Grogan’s Road in Wexford Town is home to the Presentation Secondary School and the Wexford Primary Care Centre, which opened in 2018 on the site of the former County Clinic. The street slopes down from the bottom of Summerhill before meeting Carrigeen Street, Roche’s Road, and St. Peter’s Square. During the 1600s, the street was known as Bishop’s Street.
Presentation Secondary School
The Presentation Secondary School in Wexford traces its origins to October 1818, when two nuns from the Presentation Congregation in Kilkenny established a convent in the town. The institution began as a primary school before transitioning to a second-level school during the 1940s. The school was founded on the ideals of Honora “Nano” Nagle, an Irish woman from Cork who founded the Presentation Sisters in the 1700s. Historians regard Nagle as one of the chief pioneers of Catholic education in 18th-century Ireland. The Presentation Sisters left Wexford in October 2023 after 205 years of service, with a special Mass of Thanksgiving marking their departure.
Fever Hospital
In 1818, a fever hospital with six wards and sixty beds opened on Grogan’s Road. Because Wexford had a busy port at the time, the town often experienced epidemics and outbreaks. The hospital stood on the site where the County Clinic was later built, and often housed patients infected with cholera. Cholera is a bacterial infection typically transmitted via contaminated food. In his book The Streets of Wexford, Nicky Rossiter notes that the cholera epidemic that hit Wexford in 1832 could be traced back to the Bengal region of India. The outbreak began when two sailors died from cholera while their schooner was docked at Wexford Quay.
1901 Census
The 1901 Census shows that families such as Barnes, Kinsella, Stone, and Cullen lived on Grogan’s Road. Examples include:
- 1 Grogan’s Road: A young married couple, Thomas Barnes (22) and Mary Ann Barnes (20), lived here. Thomas worked as a pattern maker and Mary as a dress maker.
- 10 Grogan’s Road: A 34-year-old widow, Bridget Evans, lived here with her four children, aged between 4 and 15.
County Clinic
The County Clinic, which closed in 2018, opened in December 1955 on the site of the former fever hospital. It managed a wide range of services, from birth registration to dental healthcare. The clinic housed Wexford’s Caredoc, which provides GP care outside regular working hours, including 24-hour service on weekends and public holidays, as well as nighttime cover on weekdays. The contact number for Caredoc is 0818 300 365.
Map
A map showing its location: