Rathaspeck Church is situated 5 km outside Wexford Town, halfway between the expansive grounds of Johnstown Castle and the iconic Doll’s House.
The church, opened by the Church of Ireland, was built in 1823 as a Protestant place of worship.
It was financed by the Board of First Fruits. Lady Sophia Grogan Morgan served as a major benefactor, supporting both the church and an adjoining schoolhouse.
The church and its surrounding graveyard are sometimes referred to as Redmondstown Church. The site is an ancient ecclesiastical site dating from the early years of Christianity in the 5th century. The reason for the dual name is not recorded in available sources. According to one local source, another small church used to exist in the area. In the past, there have been several cases where the names of demolished structures have been transferred onto existing structures, a perfect example being the gradual renaming of West Gate in Wexford Town.
Cornelius Grogan
The cemetery surrounding the church holds the body of United Irishman Cornelius Grogan. Grogan inherited the estate of Johnstown Castle from his father and served as High Sheriff of Wexford in 1779, a position that made him the judicial representative of the British Crown. During his tenure, he would have executed written court orders and undertaken various administrative duties on behalf of the crown.
In 1768, he was elected to represent the Irish Parliament constituency of Enniscorthy, a seat he held until 1776. Two members were elected to this constituency, and it was abolished in 1800.
After the 1798 rebellion broke out in County Wexford, Grogan joined the United Irishmen and became commissary-general, responsible for supply and logistics. After the rebellion was crushed and the leaders were brought before a court, Grogan attempted to avoid execution by arguing that he had been forced to take up the position in name only, describing it as a token position that did not require any action on his part.
Grogan’s defence failed to convince the court, and he was executed on Wednesday, 28 June 1798. The British felt he had simply picked the side he thought would win. Like other rebel leaders, he was hanged and beheaded on Wexford Bridge; John Henry Colclough met the same fate. After the execution, Grogan’s body was thrown into the River Slaney. A faithful servant named John Devereux secretly recovered the body and buried it at the cemetery in Rathaspeck.
A commemorative stone in front of the church bears the following inscription:
In this cemetery lies the body of Cornelius Grogan of Johnstown Castle. Executed on Wexford Bridge on the 28th of June, 1798 for his part in the rebellion of that year. “Are you still a footnote, long blurred and unread. Another enigmatic conscript, of Ireland’s glorious dead.” Piercestown – Murrintown Comoradh ’98.
The cemetery also contains the remains of Sarah Elgee, the grandmother of Oscar Wilde, and Edward Walsh, the founder of the GAA in Wexford.
The church at Rathaspeck was closed in 1971. Between 1984 and 2009, it was home to the Wexford Model Railway Club, which moved out due to the deteriorating condition of the building and the cost of repairs.
In 2025, a €100,620 Historic Structures Fund grant was awarded for restoration work. A Friends of Rathaspeck Church committee is actively renovating the building and cemetery.
Map
A map showing its location: