County Wexford Trip Overview
A walk along a popular route around the tip of the peninsula, but with guidance from a local. Liam points out unique features and history along the way, including the stone walls, lime industry, local landmark names, fish traditions, coastal living through the centuries and plenty of local stories.
Additional Info
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Starts: County Wexford, Ireland
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Historical & Heritage Tours
Explore County Wexford Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting County Wexford, County Wexford, Ireland
A walk along a popular route around the tip of the peninsula, but with guidance from a local. Liam points out unique features and history along the way, including the stone walls, lime industry, local landmark names, fish traditions, coastal living through the centuries and plenty of local stories.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Hook Lighthouse, Hook Head Lighthouse Hook Head New Ross, Fethard On Sea Y34 KD93 Ireland
Hook Lighthouse is the oldest operational lighthouse in the world.
Today you can be guided up the 115 well worn spiral steps of the tower and explore the thick walled chamber, with each ascending step trail the daily and nightly ritual of every light keeper who served at Hook Lighthouse.
Journey through the ages of the world’s oldest working lighthouse and learn the tales and fascinating stories of those who spent their lives watching over the safety of those at sea from your first meeting with the life-sized hologram figure of St. Dubhan, who tells of perishing nights spent with his fellow monks in the 5th century warning sailors against the dangers with a beacon they kept alight on the headland.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Churchtown, Churchtown, County Cork
A Welsh monk named Dubhan established a monastery on this site in the 5th century and the peninsula became known as Rinn Dubhain. As Dubhain also means hook this was later anglicized as Hook Head.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Loftus Hall, Hook Head Ireland
Loftus Hall is a large mansion house situated on the Hook peninsula. It is Located on the right hand side as you drive towards Hook Lighthouse on the tip of the Hook Peninsula.
The first castle on the site was built on the site in 1170 by a Norman knight, Raymond Les Gros, who changed his surname to Redmond to adapt an Irish identity. The Redmond family built the Hall in 1350 during the time of the Black Death to replace the castle.
It then became known as Redmond Hall and stayed in the Redmond family until the 1650s when it was given to the Loftus Family who were English Planters, as part of the Cromwellian conquest. Redmond Hall then became Loftus Hall.
It became the principal residence of the Loftus Family in 1666 when Henry Loftus, son of Nicholas Loftus took up residence in the Hall.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Slade Castle, Slade Harbour east end of Hook Head, 6 miles SW of Fethard on-Sea, Wexford Ireland
Located in the picturesque fishing village of Slade on the Hook Peninsula in Co. Wexford this remarkably well-preserved castle was built by the Laffan family. Of Anglo-Norman stock, the Laffans were among the first wave of colonists to arrive in Ireland after Richard de Clare’s (Strongbow) invasion of 1169/70. They quickly became established in Wexford and were ensconced at Slade since at least the 15th century. Holding the townland as tenants of the manor of Kilcloggan, their actual estate was relatively small, containing only 86 hectares of land.
The earliest part of the castle is the slender tower, which was probably constructed sometime in the 15th century. Four storeys in height, the ground and third floors have vaulted ceilings, while the battlements are defended by stepped crennelations.
The castle is currently closed to the public.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Slade, Slade, County Wexford
Slade village sits on a harbour, which would have been built during famine times.
Duration: 15 minutes
