Co. Wexford is not famous for its islands; only birdwatchers and historians are likely to know anything about the Saltees & Keeraghs off the south coast. Nevertheless, the county can lay claim to one Ireland’s most important offshore outposts in the shape of the Tuskar Rock.

The Saltee Islands, two large granite outcrops just off the south coast of Co. Wexford, give their name to Ireland’s most famous bird sanctuary. (Photo by Edd BC) Continue reading Wexford’s Islands →

The above image is from the Wexford harbour website which gives you harbour navigation and other information.

Wexford Harbour is a large inlet near the southern end of Wexford Bay, forming a natural haven at the mouth of the River Slaney, long guarded by two sandy peninsulas to the north and south of the entrance, called the Raven and Rosslare Point respectively.

Loch Garman, the Irish name for this body of estuarine water (and Wexford town and all of Co. Wexford) derives from Garman Garbh, an obscure hero of conflicting legends about robbers and princess brides, who was supposedly drowned in a flood invoked by a wicked Enchantress.

The area is believed to have been occupied over 6,000 years ago, but little is known of its prehistory beyond a few intriguing artefacts left by the shadowy predecessors of the Gaels. The earliest Classical map reference is to Menapia, after a Belgic tribe who were believed by the cartographer Ptolomey to occupy the area. Continue reading Wexford Harbour, Town and Environs →

Waterford (Port Lairge) (pop. 50,000), the Republic of Ireland’s fifth largest (i.e. second smallest) city, has been described as “basically a modern European port wrapped around an old provincial town“. The old docks on the River Suir and some of the suburbs are rather grim, but between them lies a vibrant and interesting nucleus with a distinctly urban ambience.

Waterford by night. (Photo by Typhoon)

There are some excellent pubs, both traditional and modern. The students attending the modern Waterford Institute of Technology have created a burgeoning youth scene, and I’m told that the nightlife is quite sophisticated. Apart from the ghastly concentration of fast-food joints on John Street, there are a couple of good restaurants, where you will learn that “Blaa” is a doughy, white bread roll peculiar to Waterford City. Continue reading Waterford City and Environs →