Latest update June 3rd 2001

Heritage Town and Medieval City are two names that scream at visitors to Wexford.
We also have Messrs Lahiff, Rossiter,The Mariner and others writing in local newspapers about our glorious heritage.

Where is it?
Wexford's proud heritage is rapidly becoming two-dimensional. In the main, it exists in pictures and stories - most of our concrete past is 'look only'.
Go to any town boasting heritage and there are buildings to enter, where the past has been kept alive with decoration, dedicated people, artefacts and displays - not here.
The Heritage Centre has an excellent audio visual but no back up of displays, explanations, answers to questions. It could be seen and enjoyed on video in your home in Witchita or Weston Super Mare.
Kenny's Hall, The Tate School, G. B. Shaw's house, Robert McClure's house and many others are just other modern premises. You would pass them without thought unless you read the stories. Even knowing the stories are they worth a glance?
The Quays, Vollaton Monument, John Barry, The Crescent and The Bullring rely on the visitor being able to visualise scenes from the past, based on what they read or see.
A few areas that retain something of their past, the lanes are either, paved, barred or converted to landfill sites.
We are blessed with walking tours and books that try to re-kindle our heritage but cursed with the blight of 'modernisation at all costs' and a fear of both creativity and vandalism.
We had a great maritime asset called the Guillimot but it was sailed away and thanks to Greybeard the Pirate and others, it tells our story in Kilmore.
We renovated a fabulous centre and failed to capitalise on the structure. We hear tales of ideas for some old sites - only to just keep hearing them until the stories are part of the history.
Before anyone gets the biro out - yes, there are excellent heritage sites near Wexford, but they are not Wexford heritage. They are the NATIONAL Heritage Park, the IRISH Agricultural Museum, the COUNTY Museum. There is one excellent museum within a museum in Johnstown - The Famine Exhibition - which no one should miss.
This is not written to denigrate the work of others. Rather it is a last minute call to get the finger out in 2001 and stop the slide.

Help our past to have a future!


Allen St. 1940s

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