County Wexford
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County Wexford
IMPORTANT ADDRESSES:
County Town is Wexford
Wexford Public Library,
Selskar House, off Redmond Square,
Wexford, Co. Wexford,
Ireland.
Email [email protected]
Wexford Genealogy Centre, Yola Farmstead, Tagoat, Co. Wexford
Registrar General, County Clinic, Grogan's Road, Wexford
The Past (annual),
An tAthair Oirmh, S. de Val., P.P.
Ui Ceinnsealaigh Historical Society, Oulart, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford
Wexford Historical Society Journal (annual)
Mrs. C. Murphy, 2 Whitemill Road, Wexford
County Wexford On-Line
From FIANNA
Co Wexford Data
Co Wexford 1911 Census FHLC numbers 
Co Wexford Roman Catholic Parishes 
Other OnLine Resources
GENUKI Co Wexford Page and an email list!
Wexford Data - Genuki
IGW Co Wexford
Queries
Mailing List:Wexford-L
County Wexford, Sweet Irish Rogues
Wexford Surnames List
County Wexford
Wexford Family Heritage Centre computerizing parish records
Provides search service for a fee
See TIARA for customer comments
Wexford Web
Bits and Pieces
It is possible to search both Tithe Alloment Books & Griffith Valuation
c. 1829 & c. 1850/55 for Co. Wexford, it should help narrow the PARISH
registers to be searched.
The following reference extist for Co. Wexford :
-------------------------------------------------
1665 Roman Catholic Church Register earlist
1671 Church of Ireland early register
1825 Tithe Alloments Books 1820/30
1853 Griffith Valuation 1853
1864 Civil Registration of Birth, Marriage & Deaths
1872 George Griffith, Co. Wexford Almanac 1872
1885 George H. Bassett, Wexford Co. Guide & Directory
Memorial of the Death , 10 Vol set for Co. Wexford.
WEXFORD GEOGRAPHY
1. Name-The name Wexford is Danish; the old form is Weis-ford. The
Gaelic name is Loch-Garman.
2. Size and Population-Length from Hook Head to the boundary near
Coolgreany, 55 miles; breadth from New Ross to Carnsore Point, 29 miles;
breadth from Mount Leinster to the coast near Blackwater, 23 miles;
area, 901 square miles; population, 123,587.
3. Surface-The north-west margin has a grand mountain fringe. On the
northern frontier, the Wicklow Mountains, subsiding toward the south,
send spurs and offshoots into Wexford. A series of high lands begins a
little south-east of New Ross in the west, and runs north-east toward
Enniscorthy. A district running from Croghan Kinsella toward the
south-west to Slieveboy is all hilly. The south-east angle of the
county, namely the two baronies of Forth and Bargy, terminating in
Carnsore Point, is a dead level, guarded on the north-west by a small
mountain knot. The rest of the county, constituting far the greater
part, is a plain, diversified by ridges and isolated hills.
4.Mountain and Hills-Between Wexford and Carlow run the ranges of Mount
Leinster (2,610) and Blackstairs (2,409), separated by Scullogue Gap,
which have been described in Carlow. Black Rock Mountain (1,972), 2
miles east of Mount Leinster, lies wholely in Wexford. In the north,
the conspicuous Croghan Kinsella (1,987) lies on the boundary with
Wicklow. South-west of this is Annagh Hill (1,498); and still farther
south-west Slieveboy (1,385)-5 miles north of Ferns-is the terminating
spur of these hills. Tara Hill (826), which stands quite detached near
the coast 3 miles north-east of Gorey, is very conspicuous, and commands
a fine view. Forth Mountain (776), a long ridgy hill beginning 2 miles
from Wexford, and extending about 4 miles toward the south-west, is a
sort of barrier separating the two level baronies of Forth and Bargy
from the rest of the county.
5. Coast Line-The coast is low, and for the most part sandy, interrupted
in a few places by fringes of rock; it is unbroken from Kilmichael Point
to the Raven Point; but from this to Waterford Harbor it is much
indented by inlets.
6. Headland.-Kilmichael Point in the north-only slightly
projecting-marks the beginning of the Wexford coast. Roney Point,
Glascarrig Point, and Cahore Point can hardly be called headlands. The
Raven Point and Rosslare Point, which stand at opposite sides of the
entrance to Wexford Harbor, are at the extremities of two long sandy
penninsulas. Greenore Point is at the southern extremity of the open
Bay of Wexford; and Carnsore Point marks the sudden and final turn of
the coast to the west. West of this is Crossfarnoge or Forlorn Point.
Clammers Point, scarped and rocky, but low, and Baginbun Head, are at
the opposite sides of the entrance of Bannow Bay. Hook Head is the end
of the long, rock-fringed penninsula of Hook, which defines Waterford
harbor on the east; at the point is the ancient Tower of Hook, now
converted into a lighthouse.
7. Islands.-In Lady�s Island Bay, near Carnsore Point, are two little
islets, Inish and Lady�s Island, the latter containing the ruins of a
castle built by one of the Anglo-Norman adventurers. In Tacumshin
inlet, west of this, is the low sandy islet of Sigginstown. Immediately
south of Crossfarnoge Point are the Saltee Islands, consisting of Great
Saltee, a little more than a mile in length, and the Little Saltee,
three-quarters of a mile. In Ballyteige Bay are the Keeragh Islands, a
rocky reef, low and dangerous. Bannow Island, a mile in length, lies
just inside the entrance of Bannow Bay; on the mainland shore opposite
it is the old buried town of Bannow, which has been quite covered up by
the sand within the last 200 years. Five miles east-south-east of
Greenore Point is the Tuskar Rock, a well-known dangerous reef, the
scene of many shipwrecks, now marked by a lighthouse.
8. Bays and Harbors.-Wexford Harbor, at the mouth of the Slaney, is
large and sheltered, but shallow and sandy. Outside this, between
Rosslare Point and Greenore Point, is Wexford Bay. The remaining inlets
are al on the south coast. Lady�s Island Lake and Tacumshin Lake lie
near Carnsore Point. Ballyteige Bay is broad and open. Bannow Bay,
east of the penninsula of Hook, is long, narrow, and sandy. Waterford
Harbor separates Wexford from Waterford.
9. Rivers.-The Barrow first touches Wexford at the mouth of the
Pollmounty River; and the western boundary is formed first by this river
and afterward by the united waters of the Barrow, the Suir, and the
Nore; the whole distance from the mouth of the Pollmounty River to Hook
Head is about 31 miles. The following are the Wexford tributaries of
the Barrow and the Suir. One of the head streams of the Mountain River
(which joins the Barrow near Borris, in Carlow) rises in Wexford, and
runs into Carlow through Scullogue Gap (where it is called the
Aughnabrisky). A little farther south the Drummin River rises in
Wexford, but soon enters Carlow. The Pollmounty River joins the Barrow
5 miles in a straight line above New Ross, forming for the last mile of
its course the boundary between Wexford and Carlow.
- - The Slaney, from the point where it first touches Wexford to
Newtownbarry, a distance of 3 miles, separates Carlow from Wexford; it
enters Wexford at Newtownbarry, and flows through this county for the
rest of its course to Wexford Harbor. The following are the tributaries
of the Slaney belonging wholly or partly to Wexford: On the right or
western bank - the Clody rises in Mount Leinster, and joins the Slaney
at Newtownbarry. South of this is the Glasha, flowing from Black Rock
Mountain. The Urrin rises on the south slopes of Black Rock, flows
south-east, and joins half a mile below Enniscorthy. the Boro rises in
Blackstairs Mountain, and falls into the Slaney 2 1/2 miles below
Enniscorthy; it has for tributaries the Miltown Stream on the left bank,
and the Aughnaglaur on the right bank. On the right bank the Slaney is
joined by the Derry River, which, coming from Wicklow, forms the
boundary between Wexford and Wicklow for the last 3 miles of its course,
and joins 2 miles in a straight line above Newtownbarry. The Bann rises
in the southern slopes of Crohan Kinsella, flows south-south-west, and
joins 4 miles above Enniscorthy; about the middle of its course it is
itself joined on the right bank by the Lask. The Sow rises near
Ballaghkeen, and falls into Wexford Harbor.
The following rivers fall into the sea: In the north the Clonough
River. The Owenavorragh rises near Oulart, flows northward, and then
turning east, enters the sea east of Gorey. The Owenduff and the Corock
run southward in the head of Bannow Bay.
10. Towns.-Wexford (12,055), the assize town, on the shore of Wexford
Harbor, was the first place of any consequence taken by the
Anglo-Normans in the reign of Henry II. Enniscorthy (5,594) is situated
on the slope of a steep hill which rises over the Slaney; in the town is
the ruin of a very fine Anglo-Norman castle originally built by Raymond
le Gros, and also some abbey ruins. Higher up on the Slaney is the
pretty little town of Newtownbarry (1,014) situated in a wooded valley
traversed by the river. On the western side of the county is New Ross
(6,626, of whom 357 are in that part of the town belonging to Kilkenny),
in a beautiful situation on the Barrow. The village of Duncannon (604)
is situated on the shore of Waterford Harbor; and near it, on a rocky
headland over the river, is a strong military fort with a lighthouse.
In the north-east of the county, three miles from the sea-shore, is
Gorey (2,639). Three-quarters of a mile from the shore of the Bann is
the ancient episcopal town of Ferns (568), which derived it origin from
a church founded there in the sixth century by the celebrated St. Aidan,
or Maidoc, its first bishop, on a site granted to him by Branduff, king
of Leinster.
11. Minerals.-Copper ore is found at Kerloge, a little south of the
town of Wexford; and lead ore at Caim, north-west of Enniscorthy.
Silver was in former times raised at Clonmines, at the head of Bannow
Bay, and the ancient mines are still to be seen.
12. Ancient Divisions and Designations.-The descendents of Enna
Kinsella, King of Leinster in the fourth century, were called Hy
Kinsella, and gave their name to a large territory in Leinster, which
included a great portion of Wexford; the name of this old district is
still preserved by the mountain Croghan Kinsella. The southern Hy
Felimy, who after the tenth century took the family name of O�Murcada
(now Murphy), were seated in the present barony of Ballaghkeen (see
Carlow, Sec. 8, for the northern Hy Felimy). The barony of Forth
preserves the name of the old territory of Fotharta, for which see
Carlow, Sec. 8.
from GEOGRAPHY OF THE COUNTIES OF IRELAND
A description of the country and the several counties.
Thomas Kelly, Catholic Publisher Original Copyright 1867
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