Crescent Quay is a part of Wexford Quay in Wexford Town. It is best known for being home to a bronze statue of Commodore John Barry, which the USA gave to the town in the 1950s.
The statue was officially unveiled on the quay front in 1956. Barry, who was born in Tacumshane in County Wexford, is often referred to as the father of the American Navy. He was America’s first commissioned naval officer. The statue was brought to Ireland on board the USS John R. Pierce (DD-753). In 1963, during his visit to the county, US President John F. Kennedy laid a wreath at its base during a memorial ceremony.
Taken outside the Crescent View Restaurant, on the corner of Henrietta Street. The brick building in the distance now houses The Bank gastro pub, which opened in March 2023 after the site had been vacant for more than a decade. It was previously home to a pub called Asples. The building on the left was once used as a tourism office. The large building on the corner is home to Kelly+Partners Accountants (formerly Asple & Co Accountancy). The Bank of Ireland first occupied it in 1829.A wider shot of the quay, taken from the railway tracks in front of the new tourism building.The right side of the quay. Eoin O’Gorman Solicitors now occupies the premises, having moved there in January 2017. The building was previously Forde’s Restaurant, which closed shortly after this photo was taken. The blue-painted building beside it has seen a number of occupants. Supermarkets Quinnsworth, Crazy Prices, and Tesco have all occupied the building at one time or another. This area was used as a bus stop for decades. In the past, shoppers ordered their groceries in Tesco or Crazy Prices before waiting at the bus stop on the quay to make their way home.Crescent Quay in 1977.
Tesco left the premises in 2007, opting to build a new supermarket on Distillery Road on the site where Pierce’s Foundry once stood. The move was controversial at the time. Tesco’s withdrawal negatively impacted footfall in the area, and many believed it caused the closure of several local businesses on South Main Street. The former Tesco building was demolished in 2023, and the site is now an open pedestrian plaza.
A view of Crescent Quay, as seen from Wexford’s quay front. The Potato Market (now the Trough) is visible in this view, along with Eoin O’Gorman Solicitors. The firm was located at 2 Donovan’s Wharf when this photo was taken. The entrance to the car park at Crescent Quay is on the right.
