Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11National Primary Route; and to Rosslare Europort, Cork and Waterford by the N25. The national rail network connects it to Dublin and Rosslare Europort. It had a population of 20,188 according to the 2016 census.

Culture

Wexford hosts the Wexford Opera Festival every October. Dr Tom Walsh started the festival in 1951, and it has since grown into the internationally recognised festival it is today. A fireworks display is held every year in conjunction with the festival.

Wexford has a number of music and drama venues including:

• The National Opera House (formerly the Wexford Opera House), developed on the site of the historic Theatre Royal opera house;
• the Dun Mhuire Theatre, which holds community theatre events including music events and hosting shows by Oyster Lane Theatre Group and Wexford Pantomime Society;
• the Wexford Arts Centre, which hosts exhibitions, theatre, music and dance events;
• St. Iberius’s Church (Church of Ireland), various concerts are held here.
• Red Books, an independent bookshop in St Peter’s Square which hosts regular LiveLit, music and spoken word events, as well as book launches, and writers groups.

Wexford is the home of several youth and senior theatre groups, including the Buí Bolg Street Theatre Company, Oyster Lane Theatre Group, Wexford Pantomime Society, Wexford Light Opera Society and Wexford Drama Group.

The National Lottery Skyfest was held in Wexford in March 2011 included a pyrotechnic waterfall on the towns main bridge spanning 300m. Buí Bolg also performed on the night.

Until the mid-nineteenth century, the Yola language could be heard in Wexford, and a few words still remain in use.

The food of Wexford is also distinct from the rest of Ireland, due to the local cultivation of seafood, smoked cod, mussels and rissoles being token dishes in the region.

Places of interest

Curracloe Beach, approximately 10 km north of Wexford town, was the location in 1997 for the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan.

The Irish National Heritage Park at Ferrycarrig includes various exhibits spanning 9000 years of Irish history, allowing the visitor to wander around re-creations of historic Irish dwelling including crannogs, Viking houses and Norman forts. The grounds also feature the archaeological site of Newtown, considered the first Norman fortification in Ireland.

The Wexford Wildfowl Reserve is a Ramsar site based on mudflats, (known locally as slobland), just outside Wexford. It is a migratory stop-off point for thousands of ducks, geese, swans and waders. Up to 12,000 (50% of the world’s population) of Greenland white-fronted geese spend the winter on the Wexford slobs. There is a visitor centre with exhibitions and an audio-visual show.

Education

There are five secondary schools serving the population of the town. These are Wexford CBS, Coláiste Éamonn Rís (boys’ school); Loreto Secondary School (girls’ school); St Peter’s College (boys’ school); Presentation Secondary School (girls’ school); and The Vocational College/Selskar College (mixed school).