The Top 5 historical sites in Wexford to visit

Wexford is a county in Ireland steeped in history…

In this article, we attempt to break down the top 5 historical sites in Wexford. Some of these may be off the beaten track a bit and may not even be talked about in the same fashion as others omitted from this list, but they are no doubt unique and worth a visit.

5) Craanford Mill

Craanford Mill is an incredible 17th Century (1600’s) water-powered mill in the village of Craanford, just 8 kilometres outside Gorey on the Carnew Road.

The Mill was first opened in 1610 by Mr. Byrne. The building looks fabulous, with a beautiful whitewashed front with lovely red doors and cute cross style windows. As you enter through the front door, you will be greeted by a fantastic set of cogged gear wheels and beside it the grain shaft which filled the bags full of flour.

Upstairs houses the gigantic millstones which are turned by the gear system. Millstones are used for grinding the wheat into flour for use in bread making. There are information displays on milling here also. Outside, you will be greeted by the magnificent water wheel which is the brains behind the operation. Using a small intake of water, the water powers the wheel. This then turns the inside gears and of course the all important millstones.

A guided tour will be given by the owner, John, from the 20th June 2024. This will go on through the Summer months into September.

4) Dunbrody Abbey

Dunbrody Abbey is a stunning Cistercian Monastery hailing from the year 1220 after being founded in 1170. The orders to have it founded were given by none other than Strongbow to his uncle Herve de Montmorency. It was monks from Shropshire in England who constructed it. Herve became the first Abbot.

Work for the Monastery started with the transepts and the chancel. Decades later, the Nave was completed. The main central tower of the Monastic site was not completed until the 15th century in what must have been a golden era financially for the monastery. This tower would have been a serious status symbol to rival religious houses and a massive symbol of wealth and power.

In a colourful and wild history, the monks at times did not entirely follow all the ten commandments and indeed at times were prone to theft, rebelliousness, enthralled with the dark arts of being serial rapparee’s (horse thieves) and violence.

Car Park. Dunbrody Abbey is located at Dunbrody, Campile, County Wexford. Located on Google maps at 52.28260, -6.95593.

3) Tacumshane Windmill

Tacumshane Windmill is a glorious building in the village of Tacumshane, south of Wexford town.

The windmill is one of the few fully survived Windmills in the Country and was first built in the year 1846 by Mr. Nicholas Moran who studied to be a Millright in Rotterdam. He may have gained inspiration from Dutch Windmills. There was also a strong history of windmills in County Wexford in the 1700’s which in turn took learnings from Anglo Norman technology in Wexford.

The Windmill has a beautiful straw thatched cap and marvellous sails to utilise the power of the winds. Much of its woodwork came from salvaged wood from shipwrecks on the south Wexford coast. A pair of millstones worked by gears which were connected to the sails helped to grind the wheat to make flour and bread.

To take a peek inside this magnificent building be sure to kindly ask for the key from Meyler’s Millhouse bar, a pub which was voted the best pub in Wexford in 2021 on Wexford Weekly, helped by its scenic location and atmosphere.

Tacumshane Windmill car park is located by the pub grounds. Located on Google maps at 52.209259, -6.424774.

2) Enniscorthy Bridge / Barker’s Bridge

Enniscorthy Bridge is a masterful construction built originally in 1775 but improved with added height in 1836. It was built to cross a relatively narrow section of the River Slaney just before it naturally widens where the Riverside Park Hotel is now. It was riginally built by the Oriel brothers of Hampshire, England and improved by possibly a Mr. Lewis.

The structure is admired even today on a daily basis by locals and visitors alike with a grand total of six fantastically beautiful arches, triangular cutwaters which deflect flood waters away from the bridge superstructure and underneath the arch and also rounded cutwaters and voussoirs.

The bridge played a significant role in 1798 when a William Barker, a commander in the Rebel army, held bravely the Bridge of Enniscorthy from British Army detachments attacking from the town centre hellbent of attacking Wexfordian insurgents on Vinegar Hill. These were rebels fighting the Battle of Vinegar hill while simultaneously the second Battle for Enniscorthy in the same month waged below. With the help of a lovely little cannon, Barker and his men fought valiantly to hold back Redcoat attackers who suffered many losses.

Enniscorthy / Barker’s Bridge can be best seen from Templeshannon Quay, Enniscorthy.

View point Located on Google maps at 52.502182, -6.565437. Enniscorthy / Barker’s Bridge is located at 52.50224, -6.566047

1) Mount Leinster Burial Cairn

The Burial cairn on the summit of Mount Leinster is a lovely cairn built of local granite stones.

The monument, which is a mound of large rocks is possibly a burial cairn in which an Ancient King of Leinster named Cucorb was buried in or around 119 A.D. at the time of Ireland’s Iron Age Gaelic sagas, as local folklore suggests.

However, similar cairns have their origins way earlier and this cairn may have in fact a monument to an ancestor of ours from the Neolithic (New Stone Age) just before the Bronze and thus much older.

Whatever its era and despite the horrendous treatment as a result of the trig point at it’s heart, this archaeological gem is really stunning and what an amazing location to be buried in, a very, very important person for sure.

The Burial Cairn is shared by counties Wexford and Carlow and is located on the summit of Mount Leinster accessed via a Tarmac Lane from Nine Stones Car Park

Location of Car Park 52.63696, -6.79471. Location of Burial Cairn 52.61815, -6.78032