‘Wexford Harbour in County Wexford (Irish: Loch Garman) Ireland, is the natural harbour at the mouth of the River Slaney.

Vikings arrived from Norway in 819 AD and founded the city of Wexford, calling it Waes Fjord which means ‘inlet of the mudflats’. The modern name has evolved from this. In the 17^th century Wexford became a major maritime port exporting fish, cloth, wool and hides. It was Ireland’s leading fishing port in the 15th and 16th centuries, exporting mainly to ports along the west coast of England and Wales. In 1764 the historian Amyas Griffith wrote that Wexford’s chief export was corn (2 Million barrels per year), herrings, beer, beef, hides, tallow, butter etc. and they trade to all parts of the globe but in particular to Liverpool, Barbados, Dublin, Norway and Bordeaux.

The town continued to experience expansion and economic growth and in 1772 two important bodies were set up – the Quay Corporation with full responsibility for shipping, quays and harbour and the Bridge Corporation to build two bridges across the Slaney at Wexford and Ferrycarrig. By 1788, Wexford, with 44 cargo ships and 200 herring boats was the sixth busiest port in Ireland.

Wexford Harbour has witnessed many changes down through the years, today Wexford Harbour is used on a commercial basis by local fishing vessels and as a public amenity by the people of Wexford and beyond,who sail, fish or use the quay front to stretch the legs or just sit and watch the world go by.

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