Wexford (Loch Garman)

 town, county town - UK/Ireland

Wexford (Irish: Loch Garman) is the county town of County Wexford in the Republic of Ireland. It is situated near the south-eastern tip of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to the capital Dublin via the N11 National Primary Route (European route E1), and the national rail network. The railway line from Dublin to Rosslare Harbour runs along the quayside south of the town railway station.

Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney. The town was founded by the Vikings in about 800 AD. They named it Waes Fjord, inlet of the mud flats, and the name has changed only slightly into its present form.

Wexford was the site of an invasion by Normans in 1169 at the behest of Dermot MacMurrough Kavanagh, King of Leinster, which led to the subsequent colonisation of the country by the English. It is largely accepted that the Murphy Clan of Wexford descended from the King's brother.

Wexford in the Middle Ages was an Old English settlement. An old dialect of English, known as Yola, was spoken uniquely in Wexford up until the 19th century.

Wexford town hosts a well known Opera Festival every autumn. Eoin Colfer, the author of the Artemis Fowl series of children's books, is from Wexford, and is sometimes seen in the Wexford Book Centre on Main Street, signing books or promoting children's literature. Singer and playwright Larry Kirwan if the Celtic-Rock band Black 47 is a native of Wexford. Similarly, award-winning novelists Colm Toibin and John Banville were born and educated there. The playwright Billy Roche has set all of his stage plays in Wexford. Actor Padraic Delaney also hails from the area.