Wexford Town travel - Lonely Planet

Welcome to Wexford Town

A fine example of the contrasts conjured up by the economic boom and bust of the last few decades, Wexford's claustrophobic maze of medieval streets is lined with a mixture of old-time pubs, posh boutiques, boarded-up buildings and modern steel-and-glass facades. The town's rich and bloody history includes being founded by the Vikings and nearly obliterated by Oliver Cromwell.

It's an arty town, with plenty of craft shops and galleries – and good restaurants – but the big cultural attraction is the world-famous Wexford Opera Festival, a 12-day autumn extravaganza that presents rarely performed works to packed audiences in the town's shiny national opera house.

Read Less