Enniscorthy (Inis Coirthaidth) Overview

Back in the day, the people of Enniscorthy certainly had spunk. During the failed revolution of 1798, a local priest led an uprising at nearby Vinegar Hill and held the British at bay for 12 days. The 1798 Visitors Centre, dedicated to chronicling the event, highlights with relish the fact that 20,000 residents of county Wexford died during the skirmish. Later, hot-headed residents of Enniscorthy joined others from Dublin and surrounding towns in the 1916 Easter Rising; Enniscorthy was the last to surrender. Modern Enniscorthians channel their rebellious natures into musical pursuits, filling pubs with raucous music during their two largest festivals: the Strawberry Festival and the Blues Festival. Still, it’s probably not a good idea to make locals angry.

Transportation. N11 passes through Enniscorthy, heading south to Wexford and north to Arklow, Wicklow, and Dublin. Trains run to: Dublin (2hr., 3 per day, €19.50) and Rosslare (50min., 3 per day, €6.70). Buses stop outside the Bus Stop Shop on Shannon Quay, between the two bridges and across the river from the squares, on their way north to Dublin via Ferns (2hr., 5-7 per day, €13.10), and south to Waterford (1hr., 8-10 per day, €13.10) and Wexford (30min., 9-12 per day, €6.40 return). For taxis, call ☎36333, 33975, or 36666.

Orientation And Practical Information. From the railway station, turn right onto Templeshannon then cross the Enniscorthy Bridge over the River Slaney into the center of town; turn left into Abbey Square, one of the main shopping areas, or continue uphill to Market Square. From there, Main St., Rafter St., and Weafer St. fan out, leading the way to plenty of shops and restaurants. Tourist information is available at the 1798 Visitors Centre, signposted after a 10min. walk from Abbey Sq. down Mill Park Rd. For further Enniscorthian lore and a free monthly events guide, see Maura Flannery in Castle Hill Crafts, 4 Castle Hill (☎36800), across from the Castle and up the hill from Abbey Sq. Several banks, including AIB, Slaney Pl. (☎33163; open M 10am-5pm, Tu and Th-F 10am-4pm, W 10:30am-4pm) and Permanent TSB, Market Sq. (☎35700; open M-Tu and Th-F 10am-5pm, W 10:30am-5pm) have 24hr. ATMs. The Police (Garda) station, on Lymington Rd., one street over from the visitor center, is open 24hr. (☎42580). Next door, The library has free Internet access. (☎36055. Open M 2:30-5:30pm, Tu-W and F 10:30am-1pm and 2:30-5:30pm, Th 10:30am-1pm, 2:30-4:30pm, and 6-8pm.) Softech Communications, on Church St., offers Internet access for €2 per hr. (30833. Open M-F 10am-10pm, Sa-Su noon-10pm.) Next to the Abbey Sq. shopping center is Enniscorthy Cleaners. (☎36466. Open M-Sa 8am-6pm. Wash and dry €12-16.) The post office is by the Abbey Sq. roundabout. (☎33226; open M and W-F 9am-5:30pm, Tu 9:30am-5:30pm, Sa 9am-1pm.)

Accommodations. Right in town, between Market Sq. and the cathedral is Murphy’s B&B 3, 9 Main St. Simple, stylish art hangs on the walls, and the guest sitting room is full of plump cushions. (☎37837. All rooms ensuite. Singles €35-40; doubles €70-80. Cash only.) The Old Bridge House is next to the Old Bridge on Slaney Pl. Large rooms, friendly proprietors, and a river view compensate for occasionally noisy traffic. (☎34222. Singles €40; doubles €70. MC/V.) At Adelmar 2, Summerhill, Mrs. Agnes Barry offers her hospitality. Follow N11 toward Dublin, take a left at the Shell station, and follow the signs up the hill. (☎33668; www.adelmar.com. Open June-Oct. Singles €30; doubles €56. Cash only.) Vale View Farmhouse 3, St. Johns Rd., off N30, is a modern farm bungalow 2.5km outside of town. Tea, coffee, homemade treats, and dinner entrees (€25-30) await guests. (☎35262. Singles €50; doubles €65-75. Cash only.)

Food And Pubs. Dunnes Stores, on the right off Main St. in the Mill Centre, has groceries (☎30222. Open M-Sa 8:30am-midnight, Su 9am-10pm). There’s a smaller selection at Caulfield’s SuperValu, located in the shopping center on Mill Park Rd. at the Abbey Sq. roundabout. (☎34541. Open M-W 8am-9pm, Th-F 8am-10pm, Sa 8am-8pm, Su 10am-6pm.) The Baked Potato 1, 18 Rafter St., serves delicious homemade open-face sandwiches (€4-4.50), quiches (€5.50), and stuffed baked potatoes (€3-5), as its name implies. (☎34085. Open M-Sa 8am-6pm. MC/V.) Zorba Restaurant 2, 11 Rafter St., serves up hearty Lebanese and Mediterranean dishes, such as kofka (€9.50) or vegetarian mosaka (€8.50). Tempting pastries linger just by the register. (☎35901. Open daily 9am-9pm. MC/V.) Galo Char Grill , 19 Main St., serves exquisitely grilled Portuguese dishes, like the chicken roti (€9.10), as well as several vegetarian options. Galo’s is incredibly popular, so call ahead. (☎38077. Open M-Sa noon-3pm and 5:30-10pm, Su noon-9pm. MC/V.) Shenanigans serves quality pub grub for €8-10 in Market Sq. Be sure to check out the mosaics. (☎36272. Kitchen open daily 10am-6pm. MC/V.) Follow the yellow-brick road to the Golden City 2, 9 Market Sq., for traditional Chinese dishes such as hot and sour soup (€3.30), hot pot (€8.70), and other delicious delicacies. (☎38521. Open M-Sa 12:30-2:30pm and 4-11:30pm, Su 12:30-11:30pm. MC/V.)

The Bailey, on Barrick St. by the river, is a swanky new pub/nightclub with free live music on Fridays. Attached is Vertigo, a club with high standards: there are hair straighteners for hire in the bathrooms, so guests have no excuse not to look good. (☎30353. Su 80s-90s music. Pub open M-Th 10:30am-11:30pm, F-Sa 10:30am-12:30am, Su 12:30-11pm. Club open Th-Su 11:30pm-2am. Cover Th €10 with €3 drinks all night, F €8, Sa €10, Su €5. MC/V.) Rackard’s, 23 Rafter St., is among the hippest spots in town. (☎33747. Open M-Th 10:30am-11:30pm, F-Sa 10:30am-12:30am, Su 12:30-11pm. W Trad sessions. MC/V.) The Antique Tavern, 14 Slaney Pl., lives up to its name, with Enniscorthy artifacts and other antiques from around the world plastered to the walls. (☎33428. Free Wi-Fi. Open M-Th 10:30am-11:30pm, F-Sa 10:30am-12:30am, Su 12:30-11pm. MC/V.)

Sights And Festivals. The National 1798 Visitors Centre, a 5min. walk from town on Mill Park Rd., is an impressive multimedia experience examining the failed Rebellion of 1798 and the Battle of Vinegar Hill. In general, the museum’s exhibits are excellent, though occasionally all the audio-visual gizmos and gadgets—like the life-size chess pieces—obscure the history. The 14min. film projects blood and guts onto four screens. (☎37596; www.1798centre.com. Open May-Sept. M-F 9:30am-5:30pm, Sa-Su noon-4pm; Oct.-Apr. M-F 9:30am-4pm. Last admission 5pm. €6, students and seniors €3.50.) An uphill 4km walk from town, across the river, the actual Vinegar Hill battle site offers a fantastic battle’s-eye view of the town below. For a more intimate perspective, enthusiastic Maura Flannery’s Walking Tour of Enniscorthy is unbeatable. The 1hr. trek reveals the dirty little secrets of the town’s past. Find out about the time in 1649 when Enniscorthy women got Cromwell’s soldiers drunk and killed them or learn why, after flagrantly kissing up to Queen Elizabeth with The Faerie Queene, poet Edmund Spenser refused her gift of the local castle. (☎36800. Tours daily 12:45pm or by arrangement for groups of 5 or more. Tours at 6pm on request. €5, students, seniors, and children €3.)

St. Aidan’s Cathedral, on Cathedral St. uphill from Murphy’s Hotel, has been completely restored. The stencil work on the arches and the plethora of stained-glass windows are incredibly impressive. Original construction began in 1843 under the close supervision of architect Augustus Pugin. An architectural genius, Pugin designed over 40 churches with soaring ceilings that make the spaces light and airy. A €1 brochure is a good touring companion. (Open daily 10am-6pm. Free.) In Market Sq., a statue commemorates Father Murphy, who fanned the flames of rebellion in 1798. The priest was a Loyalist sympathizer before an angry mob threatened to burn down his church. He installed himself at the head of the United Irishmen (see Rebellion and Union) and led the pikemen of Enniscorthy into battle.

The Wexford County Museum fills the bulk of the Norman Castle on Castle Hill, chronicling Wexford’s history and exhibiting an eclectic collection of castaway oddities from all over the world. The rooms display the original letters and belongings of principal players in the rebellions of 1798 and 1916. Since the museum’s days as a single 13-object display back in 1960, the curators have stuffed it from dungeon to eaves with odd bits like ship figureheads and a collection of international police patches; spiders now call a lot of the nooks and crannies home. The model boats and ships in the third floor maritime room, and the graffiti made by an inmate in the musty dungeon, are worth a quick look. ( ☎35926. Closed for renovations until summer 2008. Open Feb.-Nov. M-Sa 10am-6pm, Su 2-5:30pm; Dec.-Jan. Su 2-5pm. €4.50, students and seniors €3.50, children €1.) If the walking tour wasn’t enough exercise, sweat it out on the new machines or jump in the pool at the Waterford Pool and Leisure Centre, on the left past the train station. (☎34443. Open M-F 7am-10pm, Sa-Su 9am-8pm. Pool and gym €5.50-6 per hr.)

The first weekend in July ushers in the annual Strawberry Fair’s long weekend of festivities and fructose. Market Square fills to the brim with outdoor entertainment and vendors selling strawberries and cream. Free music from trad to bluegrass plays nightly in various pubs. Local businesses sponsor Strawberry Princesses; for the culmination of the festivities the town votes on which prom-gown-clad teen should become the Strawberry Queen. (www.strawberryfestival.ie has exact dates and info on music and entertainment events.) The mid-September Blues Festival brings three days of entertainment by renowned musicians. Book accommodations well in advance for dates around both festivals.