News, life, and history in County Wexford

On This Day

15 June

  1. 1920 106 years ago

    Assassination of Percival Lea-Wilson

    RIC District Inspector Percival Lea-Wilson is shot and killed by the IRA in Gorey.

Duke Street.

Duke Street: A lost street of Wexford

Duke Street in Wexford was demolished in the 1960s. An 1893 health report detailed its overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, including leaky ashpits and pigs kept near houses.

Town wall.

Wexford’s Town Wall

Construction of Wexford’s town wall began in the early 1200s after the 1169 Norman invasion. The wall enclosed approximately 25 hectares.

Rowe Street Upper at night.

Rowe Street

Rowe Street runs from John Street to North Main Street. It is best known as the location of the Church of the Immaculate Conception and St John.

Hill Street, Wexford

The history of Hill Street

Hill Street in Wexford Town was once called Cabbage Row. In 1932, residents voted against renaming it after Sean McDermott.

George Bridges

George Bridges: Wexford's Toymaster

George Bridges ran his family’s Toymaster store in Selskar, Wexford, for 60 years and served as the town’s “Santa Claus.”

The graveyard in Selskar Abbey.

Buried alive in Selskar Abbey

A story from Selskar Abbey offers a glimpse into the widespread 19th-century fear of being buried alive, a subject that inspired newspaper reports, literature, and safety devices.