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Hook Lighthouse, County Wexford
Photograph: Spike · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Province of Leinster

County Wexford

Loch Garman

“lokh GAR-man” · Garman's lake, from loch (lake) + Garman

Known as The Model County. For its farming, which was held up in the 19th century as the model the rest of the country should copy. The Yellowbellies is the older and more argued-over name.

Did you know? 'At the creek of Baginbun, Ireland was lost and won' — Raymond le Gros's Norman advance party, about a hundred men, dug in on this small Wexford headland in 1170 and routed a far larger army.
A fact like this for every county and every age →

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Wexford by the numbers
Leinster province 163,527 people · 2022 census 2,367 km² · 13th of 32 by size County town Wexford -11% in the Famine · 202,033 people in 1841, 180,000 in 1851 (approx.) 10 baronies · 2,305 townlands 1930s folklore · the Schools' Collection ↗ 28 surnames 4 towns on the site 1,123 daily Irish speakers Highest point Mount Leinster, 794 m 11 senior All-Irelands 29 notable people born here 2,842 historic buildings recorded Everything on the site about Wexford ↓
Carlow Cavan Cork Donegal Dublin Clare Galway Kerry Kildare Kilkenny Laois Leitrim Limerick Longford Louth Mayo Meath Monaghan Offaly Roscommon Sligo Tipperary Waterford Westmeath Wexford Wicklow Antrim Armagh Down Fermanagh Londonderry Tyrone

Open the atlas ↗

The history of Wexford

Portal tombs at Ballybrittas and Newbawn go back to the Neolithic, and the early kingdom of Uí Cheinnsealaig was a little larger than the present county. Wexford was among the first parts of Ireland to become Christian, in the early 5th century; Vikings raided from 819 and settled at Wexford town late in the 9th century. In 1169 the Normans landed here at the invitation of Diarmait Mac Murchada, and in the 14th century Art MacMurrough Kavanagh won much of the north of the county back.

Henry VIII dissolved Tintern, Dunbrody, Clonmines and Glascarrig between 1536 and 1541. Wexford backed the Confederates in 1641, and Cromwell took the county in 1649 and gave its land to his soldiers. James II sailed from Duncannon into exile after the Boyne. In 1798 Wexford was the most important battleground of the rising — Oulart Hill, Vinegar Hill at Enniscorthy, New Ross — remembered in "Boolavogue". Enniscorthy rose at Easter 1916, German planes bombed Campile in the Second World War, and in 1963 John F. Kennedy visited his family's home at Dunganstown.

Drawn from the History section of the Wikipedia article on County Wexford ↗, rewritten here and adding nothing it does not say; licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. The chronology above is this site's own; where the two differ, the article is the one to check.

The land — from Wikipedia

Wexford is the 13th-largest of Ireland's thirty-two traditional counties in area, and 9th-largest in terms of population. It is the largest of Leinster's 12 counties in size, and fourth-largest in terms of population. The county is located in the south-east corner of the island of Ireland. It is bounded by the sea on two sides—on the south by the Atlantic Ocean and on the east by St. George's Channel and the Irish Sea. The River Barrow forms its western boundary. The Blackstairs Mountains form part of the boundary to the north, as do the southern edges of the Wicklow Mountains. The adjoining counties are Waterford to the south-west, Kilkenny to the west, Carlow to the north-west and Wicklow in the north.

Places of interest

The scenic Bannow Drive, popular amongst tourists, is a signposted route through four Wexford villages: Duncormick, Cullenstown, Bannow and Wellingtonbridge.

Ballyteigue Burrow, located near Duncormick, is one of the finest protected sand dune systems in Ireland. Rich in wildflowers, wildlife and butterflies, this 9 km (6 mile) coastal stretch is a protected nature reserve by the golden sands of Ballyteigue Bay, with spectacular scenery.

The Hook Peninsula is noted for its many beaches and spectacular scenery. It features the medieval Hook Head lighthouse and the historic townland of Loftus Hall.

Popular beaches are located at Courtown, Curracloe, Carnsore Point, Duncannon and Rosslare Strand.

Read the full article ↗ · Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Clans & surnames of Wexford
Bulger Ó Bolguidhir Gaelic sept · “descendant of Bolgodhar — perhaps a nickname” Cody Mac Óda Norman · “son of Odo” Connery Ó Conaire Gaelic sept · “descendant of Conaire, 'keeper of the hound'” Cullen Ó Cuilinn Gaelic sept · “descendant of Cuileann, 'holly'” Darcy Ó Dorchaidhe / d'Arcy Gaelic sept & Norman · “descendant of Dorchaidh, 'dark one' — or from Arcy in France” Deegan Ó Duibhginn Gaelic septs (several) · “descendant of Dubhcheann, ‘black head’” Devereux Deabhrús Norman · “from Évreux in Normandy” Doran Ó Deoráin Gaelic learned family · “descendant of Deoradhán, 'the exile, the pilgrim'” Doyle Ó Dubhghaill Norse-Gaelic · “descendant of Dubhghall, 'dark foreigner' — a Viking” Esmonde Easmonn Norse-English · “east-mund, 'grace-protector'” French de Fréins Norman · “'the Frenchman'” Furlong Furlong Norman-English · “from the furrow-length of a ploughed field” Hore de Hór Norman-English · “hoar — 'grey-haired'” Kavanagh Caomhánach Gaelic dynasty · “follower of St Caomhán” Keating Céitinn Norman-Welsh · “possibly Welsh cethin, 'dusky'” Kehoe Mac Eochaidh Gaelic learned family · “son of Eochaidh — from each, 'horse'” Kinsella Cinnsealach Gaelic dynasty · “of the Uí Cheinnsealaigh — the royal line of south Leinster” Lacey de Léis Norman & Gaelic sept · “Norman ‘de Laci’, of Lassy in France; or Ó Laitheasa, descendant of Flaitheas” Larkin Ó Lorcáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Lorcán, 'fierce'” Lynam Ó Laidhghneáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Laidhghneán, 'snow-birth'” Masterson Mac an Mháighistir Gaelic sept & English settlers · “son of the master, from máighistir (Latin magister)” Murphy Ó Murchadha Gaelic sept · “descendant of Murchadh, 'sea-warrior'” Nolan Ó Nualláin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Nuallán, 'famous, noble'” Prendergast de Priondargás Norman-Flemish · “from Brontegeest in Flanders” Redmond Réamonn Norman · “from Raymond (le Gros)” Roche de Róiste Norman · “de la roche — 'of the rock'” Sinnott Sionóid Norse-English · “sige-noth, 'victory-bold'” Whelan Ó Faoláin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Faolán, 'little wolf'”

Tap a name for its full page — story, homeland map and neighbours. Or see all surnames from County Wexford, with the other counties each name is tied to.

Towns, saints and legends of Wexford

Towns. Wexford Loch Garman (21,524, 2022), Gorey Guaire (11,517, 2022), Enniscorthy Inis Córthaidh, New Ross Ros Mhic Thriúin. What every town name means →

Legends set here. Wexford — the drowning of Garman. On the atlas →

First names that belong here. Aoife, Diarmaid, Criomhthann, Maodhóg.

Irish in Wexford today

At the 2022 census, 55,198 people in Wexford said they could speak Irish. 1,123 speak it every day outside school, and 2,895 weekly.

3 primary schools here teach entirely through Irish (2025/26, 538 pupils), and 1 secondary school.

CSO, Census 2022, table SAP2022T3T2CTY. Every county compared →

The top of Wexford

Mount Leinster (Stua Laighean), 794 metres, in the Blackstairs Mountains, on the county boundary and shared with a neighbouring county.

Wrecks on its coast: Irlam (1812), St. Patrick (1831), HMY Kethailes (1917). Shipwrecks of Ireland →

Rivers and loughs: River Barrow, River Suir, River Slaney.

MountainViews, via Wikipedia. Every county's highest point → · Rivers and loughs →

Wexford in the All-Ireland

Hurling: 6 senior titles (1910, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1968, 1996); 11 finals lost.
Football: 5 senior titles (1893, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918); 3 finals lost.

Every county's All-Ireland titles →

Born in Wexford

From Wikidata: people whose recorded birthplace is in the county, who have a Wikipedia article and are no longer living, with dates shown only where the article confirms them, ordered by how many languages Wikipedia covers them in. Traditional birthplaces of early saints are as Wikidata records them. Dates are left off where the sources disagree.

People in Wexford, census by census

Wexford had 202,033 people in 1841 and has 163,527 now (-19%). Its peak was 202,033 in 1841; its low point 83,308 in 1961, -59% of 1841. It has never regained the population it had before the Famine.

1821183118411851186118711881189119011911192619361946195119561961196619711979198119861991199620022006201120162022
170,806182,713202,033180,158143,954132,666123,854111,778104,104102,27395,84894,24591,85590,03287,25983,30883,43786,35196,42199,081102,552102,069104,371116,596131,749145,320149,722163,527

Census returns as tabulated in the county's Wikipedia article. All 32 counties, 1821 to today →

Hidden Wexford — the places the buses miss
  • Vinegar Hill
    21 June 1798: the United Irish camp above Enniscorthy is stormed; the windmill stump where rebels made their stand still crowns the hill.
  • Hook Lighthouse
    Raised between 1201 and 1240 by William Marshal to guide ships to his port at New Ross, with walls four metres thick. It is still working, eight centuries on — the second-oldest operating lighthouse in the world.
On the ground in Wexford
  • 10 castles · Bargy Castle, Barntown Castle, Coolhull Castle, Duncannon Fort, Enniscorthy Castle and more

Every pin is placed by its documented coordinates. All the monuments of Ireland →

Everything on the site about County Wexford

The county

History

Monuments and heritage

Coast and country

People and culture

Quick answers
What is the Irish name for County Wexford?

Loch Garman. Wexford is one of the 12 counties of Leinster (Cúige Laighean).

Who ruled County Wexford in the Middle Ages?

Around 1014 it was held by Kingdom of Leinster (Mac Murrough); by 1450, MacMurrough Kavanagh. The full era-by-era chronology is on this page.

What surnames come from County Wexford?

Names historically associated with Wexford include Bulger, Cody, Connery, Cullen, Darcy, Deegan, Devereux, Doran, among others.

What does Loch Garman mean?

Loch Garman, said “lokh GAR-man”, means Garman's lake — from loch (lake) + Garman. The English name is Norse again — Veisafjǫrðr, the fjord of the mudflats.

What is the population of County Wexford?

163,527 at the 2022 census, against 202,033 in 1841, before the Famine.

What is the county town of Wexford?

Wexford. County Wexford covers about 2,367 km², which makes it the 13th largest of the 32 counties.

Who are famous people from County Wexford?

Among the best-known people born in Wexford are David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, Eileen Gray, John Redmond, Al Ferguson, Charles Blacker Vignoles, Francis Danby. The full list, with their birthplaces, is on this page.

What did the Famine do to County Wexford?

The census counted 202,033 people in Wexford in 1841 and 180,000 in 1851 (the 1851 figure is approximate): a change of -11% in ten years, through death and emigration.

Sources for this page

A clean copy for school projects or the family file; collapsed sections print in full.

The chronology of who held the county is this site's own reading of the standard histories onto today's county borders, and says so where the fit is rough. Quoted passages are marked and licensed. Spotted an error? Say so — corrections are credited.

Trace your ancestors in Wexford

Free, from the holding institutions. How to begin: the six-step guide → · Spotted an error on this page? Suggest a correction.