#87 Staycation Ireland: Wexford

Wexford, known as the 'Sunny South East' and home of the 'yellow bellies'. The latter makes us sound quite cowardly, but as you'll see we have fought many historic battles over the years!

County Wexford is in the South-East of Ireland, just a little below Dublin on the map in the corner. It is a coastal area with many popular beaches, and the town is situated on an estuary where the river Slaney flows into the Irish sea.

New Ross
This is very close to County Waterford to the east. There is quite an old fashioned little town, but the highlight is the newly refurbished quay-front. There is a statue of US President John F Kennedy whose ancestors were from the area (and he visited there 50 years ago), and not far away is a park and arboretum dedicated to him. Also on the quay is the Dunbrody Famine Ship, a replica of the 'coffin ships' that were used to bring Irish people to America during the Great Famine. It is very interactive and a great exhibit to visit. Finally, there is an 'Emmigrant Flame', similar to the Olympic or Amnesty flame it never extinguishes, but burns brightly for all those who have left this country.
I should think that one day or even a few hours would be enough time to spend here.

Enniscorthy
This topsy-turvy town is full of hills and slopes, and character! It's home to Enniscorthy Castle and Vinegar Hill, where one of Ireland's many historic battles was fought. Every summer there's a Strawberry Festival with Irish music and cuisine, and in August there is a re-enactment of the Battle of Vinegar Hill which is interactive for the whole family.

Gorey
Yes, it is pronounced just like the word 'gory', but don't let this put you off a visit! North of the county, Gorey is a popular town bustling with charm. It has almost none of the commercialised chain stores you will find elsewhere, and instead has one long street filled with local small businesses. It is even starting to gain some fame nationally for it's large array of boutique shops! Coming from Dublin, this will likely be your first stop in the county.

The Main St in Gorey

Wexford Town
This is the hive of activity in Co Wexford, and the huge array of shops and restaurants here have led to a decline in business in the smaller surrounding towns.
There are many things to see and do here; first off is the quay and Wexford Bridge, which welcome you as you enter the town. The area is absolutely beautiful, and you can see fishing boats coming and going regularly. If the weathers right you can also avail of boat tours along the river Slaney and the estuary into the Irish sea. Second is the main street - one long street full of shops, cafés and restaurants. While there are all the popular chain stores and high street brands, there are also many privately owned 'mom & pop' shops too.
There is Wexford Opera House, a new state of the art building which is home to the famous Opera Festival every Autumn, and even if there is no show on during the day, you can avail of tours of the building and views of Wexford and the quay from the café at the top.

Located just outside the town across the bridge is the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve which is home to many wildlife animals and of course birds of all kinds, and on the other side of the town is the Irish National Heritage Park, which is home to many buildings from ancient Irish history.

The black square to the top left is the new Opera House

A look along the quay

A view from across the bridge

Other areas of interest
Of course Wexford isn't all about the towns and urban living! Down south of the county Kilmore Quay is a popular fishing destination and therefore top notch for fresh seafood, while Hook Lighthouse is one of the oldest working lighthouses in the world!
The 'R742' coastal drive takes you through many small villages, including Curracloe (whose beach was used for filming in Saving Private Ryan), Blackwater and Courtown Harbour.

A wet day out at Hook Lighthouse

Wexford is about 2 and a half hours drive from Dublin, and is home to Rosslare Europort, which has ferries to Britain and France. It is a popular destination for Dubliners, with many of them having summer houses there, but it also has a lot to offer for international tourists as well.

Map of Wexford

Links:
visitwexford.ie
facebook.com/visitwexford
wexford.ie
discoverireland.ie/Places-To-Go/Wexford

#86 Staycation Ireland

This will be the first in a series about some Irish destinations and what they have to offer! Since I am Irish myself I would like to be considered an expert and therefore any advice and information I provide will be infallible.

I'm going to suggest that some people take a 'stay-cation' here in Ireland, or if you're from another country perhaps you could just plain old vacation here. I don't want to brag, but we are pretty great. I mean, sure. We're kind of expensive, and the weather isn't great. But we have a lot of other great things going on, I can assure you, and you will find out throughout this dynamic and exciting series of articles!

If it rains, you can always buy some fancy raincoats and umbrellas and wellington boots.  Really make the bad weather work for you and your style! Okay I'll admit I'm clutching at straws here. . .but when you're visiting it mightn't even rain, last year we had some very hot weather and blue skies! Realistically it most likely will rain at some point, but there's always a chance it won't! You should hold out on that hope while packing your raincoat and umbrella. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst!


Quick note: The word 'stay-cation' actually annoys me, because it's a bastardization of the word 'vacation', which is a word we don't use here in Ireland. We're familiar with the meaning from American movies and TV shows, but we use the word 'holiday' instead. So really the word 'staycation' don't make much sense here.


At the end of every article I'm going to put in the following links to some Irish tourism websites, so if you're seriously interested you can get some information from the professionals.
DiscoverIreland.ie
VisitDublin.com
Ireland.com
CulturalTourismIreland.ie

This video is a little cringey because it only shows 'old and natural' Ireland. That is a large part of Ireland, but don't worry we have cities and shops and nightclubs too.

#85 Summertime Sadness

There is arguably nothing worse than when all your family, friends, neighbours, co-workers and casual acquaintances all go on holiday and you're left sitting at home. Summer is peak season for that, and while I have been dreaming about going somewhere - the reality now appears to be that I will not be going anywhere for the months of May, June, July or August.

Sarcasm. It's great!

I do have plans to visit a friend in London in Autumn, and I can be happy in the knowledge that it won't be too hot, there will be less crowds and prices will generally be cheaper. However, holding out over the summer will be tough, very tough, and I fear I am already starting to feel that mixture of jealousy and hopelessness creeping under my skin as I hear friends talking about booking their own trips.

Last summer the weather in Ireland was unusually good, and those who were left at home laughed with glee at those who had wasted money on a sun holiday to Spain where it rained for a week. The problem for me is that even if that happens again this year, I hate hot weather and I would never book a sun holiday to anywhere.

The main issues that have resulted in my lack of holiday plans are; (a) I have no one to go with: Everyone appears to have already made plans with someone else, to go somewhere else, to do something else - and I am not invited to the party (b) Insufficient funds: While I do have savings I could dip in to, I am dictated by prices as to where I can go and for how long (c) Lack of options: I am recently craving a trip to Eastern Europe - The Western Europeans dream! Prices are insanely cheap and the countries have a lot to offer. Getting there is a problem, and from Ireland it is either very difficult or very expensive - defeating the purpose of the insanely cheap prices when you get there. Eugh.

So, is anyone else starting to feel this summertime sadness, or is it just me? I plan to spend the summer saving up money and planning a holiday to end all holidays in the Autumn, but in reality I will likely spend more time creeping on Facebook and begrudging everyone else's good time, whilst simultaneously questioning how much money they spent on it and how exactly they are able to afford it.

Sad owl understands my pain

#84 The Travel Show + Instagram

I have been absent from the radio sphere for the past two weeks, but I will be making a triumphant comeback this Tuesday 8th April at 12pm (GMT).

Tune in for some big things!

www.ulfm.ie/listen/

Also travel-related, I've started uploading some of my old photographs from Japan, Sweden and Europe on my Instagram account. I promise there's not a selfie in sight!

instagram.com/philippabrennan