Carrigbyrne Hill

Carrigbyrne Hill is a beautiful and historic site that is situated close to the N25 national primary road, between the towns of Wexford and New Ross.

Carrigbyrne Hill

A photograph of Carrigbyrne Hill in County Wexford.

Carrigbyrne Hill and its surrounding coniferous forest are popular for a number of reasons:

  • It contains a popular walking trail that is featured in the Irish Heart Foundation’s Slí na Sláinte (path to health) programme. The various trails are estimated to be a combined 12.5KM in length.
  • It offers a number of terrific views of the surrounding countryside.
  • The area around the hill is steeped in local history.
  • The hill is home to wildlife such as rabbits, hares, thrushes and foxes.
  • There is a picnic area at the site.
  • Points of interest at the site include Hedge School, Mass Rock, Evoy’s Forge and Courthoyle Castle.

1798.

During the 1798 Rebellion, the area around Carrigbyrne Hill was used as a camp by the United Irishmen, who were in the process of marching on New Ross. The insurgents, who had recently captured the town of Wexford, stopped and camped at an area called “Camp Field”, a day before the Battle of New Ross took place. The next day, in New Ross, over 2,000 Irish rebels were killed as the town’s garrison held out long enough for British reinforcements to arrive.

A commemorative stone at the site reads:

In this field, also known as The Oak Grove, the United Irish insurgents under the command of Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey assembled on the 4th of June 1798 to prepare for the Battle of New Ross.

Standing stones.

A number of megalithic standing stones can be found on the hill. These mysterious stones (also referred to as “menhirs”) were constructed by prehistoric peoples that we know next-to-nothing about.

Location.

A Google map showing the location of the hill. If you are travelling from New Ross, the entrance will be to your left. If you are travelling from Wexford Town, it will be visible on your right. A car park containing 35 spaces is available on site.

This article is a part of our section on Places to visit in Wexford.

Accept cookies on this browser?

We use cookies to deliver personalized advertisements, improve your online experience and to analyze our site's performance.
For more details, please read our Privacy & Cookie Policy.

Manage Cookie Preferences

You can set your cookie preferences below. However, please be aware that not allowing certain cookies may impact your experience of the site.

Performance
These cookies allow us to analyze our traffic so that we can measure and improve the performance of our site.
Functional
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. Disabling them may prevent certain services from working.
Targeting
These are cookies that can be set by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and serve relevant adverts to you on other websites and apps.
Strictly Necessary
These are essential cookies that our website requires in order to function properly. More often than not, these are set after you perform a specific action.

You can change your choice at any time by visiting our Privacy Policy page.