Mallin Street is a small street that connects High Street, John’s Gate Street, and Wexford’s Cornmarket.
It runs parallel to North Main Street, which is less than 100 metres away. The street is best known for the Wexford Library building, which opened in November 2012.
It is named after Michael Mallin, an Irish rebel who served as second-in-command and chief training officer of the Irish Citizen Army. He was executed by firing squad in 1916 for his role in the Easter Rising. Before it was renamed in his honour, Mallin Street was known as Back Street, a name that appears on Ordnance Survey Ireland maps dating to the 19th century.
High Street to the south was once called Upper Back Street, while Abbey Street to the north was known as Lower Back Street.
These three connected streets ran parallel to Main Street, hence the collective name Back Street. Together they formed a long, segmented thoroughfare that cut through the Cornmarket.
Mallin Street was once home to a public car park, where the library now stands. This car park was situated within the remnants of Wexford’s medieval town wall. The rectangular mural tower that once overlooked the street is now obscured by the library building, though it can still be seen from the Rowe Street Church car park.
The street is home to several businesses, including Be Pierced, Zen Beauty Bar, the Red Kettle cafe, Zam Zam Kebab House, and Annie’s Haberdashery. The former Byrne’s World of Wonder toy store, which had a back entrance on Mallin Street, closed in the early 2020s.
Map
A map showing the location of Mallin Street in Wexford Town: