In a country steeped in myth and legend
Wexford's history isno exception.
A story tells of its origin in the mists of
time, when Garman Garbh was drowned on
the mudflats by waters released by an
Enchantress. The vast expanse of
harbour thus created was named "The lake of
Garman" or Loch Garman, the Gaelic name for
Wexford.
As we trace our origins to the Celtic tribes who
moved westward across Europe and
were attracted to this natural
harbour on
Ireland's south east coast.
Our Christian heritage almost certainly predates
that of the national apostle Patrick,
as we had our own missioner
Ibar, whose presence
is recorded under his many varients such as Iver, Iberius and Ivory.
The Norsemen are accredited with introducing
towns to Ireland, and Wexford was
among the first, dating back to the
early 900's.
Our Norse and Viking ancestry is
frequently being proven by archaeological finds
within the town. From
marauding warriors, the Vikings became citizens and
traders of early Wexford and their legacy
includes the narrow
winding streets and
our town's name, Wexford, derived from the
Norse, Weissfiord - inlet of the mudflats.
In the Spring of 1169, the then prosperous town was taken by an invading
force of Norman knights, who over the
following centuries enclosed the town and regulated trade.
Among
the many visitors to Wexford around this time was the
English King, Henry II, reputed to have
done
penance at Selskar Abbey for the
murder of
Thomas a Beckett.
Through many turbulent years, Wexford
survived
warring factions, plagues and the
religious upheaval
of the Reformation.
The 1600's also brought suffering.
Wexford became a chief naval base for
the
Confederate Government in
its war with
the Parliament Forces and this led to a
massacre in 1649, when Wexford fell to
the army of
Oliver Cromwell.
Following this disaster, the town was
relatively calm for over a century, but
in the
hot
Summer of 1798, it exploded once
more onto the stage of Irish history. In that year of insurrection, many of
the woes of previous decades came to the
surface, with violent
results on both
sides.
This created memories which still
persist
in story and song.
Selskar
Abbey
From those dark days of 1798, Wexford entered an age of expansion.
The port was about to reach its zenith,
with hundred of ships trading with lands in Africa, the Black Sea and the United
States of America.
Trade increases led to the growth of industries ranging from
whiskey distilling to the manufacture of agricultural machinery.
The population
grew steadily and many new streets
were constructed, while in 1851, work
began on the elegant twin Churches
which were
to dominate the skyline.
It
was also in 1800's that many of
to-days important buildings were
constructed, St. Peters College in 1819 to
the Mechanics Institute in
1849
and the Tate School now the Municipal Buildings, in
1867.
The railway reached Wexford in 1870 and was continued along the quay front
by 1882. In the
early years of this century, Wexford agricultural
machinery companies
operated branch offices in
cities such as Paris and Buenos
Aires.
Many are familiar with the
industrial strife of the British
General Strike of 1926 and
the Dublin
Lock-out of 1913 but
prior to both of these, the
people of Wexford had
endured a lock-out for
over six
months 1911/1912, to secure the
right of trade union
representation. The great war of
1914-18 also left its mark on
Wexford.
Being still part of the British
Empire at that time, thousands
of her sons fought on
land and sea,
with many giving
their lives in the struggle.
An American Airbase was
established at Wexford during
this period. Its headquarters being where
the
present day Ely Hospital is at
the east end of
Wexford bridge. American airmen
from the base
patrolled St.
Georges Channel to
search out enemy U-boats.
Wexford
c. 1800
After World War I there was
little respite in warfare as our
country entered a period of
struggle for independence
followed by a civil war.
Throughout all of this Wexfordians
played a part and the town
continued to grow.
The Second World War found
Wexford part of a neutral
country, but the war still
managed to inflict suffering and
death on our people.
Although
not part of that war,
our merchant navy was to
experience many attacks and some
of our sailors paid the
ultimate price in keeping
Ireland fed.
After
the war, Wexford had mixed
fortunes. Our traditional
industries began to
decline, as mechanisation
advanced. Nature, by the way of
easterly storms and
sediment built-up conspired to
end our shipping tradition and
emigration took its toll on our
working populace.
But our cosmopolitan outlook, springing
from mixed origins
and our seafaring traditions,
made the town very attractive to international
companies and to a growing
tourist industry.
To
our narrow streets came a president and
ex-presidents.
The American
people presented us with
a statue of John Barry,
a Wexfordman deemed as founder of their
navy.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy,
President of the U.S.A visited
the county town of his
ancestors, just months before
his tragic death.
Dwight Eisenhower and Mayor Daly
of Chicago were
other distinguished visitors to
Wexford.
Then in 1982, we re-affirmed our
Celtic European origins,
when
Wexford became the ‘twin town’ of Coueron,
France, a
fitting ceremony for a major
town at the Irish Gateway to Europe.
Commodore
John Barry
While looking ever
forward, with urban renewal and the increase
attraction of international companies to our
highly trained youth, we never
lose sight of
our past. We believe in our
history and its importance, not
only to ourselves but to
visitors.
With this in mind we
have developed a major National
Heritage Park on the outskirts
of our town. As well as
preserving our ancient town
walls
we have established an
impressive municipal interpretive
centre at Westgate
in a tower built around 1300
A.D.
This town of Wexford has a lot
to offer you as a visitor and as
we begin a new century we hope
to present to you the remnants
of the past
in such a fashion as
to please and stimulate your
mind to read further about our
rich heritage.
