Historic county of Ireland
Wexford
Contae Loch Garman / County of Wexford
Province: Leinster
Slaney through the middle, Hook reaching south, Blackstairs rising north-west.
Wexford / Loch Garman occupies Ireland’s south-eastern corner, where broad fertile lowlands meet an exceptionally long coastline. The Slaney provides the county’s great central line, running through the interior before opening into Wexford Harbour.
The land rises towards the Blackstairs Mountains in the north-west before falling across productive farming country towards the sea. South of Wexford Harbour, the coast extends through lagoons, beaches and long peninsulas towards Hook Head. Wexford is a county of river, harbour and open sea, with mountain country providing its inland wall.
- Norse, Norman and south-east seaways
- Named from the old inlet of Garman
- Slaney, Wexford Harbour and Hook Head
- Area: 909 sq miles / 2,354 km²
- Population: 145,320
- County Top: Mount Leinster 2,612ft / 796m
County geography
Slaney to harbour
The Slaney links the northern interior directly with Wexford Harbour, making river and estuary the clearest way to understand the county’s middle.
Further west, the Barrow forms another powerful waterscape, while the south-east contains unusual coastal lagoons between farmland and the sea.
From the Blackstairs to Hook
The Blackstairs give north-western Wexford its highest and roughest country. From there the land falls towards the Slaney lowlands before narrowing into the long southern peninsula country around Hook.
Few Irish counties combine mountain edge, broad farming plain, sheltered harbour and exposed coast so neatly.
County questions
Questions about Wexford
Why are the names Wexford and Loch Garman so different?
They come from different linguistic traditions. Wexford derives from the Norse name associated with the Viking settlement, while Loch Garman preserves the Irish place-name tradition.
What was Yola?
Yola was a distinctive form of English once spoken particularly in southern Wexford. It developed among communities descended from medieval settlers and survived into the nineteenth century.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County Wexford
- Local name
- Contae Loch Garman
- Province
- Leinster
- Alternative name
- County of Wexford
- Foundation
- c.1210
Wexford, County Wexford, Loch Garman and Contae Loch Garman are forms associated with the county. Its Norse and Gaelic names reflect different strands of a strongly maritime south-eastern identity.