This is my ongoing diary into the fate of the Barrow Bridge. The details are below but in brief here's whats covered to date (24/5/2024) July 1906 - opened to connect the new port at Rosslare with Waterford and on to the west Sept 2010 - route closed Feb 2022 - Bridge...
Although many will associate the famine as a time of mass emigration from Ireland, the fact is tens of thousands were fleeing the country for many years prior to the catastrophic events of the 1840s. Canada Street owes its name to this era, and in this blog, I want to...
This coming September marks the 11th anniversary of the last passenger train to use the SW Wexford railway line and the Barrow Railway Viaduct. The bridge is Irelands longest rail bridge but it would appear that this September may see another regressive step...
Concluding our examination of the placename Halfway House today, we showcase another wonderful building on the site, the commercial Ice House- the fridge freezer of the 19th Century. It utilised frozen water as a cooler area and a preservative for foodstuff –...
The Halfway House site is one of the most densely populated sites of Lime Kilns that I know of. They were built to produce quicklime which had a variety of uses in agriculture and rural living in the 18th & 19th centuries. The site was chosen due to its location on the tidal Pill as I will explain. The operation of the kilns was a tough, physical task, but it could also be deadly as one young woman found to her cost at Halfway House.
Last week we looked at the operation of a saltwater mill, which harnessed the tides to power a mill wheel to grind local corn. This week, we will look at another innovative water-powered wheel, but this time it was freshwater, harnessed by man. Just off the main...
Introduction While last week we explored the origins of the placename, geographic location and the pub at Halfway House, this week I wanted to highlight two water mills that are on the site; the later Brook Lodge Mill, visable from the road, and a much earlier salt...
Halfway House For this year's Heritage Week event, and specifically Water Heritage Day I wanted to showcase a unique water-related site at the popular bar and restaurant known now as Jack Meades, but previously it was more commonly called Halfway House. Over the...
Anyone walking or driving in Cheekpoint village, or indeed anyone entering the village park via the main gates will pass a very plain and unassuming piece of limestone. Plain as it is, it is a remarkable piece of Irish maritime history, for it is one of the last...
I was thrilled to be asked onto Tom MacSweeneys Maritime Ireland Radio Show to talk about my new book and to specifically talk about the Spider Light at the Spit bank, Passage East. Tom's show is published online, but it also goes out on 18 community radio stations...
John Flynn When I was in my early teens my friends and I would cycle miles to pick strawberries. In the evenings if we were passing an old graveyard on our way home we would go in and look for the oldest dated headstone or an unusual inscription. One evening one of...
Irish placenames are intriguing and sometimes confusing. Many originate from our early history. They may have been shaped by historic events, or relate to geographical characteristics. Some have been confused by language from our history of conquest. But they can also...
I'm not sure how many know of the Faithlegg Ice House. Like Limekilns, the purpose of them appear to have been forgotten. As a teen I remember walking in what we called locally the Oak Wood (although at the time all that remained were stumps under a...
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