History

Page 2 of 5

Wexford Courthouse

Wexford Courthouse

The old Wexford Courthouse on Commercial Quay was built in 1806 and burned by the IRA during the Irish War of Independence in 1921. The site is now a car park.

South Main Street, Wexford

The killing of Barbara Berry

On Saturday, the 23rd of March, 1916, a traveller woman called Barbara Berry was fatally stabbed in the heart on Wexford’s Main Street.

elizabeth reck

The murder of Elizabeth Reck

On the 10th of July, 1931, a 65-year-old woman called Elizabeth Reck was savagely beaten to death near her home in Castlebridge, Co. Wexford.

Cinema Lane, Wexford

The murder of William Hannan

Newsagent William Hannan, 65, was found beaten at his Cinema Lane shop on 8 March 1958 and died the following morning. The murder remains unsolved.

The inside of O'Hanrahan Railway Station in 2025.

Wexford Train Station

O’Hanrahan Railway Station in Wexford Town opened in 1874 and was renamed in 1966 after Michael O’Hanrahan, a 1916 Easter Rising leader executed at Kilmainham Gaol.

the undertaker, wexford

Simon Bloom and the murder of Mary Anne Wildes

In May 1910, Simon Bloom murdered 18-year-old Mary Anne Wildes in his apartment above a bar in Wexford Town. Declared insane, he was confined to Dundrum Criminal Lunatic Asylum and later emigrated to Chicago under a new identity.

banshee

Wexford Ghost Stories

County Wexford’s ghost stories span centuries, from a 12th-century legend of indestructible teals at St. Colman’s Church to a modern paranormal investigation at Enniscorthy Castle.

New Ross Bridge

O'Hanrahan Bridge

O’Hanrahan Bridge in New Ross crosses the River Barrow. It opened on 27 February 1967, replacing a cast-iron bridge from 1869.

Friary

The Friary, Wexford

The Franciscan Friary in Wexford Town has been a place of worship for more than 750 years. It survived the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII and the repression of Catholicism under Cromwell.

The Folly, Wexford

What is “The Folly” named after?

The origins of the name ‘The Folly’ in Wexford Town are uncertain. It may be linked to Mount Folly, a Georgian house built in the early 1800s, but whether the house or the area was named first is unknown.