Wexford

Wexford is a destination in Leinster, Ireland. Wexford (Irish: Loch Garman) is a historic port town in County Wexford, founded by Vikings in the 9th century. Its narrow, winding streets reflect its medieval layout, and the town is famous for its annual Opera Festival (October–November), which draws international audiences. Wexford's compact centre is easily walkable, with a lively quayside, excellent seafood restaurants, and easy access to the sandy beaches of Curracloe and the scenic Rosslare Peninsula.

By Car

The most practical way to reach Wexford is by car. Leinster has Ireland's best road network, with motorways connecting all major towns to Dublin. The M50 ring road encircles Dublin, while the M1 serves the northeast (Dundalk, Drogheda), the M4/M6 serves the midlands (Mullingar, Athlone), the M7/M8 serves the south and southwest (Kilkenny, Carlow, Portlaoise), and the M11/N11 serves the east coast (Bray, Wicklow, Wexford).

By Train

Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann) operates frequent services from Dublin Connolly and Dublin Heuston stations to all major Leinster towns. The DART commuter line serves coastal suburbs from Howth to Greystones, and commuter rail extends to towns like Dundalk, Drogheda, Mullingar, Athlone, Portlaoise, Carlow, Kilkenny, and Gorey.

By Bus

Bus Éireann and private operators like Dublin Express, Aircoach, and Citylink provide extensive intercity and regional bus services. Bus connections are often more frequent and cheaper than rail, though journey times can be longer.

By Air

Dublin Airport (DUB) is Ireland's largest and busiest airport, with flights to over 200 destinations worldwide. It is located about 10 km north of Dublin city centre and is accessible by bus, taxi, and the Dublin Bus Airlink service.

Wexford is compact enough to explore on foot. For exploring the surrounding countryside and nearby attractions, a car or bicycle is recommended. Leinster has a well-developed network of regional roads, and the flat terrain of much of the province makes it ideal for cycling. Local bus services operate in most towns, though schedules can be limited on Sundays.

Town centre retains its Viking street pattern, with the main street winding south from Selskar Abbey. Portions of the town wall remain at Abbey Street and Mallin Street, but its gatehouses have been demolished. The quays are pleasant to stroll; "keysers" were narrow alleys between quays and town in Viking times, with Keysers Lane the main thoroughfare.

Selskar Abbey was the Augustinian Priory of St Peter and St Paul. The name is Old Norse for "seal skerry", though it would be an exceptionally old Norseman who knew a time when this site was tide-washed - it's believed a Viking temple to Odin originally stood here. It was founded in its present form in 1190, dissolved in 1542 and utterly wrecked by Cromwell in 1649. There's a legend that Henry II spent Lent of 1172 at its predecessor abbey, doing penance for the murder of Thomas Becket. That's credible since Henry II was in Ireland at the time, and trying to repair the political damage caused by the murder. The gate tower added in 1300 only gave admittance to the abbey not the town (so the priests avoided tolls) but in later years was called Westgate and became confused with the former town entrance on Westgate. In 1826 the ruin

Wexford Swimming Pool & Leisure Centre is across the bridge behind Riverbank House Hotel. It has a gym and fitness classes. Other centres in town (eg the Talbot, and Club Vitae in Clayton Whites Hotel) involve buying extended memberships.

National Opera House is at High St Y35 FEP3. It stages opera, music and dance in two auditoriums, and is the main venue for Wexford Festival Opera , next held 15-31 Oct 2026.

Arc Cinema is on Redmond Square by the bus and railway station.

Omniplex is 2 km south of the centre on Rosslare Rd.

Gaelic games: County GAA teams play Gaelic football and hurling at

Wexford Park , capacity 25,000. It's on Clonard Rd 500 m west of town centre.

Football:

Wexford FC play soccer in the League of Ireland First Division, the Republic's second tier. Their stadium is

Ferrycarrig Park (capacity 2500) on N11 five km north of city centre. The playing season is March-Nov with games usually on Friday evening.

Wexford Golf Course is 1 km south of town centre at Mulgannon. Blue tees 5981 m, par 71. Other nearby courses are at Rathaspeck and Rosslare, and there's a driving range at Killiane Castle.

Wexford Racecourse (aka Bettyville) is 2 k

Strawberries and cream is a County Wexford specialty. In summer you can buy strawberries in punnets from roadside stalls.

Wexford Kebab House is by Arc Cinema and the railway station, open M-Th 1-10PM, F-Su noon-10PM.

Dragon Heen by the railway station is open M-Sa 4:30-10PM, Su 1-10PM.

Sealord is an Indian in Redmond Square by the station, open daily 4:30-10PM.

Mi Asian Street Food is next door on Redmond Square, open daily 12:30-10PM.

The Old Granary is north side of the Abbey at 10 Westgate Y35 FW95, open W Th 5-9PM, F-Su noon-3PM, 5-9PM.

Charred ,

Trimmers Lane West Y35 VH93

( by Abbey entrance ),

☏

+353 53 912 2928 .

Su-Th 1-9PM, F Sa 1-10PM .

Burgers and similar fast food.   ( updated Dec 2025 )

Vine Restaurant ,

109 North Main St Y35 X7PH ,

☏

+353 53 912 2388 .

Th-Su 5:30-9:30PM .

This Thai restaurant gets great reviews for food and service.   ( updated Dec 2025 )

Copper Chimney is an Indian restaurant opposite Vine, at 90 North Main St Y35 T18F. It's open Tu-Su 4:30-10:30PM.

La Cuisine ,

80 North Main St Y35 EY19

( 50 m south of Copper Chimney ),

☏

+353 53 912 4986 .

M-Sa 9AM-5PM .

Deli cafe, decent food but limited se

Cafes and bars in the town centre serve coffee, wine, and local beverages. Regional wines and spirits are worth sampling.

Hotels, guesthouses, and bed-and-breakfast establishments offer accommodation. Advance booking is recommended during peak season.

Main Street is the pedestrianised retail strip. Several craft jewellery places, eg Wexford Silver next to Vine Restaurant.

Aldi is the main supermarket, on Trinity St. It's open M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 9AM-9PM.

Tesco is on Distillery Rd Y35 AD98, open daily 8AM-10PM.

Pettitt's SuperValu is further west, within St Aidan's Shopping Centre on Green St XC42, open M-Sa 7:30AM-9PM, Su 9AM-9PM.

Dunnes department store is on Redmond Rd opposite the train & bus stations, open M-Sa 8AM-8PM, Su 9AM-8PM.

Nearby towns and natural attractions are within easy reach by car. Public transport connections are available to major cities in the region.