Old Houses & Heritage Sites
Johnstown Castle and Agrcultural Museum
Not only will the visitor experience a wonderful tour of the recently restored 'Castle' there is a well stocked and intriguing agricultural museum - every sort of historical agricutural equipment is on display.
The grounds are magnificent - there is a play area for children and a beautiful lake walk.
National Heritage Park - Wexford
Wexford Heritage Park is constructed on aprox 35 acres of land. A fun day is guaranteed for all ages on taking a tour of the park. Experience at first hand campsites to Ringforts, from mill to Fulacht Fiadh, from Crannog to Viking house, an amazing experience covering over 9000 years.
The park has been reconstructed to recreate an authentic experience of Ireland’s heritage through the ages. To experience fully what Wexford Heritage offers a guided tour is a must. After the tour guests can avail of the top class restaurant and tea rooms also on site at the Heritage Park.
Location: Ferrycarrig
W: www.inhp.com
T: +353 (0) 53 912 0733
Sat Nav: N: 52.348 W: -6.51673
Ros Tapestry
L: New Ross
T: 051 445396
W: www.rostapestry.com
National 1798 Visitor Centre and Vinegar Hill
Appropriately situated in the shadow of Vinegar - the 1798 Visitor Centre is a very short walk (approx 1/2km from the centre of Enniscorthy town. The Visitor Centre gives an excellent account of the 1798 Rebellion and its after effects on lives in the county - using the multi-media and interactive exhibits. An audio-visual presentation will hold the attention of children and older guests alike.
Vinegar Hill has an iconic view of Enniscorthy and was the location during the Rebellion of 1798 where Irish insurgents, led by Father Murphy, encamped on the hill and flew their banner from the windmill. The shell of the windmill remains today.
Location: Enniscorthy
W: http://www.1798centre.ie/index.htm
T: +353 (0) 53 923 7596
Sat Nav: N: 52.49675529 W: -6.569405
JFK Park and Arboretum
Dedicated to the memory of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, President of the United States from 1960 to 1963, the Arboretum is a plant collection of international standind as well as a home for much wildlife - red squirrel etc.
The park covers a vast area over 600 acres on the slopes and peak of Slieve Coiltia - a wonderful viewing point and a walkers delight. There are numerous (between 4 & 5 thousand) types of trees and shrubs from all temperate regions of the world, planted in botanical sequence and the forest plots (over 200) are grouped by continent.
With an impressive display of rhododendrons and many varieties of azaleas and heathers, dwarf conifers, hedges, ground covers and climbing plants the park is a gardeners paradise. There is a manmade lake which is accessed by pathways through the wooded areas. The lake is a haven for ducks and other waterfowl. A Visitor Centre houses exhibitions and an audio visual show. To entertain the younger visitors there is a wonderful playground and tea/coffee shop for refreshments.
On the opposite side of the road to the Park entrance is the access road to the summit of Slieve Coilte from which there are amazing views on a clear day.
Location: 12 km south of New Ross
W: http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/south-east/thejohnfkennedyarboretum/
T: +353 (0)51 388171
Sat Nav: 52.319261,-6.934819
Wexford Wildfowl Reserve
Wexford Harbour and its Slobs are natural havens for birds. Located on the south-east coast of Ireland, they are the closest point for birds migrating into or out of Ireland from Britain and the Continent from a southerly direction.
Waders and wildfowl in particular are attracted to the area where the flat landscape and the wide shallow harbour with its sandbars and mud banks provide safe areas to feed, loaf, roost and breed.
From early October through to the middle of April, the North and South Slobs and the Harbour are home to thousands of ducks, geese, swans and waders making this a site of major international importance for wildfowl and waders. In addition, during spring and autumn, large numbers of birds on migration stop to feed in these rich areas.
It's a short drive to the stunning Raven Nature Reserve - a beautiful place for a walk or cycle through mature pine forest growing on old sand dunes parallel to the sea.
Location: Wexford
W www.wexfordwildfowlreserve.ie
T 353 (0) 53 912 3406
Sat Nav: 52.35960, -6.41720
Wexford Opera House
Wexford Opera House is Ireland’s first custom-built, multi-purpose opera house. Situated in the centre of the beautiful Harbour town of Wexford it offers two performance spaces, The John and Aileen O’Reilly Theatre and The Jerome Hynes Theatre. Each autumn it becomes the focus of cultural tourism in the south east hosting the now renowned Wexford Opera festival - opening night is a special event for all locals and guests with an amazing firework display on the quayfront.
The Opera House offers a wide range of entertainment throughout the year, from light opera to popular culture, amateur drama, top comedy acts and international tours.
Guided tours of the Opera House take place every Saturday commencing at 2.30p.m. (€5) and visitors get to explosre the orchestra pit, artists' dressing rooms, backstage areas and sample the acoustics of both the O'Reilly Theatre and the Jerome Hynes Theatre.
Book online at www.wexfordoperahouse.ie or call the Box Office on 053 912 2144
Location: High Street, Wexford
W: www.wexfordoperahouse.ie
T: +353 (0) 53 912 2144
Sat Nav: 52.33801, -6.46238
Wexford Arts Centre
Wexford Arts Centre, located in the old Cornmarket, central to Wexford Town, is situated in a historic 18th Century building . Open all year round it hosts numerous events including film, theatre, dance, live music, family events, comedy and visual art exhibitions. The centre hosts all year round free admission to art exhibitions and talks. It also hosts education workshops for all ages including Little Artist Clubs, Arty Parties and afterschool drama programmes. A detailed listing of all events is available on their website
L: Wexford Town
T: 053 9123764
W: www.wexfordartscentre.ie.
E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Wexford Garden Trail
Wexford gardens tell the history and the diversity of the county and its landscape. The trail allows visitors to experience some gardens who originiated back as far as the 18th and 19th centuries and other gardens just begun in the last decade or so. The larger public gardens provide an ideal outing for all the family, while the smaller private gardens are more intimate and will give visitors an enjoyable and relaxing afternoon. Award winning gardens, garden centres and specialist nurseries form part of the garden trail.
Castles & Museums
Ballyhack Castle, in the fishing village of Ballyhack, south west Wexford, is a large tower house built in 1450 by the Knights Hospitallers of St. John a military order of the twelfth century at the time of the Crusades. Ballyhack Castle built of conglomerate Old Red sandstone (the local rock type), originally stood five storeys high. Guided Tours of the Castle available in high season which take 40 minutes. Admission is free.
