PHOTOS - a slideshow of photos from County Wexford
1.The name ‘Wexford’ evolved from the Scandanavian name “Waesfjord” which means an “inlet of flat mud lands”.
In Irish the town is called “Loch Garman”. Legend has it this name came from the tale of a local man called Garman Garbh who was drowned on the mud flats of the River Slaney. The man was drowned by flood waters that were released by an enchantress. Therefore the resulting lake was named Lake of Garman.
2.The town was founded by the Vikings in 800 AD and besieged by the Normans in 1169. It was a predominantly English settlement during the Middle Ages.
PHOTOS - a slideshow of photos from County Wexford
3. A language known as ‘Yola’ was spoken in Wexford until it became extinct in the 19th century. To learn more about this language you can visit Yola Farmstead Folk Park.
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READ MORE:
Visit County Wexfords information page for more details
Top ten most annoying things about Ireland
Top ten facts about Galway – ‘Ireland's Cultural Heart’ - PHOTOS
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4. Patrick Kennedy, John F. Kennedy’s grandfather, was born in New Ross, in County Wexford. You can visit the Kennedy Homestead in New Ross, a museum and farm run by JFK’s descendants. You can also visit the Irish American Hall of Fame and the JFK arboretum.
5. At Hook Head you will see one of the world’s oldest, and still operating lighthouses. The lighthouse was set up in the 5th century when a fire would be set to warn incoming mariners. It’s listed as one of the top 14 attractions in Ireland by the Lonely Planet.
6. The D-day sequence in Steven Spielberg's 1998 Oscar winning film “Saving Private Ryan” were filmed on Ballinesker Beach, on Curracloe Stand. The beach was chosen due to its similarity to Omaha Beach in Normandy. Filming lasted for two months, from June 27 in 2997.
PHOTOS - a slideshow of photos from County Wexford
7. Wexford is home to Europe’s most successful opera festivals - “The Wexford Opera Festival”. The festival was established in 1951 and has been running ever since.
8. Wexford has some distinctive food that is quite famous for. This is due to their local cultivations of seafood. Smoked Cod is just one of the more popular dishes in the area.
9. Wexford was the centre of the 1798 rebellion against English rule. 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 town centre.
10. Commodore John Barry, the father of the American Navy was born in the village of Tacumshane, just south of Wexford.
& 11. The county motto is "Through Fire and Water". The town's crest show three burning ships to symbolize the massacres that took place in the area over the centuries.
PHOTOS - a slideshow of photos from County Wexford
______________
READ MORE:
Visit County Wexfords information page for more details
Top ten most annoying things about Ireland
Top ten facts about Galway – ‘Ireland's Cultural Heart’ - PHOTOS
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5 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.leinsterlady | Sep 11, 2011, 08:50 PM EDT
I am so happy that Wexford gets a mention over here, it happens so rarely. When people ask me where I am from I tell them I am from County Wexford the county with the x (factor) in the name. I would also like to remind you that Wexford has the Blackstairs Mountains, near where I grew up a few miles from the beautiful town of Bunclody. Today Wexford reigns supreme as our Senior and Intermediate Camogie temas have won both All Ireland Championships. Wexfordians have so much to be proud of.
billie061 | Sep 10, 2011, 06:03 AM EDT
I spent my childhood summers in Kilmuckridge Wexford, they were the best summers I ever had. I recently brought my grandsons there for a day on the beach and its still the most beautiful beach in Ireland.
cmp3468 | Sep 09, 2011, 11:27 AM EDT
What about the Battle of Vinegar Hill in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford and Father Murphy and Boolavogue?
aoibhinn | Sep 09, 2011, 11:22 AM EDT
The saying, "By Hook or by Crook" is thought by some to be originated by Oliver Cromwell planning to take Waterford by landing at Hook Head (in Wexford) or Crooke village. There is Tintern Abbey, a copy of the one in Wales, founded by William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, fulfilling his promise to God if he survived a shipwreck. The idea for Guiness Book of World Records was originated in Castlebridge.
luckysusan | Sep 09, 2011, 11:19 AM EDT
Surely you meant "Patrick Kennedy, GRANDfather of John F. Kennedy..."