Tour Of Wexford

A Magical History Tour To understand and appreciate Wexford, one should take time to stroll around, look and absorb it's story. There is so much history on offer in Wexford that a chronological tour would criss cross and confuses, so we look at the town geographically. Viewing Wexford from the route that brings a visitor directly into the heart of the town by approaching via the bridge over the Slaney from Ferrybank. From here we see a town built on a series of shelves which Wexford author and playwright Billy Roche has described as "tumbling down" to the waterfront. For our tour, we step off the bridge onto the Commercial Quay. Here in 1798, executions were carried out on an oaken bridge built four years previously. Both sides engaged in the bloodbath, with bodies being flung into the river and heads mounted on spikes at the courthouse that stood here. Turning left we walk along the new quayfront which replaces the Woodenworks or Pilewharf erected in the 1880s to allow railway wagons to be loaded with cargoes from the Wexford ships which plied the oceans of the world from Odessa to Savannah. During those busy times we could not have strolled along these quays as they were self governed workplaces with gates, constabulary and curfews. During the last century the quays were lined with malthouses, timberyards and coal depots. Common Quay that opens off Common Quay Street at the Bank of Ireland building was probably an open quay similar to the common land areas. Directly ahead is the Crescent Quay, reputedly built at the former Deep Pool, which was used as a safe haven to carry out repairs to ships. The statue at The Crescent is of John Barry, Father of the Navy of the United States of America, who was born at Ballysampson, about ten miles from Wexford. The rather curious man-made island in the harbour opposite Paul Quay is The Ballast Bank. It was erected over a century ago to provide a place loading an unloading the ballast essential to stabilise ships sailing without cargo. Beyond the Crescent, is Paul Quay variously said to take it's name from Paul Turner a landowner, Pale meaning a fortress or Pole meaning a river. The pale could refer to the castle or barracks which once dominated the area. The pole could be the Horse River which enters the harbour at the small bridge here. Staffords coal and grain buildings, now mostly levelled as car parking on the right are on the site of the family's shipping company established in the 1800s. At the end of the quays stood the shipwharf from where regular sailings of passengers, livestock and cargo sailed for Bristol, Tenby and Liverpool. Beyond that was Wexford Dockyard opened in 1832 by the Redmond family. All of these stood on land reclaimed by Redmond schemes. Turning right we pass The Talbot Hotel on our left, built and greatly extended over the decades from a simple school. Both sides of King or Partridge Street were lined with maltstores,for the storage of barley for the famous Guinness beverages. Turning right onto the next shelf, or Main Street we pass the old derelict Capitol Cinema building on our left. It began as a furniture store of the Stafford group but opened as a cinema in February 1931. This section of Main Street South is also known as Stonebridge. It was the scene of Wexford's first recorded murder case in the 1560. It also had a gaol at Stafford's Castle, now occupied by shops on our right, which later became the House of Industry. The stone bridge, which gives the area, it's name stood where a tarmacadam strip could be seen up to recently. It spans the Horse River and was intriguingly and mysteriously called Jew's Bridge on some old maps.

Where Bride Street joins Main Street on our left, was known as Coffin Corner in 1812. During excavation for the building now standing to the north of this junction, evidence of our Viking past was uncovered. Similar remnants were found at Oyster Lane opposite. That lane takes it's name from the taverns like Carr's famed for oysters, brown bread and ale which stood there. The tiny, narrow lane opposite is known as Mann's Lane. The Dun Mhuire or Parish Hall, further along Main Street has in the past been the town house of Richard Devereux, shipowner and businessman, the home of priests for Bride Street parish and a Royal Irish Constabulary barracks. Just beyond here Harpurs Lane, called Cinema Lane as the site of our first purpose built cinema in 1914 and Peter Street also known as Gibson’s Lane bisect the street. The slight incline in Main Street is known as Coffey's Hill and actually gives the title to a piece of popular music played by St. Patrick's Fife and Drum Band which was founded in Wexford in 1893. The street leading to the quay here is Henrietta Street, once lined by sawmills and timber yards. Allen Street branches west from Main Street, named after the Rev. Joseph Allen. It was earlier known as Broad Street and was paved first in 1793. Penneys department store is on the site of Kenny's Hall where Oliver Cromwell resided for a short time in October 1649 after the fall of Wexford. Through a low narrow arch on the right hand side of Main Street we can see the steps of Keysar's Lane, the oldest thoroughfare in Wexford dating from Viking times. Slegg's Lane, across Main Street is the inland continuation of the route. Anne Street branches seaward from Main Street and once housed numerous clubs such as Masonic and Orange halls. It has been known as The Flesh Market and The Shambles in the past due to meat markets being located there. The Mechanics Institute was opened in July 1849 providing education and a library as well as reading rooms. The Peter Mark salon is built on the entrance to Archers Lane which connected Main Street to High Street. One of the narrowest spots on the Main Street is at Hassett's Pharmacy which incidentally once had the telephone number 'Wexford 1'. Fettetts Lane on the eastern side of the street shows how all such lanes looked a century ago when they provided access to the quays and were locked by the harbour constable each night. Beyond the Rowe Street, Church Lane intersection is St. Iberius Church, on the site of one of our earliest places of worship. Many interesting monuments may be viewed here. At The Bullring, Sheppard's statue of The Pikeman recalls the Rebellion of 1798 when the first Irish republic was declared here. This is also the likely site of the Cromwellian massacre of 1649. The Bullring takes it's name from the sport of bull-baiting which was carried on here in the 17th century. The place has been called Fountain Square, The Piazza and The Common Plain at various stages in our history. North Main Street from here was once known as Foreshore Street, as it was once part of the shoreline of the river and harbour. The next covered lane on the right is Oak's Lane, another of the old access routes to the seafront. Next along is Charlotte Street once known as Custom House Lane. White's Hotel began life where Viola Restaurant now dominates the narrow street. It was here that Robert McLure, discoverer of the North West Passage was born. Monck Street to the right takes it's name from General Monck who was granted the land and the ferry rights in the 1650s. It was previously known as Ferryboat Lane, from where the ferry to the opposite bank of the river departed prior to the construction of the 1794 bridge. The northern end of Main Street leads into Selskar Street and is criss-crossed with other avenues. Skeffington Street leads to the sea, it used to be named Ram Street after Bishop Ram.

George's Street with it's many old townhouses of the gentry such as the Colcoughs and Harveys, is on the left. Some of the old boot scrapers of an earlier period are still evident here outside the front doors. Trimmers Lane cuts east and west following the route of an ancient causeway linking Selskar Abbey to the ferry rock. The street opens out onto the urban development of Redmond Square as we turn left onto Slaney Street. Slaney Street was home to the families of lighthouse keepers at Tuskar Rock after complaints had been made by Sir Randolph Churchill about conditions for such people on the rock in winter in the 1880s. Turning left from this street we walk in the shadow of Selskar Abbey built on the oldest site of worship in the Wexford area. The abbey, of which the present tower is part, was constructed at the time of the Third Crusade. When Alexander Roche returned from the Middle East to find his fiancee, fearing him dead, had entered a convent, he is said to have founded Selskar Abbey. With the historic abbey tower at our back we proceed along the street named after it, Abbey Street, showing some examples of excellent urban infill housing where once numerous small homes, forges and shops stood. At Cornmarket we enter one of the oldest Norman marketplaces, where corn was the principal commodity. The Arts Centre which dominates the square was built as The Assembly Rooms in 1775. As a market house, it's lower floor an open selling area accessed through archways. Over the centuries the building had a number of uses including being the Town Hall headquarters of the Corporation. There was a very popular ballroom in the building in the 1940s and 1950s. Moving along this shelf of Wexford we enter Back Street where we can trace the old town wall along above the carpark. Crossing Rowe Street with one of our twin Catholic churches on the right and the remains of a Wesleyan Church on our left we enter High Street. Virtually hidden along this street is the home of the internationally famous, Wexford Festival Opera. The Theatre Royal blends discreetly into the streetscape, belying it's importance and size, hidden behind the preserved facades of the old houses. A glance to the right up Mary Street, reveals the Franciscan Church on the ancient site outside Mary's Gate. Ahead lies St. Patrick's Square and the old church of St. Patrick in whose grounds lie the remains of the dead of both sides in the 1798 Rebellion. Passing through Patrick's Lane, across Peter Street and into Mary's Lane we walk some of Wexford's older streets, now reduced to mere access laneways. At Mary's Lane we pass outside the walls of St. Mary's churchyard, last resting place of many military inhabitants of Wexford. The house with dormer windows in the lane was used as a Masshouse in the days of anti-Catholic laws. Turning to the right, up Bride street we approach the second of our twin churches where we turn right into Roches Road named after Canon James Roche who was the driving force behind the church construction in the 1850s. Passing Peter's Square, venue for many political rallies in the early years of the century we enter School Street, named after it's many educational establishments in the past. This street becomes John Street, beyond the Franciscan and Rowe Street churches. Continuing on we pass John St. Graveyard on the right with it's Redmond Vault. At the top of John Street, entering Wygram is the Vallotin Monument erected to commemorate Major Vallotin, slain on this site in July 1793. Beyond this is The Municipal Buildings, the offices of Wexford Corporation in a former boarding school, the Tate, built with the bequest of a Wexford man who made his fortune in the Jamaica sugar trade.

Up the hill past this structure we enter a wide green area known as the Windmills Hill from the mills once operating here. The site was used for executions and also as a market area in the past. Further along we are on Belvedere Road beside Belvedere House, home of Dr. George Hadden founder of The Old Wexford Society and Wexford Male Voice Choir. From this road named Belvedere or "Pleasant View" a sharp left turn brings us onto a narrow rightof-way which ran from the old Convent of Mercy, once an Industrial School and Orphanage, now demolished and built over, to a school in John's Road. This pleasant walk to the Westlands housing development brings us to John's Road, with a magnificent view as we descend into Wexford, crossing Davitt Road, John St., Abbey St and Main St. to Commercial Quay and the bridge from where we embarked on our Magical History Tour. Nicky Rossiter