) and the new headquarters of Wright's Insurance group. Developments currently in the pipeline 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 relocation of a government department (most likely the Department of the Marine) has been mooted for the currently wasted reclaimed land at Ferrybank.

From an employment point of view, major employers in and around the town are Carl Zeiss Vision (formerly Sola Optical), Wexford Creamery, Wexford Viking Glass, Snap-Tite, Waters Technology, Kent Construction, Equifax and PFPC. In the public sector, employment is provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), the Department of Agriculture and the usual public services located in a county town, such as the Revenue Commissioners. The Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA) (An Ghníomhaireacht um Chaomhnú Comhshaoil has responsibilities for a wide range of licensing enforcement monitoring and assessment

Notable churches within the town include St Iberius, and Rowe Street with its distinctive spire, and the impressive St Peter's College, with a chapel designed by Augustus Welby Pugin. Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( 1 March 1812 – 14 September 1852) was an English Architect, designer and theorist of design now

Culture

Wexford town hosts the internationally recognised Opera Festival every autumn. The 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 Eoin Colfer, the author of the Artemis Fowl series of children's books, is from Wexford, and is sometimes seen in the Wexford Book Centre on Main Street, signing books or promoting children's literature. Eoin Colfer (born 14 May 1965) is an Irish Author of children's books and a comedian There is a draft page for this article here. Artemis Fowl is a series of Fantasy novels written by Irish author Eoin Colfer Singer and playwright Larry Kirwan of the Celtic-Rock band Black 47 is a native of Wexford. Larry Kirwan (born 1948 in Wexford, Ireland) is an expatriate Irish writer and musician most noted as the lead singer for the New York based Irish rock band Based in New York City Black 47 is a Celtic rock band made up of Irish expatriates formed in The Bronx by Larry Kirwan and Chris Similarly, award-winning novelist John Banville was born and educated there. John Banville (born 1945 is an Irish Novelist and Journalist. The playwright Billy Roche hails from the town and has set all of his stage plays there. Billy Roche (born 11 January 1949) is an Irish Playwright and Actor. Actor Padraic Delaney also hails from the area. Pádraic Delaney (born 6 November 1977) is an Irish Actor best known for playing Teddy O'Donovan in the Ken Loach film One of Wexfords most influential sons was Johnny Reck (1919 - 2004). A musician of note who gave a lot of young musicians a chance to cut their teeth in the Showband Era of the 1960's, amongst those who started out under Johnny were; Larry Kirwan (Black 47), Pierce Turner, Robbie Furlong and Billy Roche amongst others. An early example of the Mummers play is known from Wexford from about 1817. Arts Centre) which hosts exhibitions, theatre music and dance events since 1976 is situated in 1760's building where John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church spoke and praised the speaking facilities as the best he had visited and Percy French also performed here. Today various concerts are held in St Iberius's Church (Church of Ireland). The church, on Main Street, is over three hundred years old.

Until about 150 years ago, the Yola language could be heard in Wexford, and a few words still remain in use. Yola is an extinct West Germanic language formerly spoken in Ireland. The present dialect is said to be similar to Andaluz, where the final edge of a word ceases to exist. [1]. 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.

Transport

Wexford railway station opened on 17 August 1874. Wexford railway station (O'Hanrahan Station serves the town of Wexford in County Wexford, Ireland. Events 986 - A Byzantine army was destroyed in the pass of Trajan's Gate by the Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Year 1874 ( MDCCCLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common ^[2] The railway line from Dublin to Rosslare Harbour runs along the quayside south of the town. The Dublin-Rosslare railway line is a main rail route between Dublin Connolly station and Rosslare Europort, where it connects with ferry services to the United

Sport

Tenpin Bowling

November 2007 will see a new state of the art Bowling & leisure centre opening in the town. The Leisure Max Centre is due to open by the end of November. The centre is planning to offer a pro shop & coaching from former GB Bowler Simon Brown.

Golf

Wexford Golf Club has an extensive membership and boasts a top-class course and clubhouse, both of which were built in 2006, while the course was completed in 2007. It is regarded as one of the best parkland courses in the south-east.

Football

In 2007 a new football team, Wexford Youths, was admitted to the FAI National League. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Wexford Youths Football Club are an Irish football club from Wexford who compete in the First Division of the FAI League of Ireland The FAI eircom League of Ireland is the Republic of Ireland 's current national football league system created following the merging of the FAI and the League This is the first time Wexford has had a team in the competition. Wexford Youths are the brainchild of construction magnate Mick Wallace, who has funded the construction of a state-of-the-art complex for the new team's home at Newcastle, Ferrycarrig. Their first home game in the league was a 1-0 win against Roy Keane's first club, Cobh Ramblers. Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971 in Mayfield, Cork) is an Irish former professional footballer and the current manager of

Gaelic games

Wexford is also home to several Gaelic Athletic Association clubs. The Gaelic Athletic Association ( GAA) ( Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael /'kʊmˠən̪ˠ 'l̪ˠuh Though the town was traditionally a Gaelic football hotbed, 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. Gaelic football ( Irish: Peil, Peil Ghaelach, or Caid) commonly referred to as " football " is a form of Football Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Tipperary ( Irish: Tiobraid Árann, lit "The well of Arra" is the name of a town (pop 4546 in the south-west of County Tipperary, Ireland 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.

The town’s local hurling club Faythe Harriers holds a record fifteen county minor championships, having dominated the minor hurling scene in the 1950s, late 1960s & early 1970s. Faythe Harriers (in Irish hArrierí an Faiche is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Wexford town Ireland. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. However, the senior side has only enjoyed briefly successful periods, having won only 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. Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Other notable Gaelic football clubs in the town are Sarsfields, St. Mary’s of Maudlintown, Clonard and St. Joseph’s.

Boxing

Ireland’s boxing head coach and former Irish Olympian Billy Walsh is native of Wexford town and has contributed greatly to the success of underage level boxers with local club St. Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, Ibars/Joseph’s.

Twinning

• Annapolis, Maryland, USA
• Coueron, France

Trivia

• Saving Private Ryan: the opening scenes of the film were filmed on Curracloe Beach, Co. Annapolis is the capital of the US state of Maryland, as well as the County seat of Anne Arundel County. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Couëron is a French commune in the Loire-Atlantique département and in the Pays de la Loire région This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 War film set during the invasion of Normandy during World War II. Wexford. The beach lies a few miles to the north across the bridge at the village of Curracloe. Curracloe ( is a village in County Wexford, a few miles northeast of the town of Wexford, Ireland.
• Meteorologist and TV presenter Gerald Fleming, was born in Wexford. Meteorology (from Greek grc μετέωρος metéōros, "high in the sky" and grc -λογία -logia) is the Interdisciplinary ^[3]
• The skeleton of the blue whale at the Natural History Museum of London was found in Wexford Bay

See also

• List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
• Market Houses in the Republic of Ireland
• Yola Dialect

References

External links

• Official Tourism Website
• Wexford: A Town and its Landscape
• Hidden Wexford Genealogy, A genealogy website devoted to those researching Wexford institutions