Wexford

Wexford
/weks"feuhrd/, n.
1. a county in Leinster province, in the SE Republic of Ireland. 99,016; 908 sq. mi. (2350 sq. km).
2. its county seat: a seaport. 11,396.

* * *

Irish  Loch Garman 

      seaport and county seat, County Wexford, Ireland, on the River Slaney. The name Wexford derives from the Norse settlement of Waesfjord. It was an early colony of the English, having been taken by Robert FitzStephen in 1169. The town received a charter in 1317, which was extended in 1411 by Henry IV and in 1558 by Elizabeth I; subsequent charters were granted in 1608 and 1686 by James I and James II, respectively. It was besieged and sacked by the forces of Oliver Cromwell in 1649 and captured and garrisoned for William III in 1690. Wexford lost its charter under the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act, 1840, but was granted another in 1846.

      Some remains still exist of the old walls and of one of the five towers of the town. The deconsecrated Protestant church, alongside the ruins of the ancient abbey of St. Sepulchre, is said to occupy the spot on which the treaty was signed between the Irish and the English invaders in 1169. Wexford Harbour, formed by the Slaney estuary, is large, though a bar prevents the entrance of vessels drawing more than 12 feet (4 m); an artificial harbour was opened in 1906 at Rosslare, which is connected with Wexford by rail and is served by passenger vessels from Fishguard, Wales. Wexford's principal exports are livestock and agricultural produce. The town's industries are based on agriculture and light engineering. Wexford is a base for salmon- and sea-fishing districts, the centre of a tourist area, and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Ferns. Pop. (2006) 8,854.

Irish  Loch Garman 
 county in the province of Leinster, southeastern Ireland. It is bounded on the east and south by the Irish Sea and from west to north by Counties Kilkenny, Carlow, and Wicklow. The Blackstairs Mountains—which have two main peaks, Blackstairs Mountain (2,402 feet [732 metres]) and Mount Leinster (2,602 feet [793 metres])—form a striking range rising from lowlands on all sides. Between the two main summits is the deep Scullogue Gap. Most of the county consists of a lowland between the mountains and the sea, with a maximum width of about 20 miles (30 km) and scattered hills of igneous rock and several hills over 1,000 feet (300 metres) high. Much of the lowland is covered with glacial deposits, including the moraine formed during the last glaciation of Ireland. The coast is composed of wide, sweeping bays with rocky headlands, sand dunes, and cliffs.

      Less than two-fifths of the population live in towns and villages. The county council meets at Wexford, and there is a county manager. Wexford town is a borough, and Enniscorthy and New Ross are urban districts. Farming is the main occupation in the county, and most farms are of medium size, averaging 70–80 acres (28–32 hectares). Much of the land is in pasture, and about two-fifths of the farmland grows cereal crops, half of it wheat. Sugar beets also are an important crop. The chief economic staple is cattle, exported through Dublin or Waterford, and there is some dairying.

      The chief industrial towns are Wexford, Enniscorthy, and New Ross. Rosslare is a seaside resort, with fine sandy beaches. From Rosslare harbour, the port of call for passenger ships from Fishguard, Wales, there are railways to Wexford town, Dublin, and Waterford.

      Anglo-Norman adventurers landed in Wexford in 1169. By Tudor times (16th century), the northern area was dominated by the MacMurrough Kavanagh family. A continuous tradition of town life dates from Norse times. Wexford town as a fortified place was involved in several episodes of warfare: it was stormed by Oliver Cromwell (Cromwell, Oliver)'s forces in 1649, and in May 1798 it was the scene of a major popular rising that met with defeat near Enniscorthy. In 1964 an estate on the slopes of Slieve Coillte, overlooking the River Barrow, was given to the government and was developed as the John F. Kennedy (Kennedy, John F.) Park as a memorial to the former president of the United States. Area 914 square miles (2,367 square km). Pop. (2002) 116,596; (2006) 131,615.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Wexford — Per Aqua et Ignem Par l eau et par le feu Administration …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Wexford — ist der Name folgender Orte bzw. Countys: Wexford (Stadt), Hauptstadt der Grafschaft Wexford im Südosten Irlands County Wexford, Grafschaft im Südosten Irlands Wexford County, Verwaltungseinheit in Michigan, USA Wexford (Pennsylvania), Stadt in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Wexford —   [ weksfəd], irisch Loch Garman [lɔx gɑːmən],    1) Hauptstadt der gleichnamigen County an der Südostküste der Republik Irland, 15 900 Einwohner; katholischer Bischofssitz; Industrieparks mit Landmaschinenbau, Metall , pharmazeutischer,… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Wexford — (spr. Uëkssörd), 1) Grafschaft der irischen Provinz Leinster, am St. Georgenskanal; 41,6 QM.; gebirgig durch die Blackstair Mountains, Sliebhbai u.a.; Vorgebirge: Carnsore, Glaßcarik u.a.; Baien: Grenore, W., Banno u. m. a.; Flüsse: Barrow,… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Wexford [1] — Wexford, die südöstlichste Grafschaft der irischen Provinz Leinster, im S. und O. vom St. Georgskanal des Atlantischen Ozeans bespült, grenzt im Westen an die Grafschaften Waterford, Kilkenny und Carlow, im N. an Wicklow und umfaßt 2333 qkm (42,4 …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Wexford [2] — Wexford, Hauptstadt der gleichnamigen irischen Grafschaft (s. oben), an der Mündung des Slaney in die seichte Wexfordbai, ist Sitz des kath. Bischofs von Ferns, hat ein kath. College (St. Peter s), Schiffswerft, Whiskybrennerei, Fischerei und… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Wexford — Wexford, Grafschaft in der irischen Prov. Leinster, 2333 qkm, (1901) 103.860 E. – Die Hauptstadt W., an der Mündung der Slaney, 11.154 E …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Wexford — (Uexförrd), Grafschaft in der irischen Provinz Leinster, 41 QM. groß mit 180000 E., die von Ackerbau und Viehzucht leben, dabei weniger arm sind als die andern Irländer. Die Hauptstadt W. am W. haven ist Sitz des anglik. Bischofs von Ferns, hat… …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Wexford — ist im werden, Dublin ist s, und Dredach1 wird s seyn. – Berkenmeyer, 97; Beiche, Blumenlese, 228. 1) In Beiche s Blumenlese steht: Bredach …   Deutsches Sprichwörter-Lexikon

  • Wexford — [weks′fərd] county in Leinster province, SE Ireland: 908 sq mi (2,352 sq km); pop. 102,000 …   English World dictionary

  • Wexford — Infobox Irish Place name = Wexford gaeilge = Loch Garman motto = Per Aquam et Ignem Through Water and Fire map pin coords = left: 74px; top: 85px north coord = 52.3342 west coord = 6.4575 irish grid = T051213 area = elevation = 1 m province =… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”