Enniscorthy

Enniscorthy (Inis Córthaidh in Irish) is the third largest town in County Wexford in the Republic of Ireland (Pop. town & environs 8,964 - source 2002 Census CSO). It is situated on the River Slaney in the centre of the county, 24 km north of the county town, Wexford. The town lies on the N11 road (part of European route E1) from Dublin to Wexford and on the Dublin - Wexford - Rosslare Europort railway line. People from Enniscorthy are colloquially known as "scalders".

The name Inis Corthaidh derives from the Irish Gaelic word for island (Inis) and what is thought to be an ancient personal name (Corthaidh). The town is situated at the tidal extreme of the River Slaney which is no doubt the reason its being settled originally. The river has gouged steep sides in surrounding rock over the millennia to create the distinctive hilly feel of the town that makes it eminently photogenic.

Enniscorthy has a number of points of interest. Saint Aidan's Cathedral [1], designed by Augustus Welby Pugin, is a masterpiece of Neogothic architecture. It has recently been restored to his original designs. The Wexford County Museum contains a lot of 1798 rebellion-related material, as well as items of local and agricultural interest. The Museum is housed in Enniscorthy Castle, a typical Norman stronghold, in which Edmund Spenser wrote "The Faerie Queene". This Castle was also once owned by Sir Henry Wallop, whose maltreatment of his labourers gave rise to the english word "wallop".

Vinegar Hill (Cnoc Fíodh Na gCaor in Irish), a pudding-shaped hill overlooking the town, was the place where the rebels of 1798 took their stand, declaring briefly, the Republic of Wexford, and held it for 30 days against vastly superior forces, before many managed to flee south through a gap left in the English lines by General Needham(now known as Needham's Gap). During this time, Beauchamp Bagnell Harvey was declared as President of the Wexford Republic. The former Congregation of Christian Brothers monastery now houses a 1798 Visitor Centre[2] which tracks the path to modern democracy and the rebellion's place in it.

Enniscorthy hosts both the annual "Strawberry Fair" and "Blackstairs Blues" festivals.

Guglielmo_Marconi's mother was Annie Jameson, the grand-daughter of the founder of Jameson's Distillery. The location of the distillery, about 2 miles outside Enniscorthy is today known locally as "the Still". Eileen_Gray was born in the town, and later became famous as a furniture designer and architect. Colm Tóibín, born in the town, has written several novels set in the area.

See also