Gaelic Wexford 1400-1660: Culture, Landscape, Settlement

If you know nothing about County Wexford, or know a lot, this book is equally appealing. County Wexford is commonly regarded as an anglicised county on the east coast of Ireland. Gaelic Wexford shatters that stereotype and presents an entirely fresh take on the history of the County, but written for the first time from an Irish language and Gaelic perspective. Three quarters of Wexford’s recorded history was lived entirely through Irish rather than English: yet that history has been silenced and invisibilised.

Here in 450 pages, 400 colour illustrations, and four thousand footnotes, Wexford Is presented in an entirely new light. Fresh archival discoveries from libraries all over the world unveil Wexford in ways that have never been recorded before.

Here for the first time, are detailed treatments of the quintessential Wexford families the Murphys, Doyles, Bolgers, Breens, Dorans, Keoghs, Kinsellas, Kavanaghs, and many more. The book offers a treasure trove of new genealogical sources - like a detailed listing by townland of over a thousand Wexford people in 1641, to vibrant portraits of colourful personalities: it also has a series of freshly recovered historical maps, including north Wexford in 1657 and a superb estate map from 1729 that covers the area from Enniscorthy to Wexford and new discoveries like the earliest drawing of the Hook lighthouse from 1730

This volume explores the hidden history of Wexford: from big themes like its oak woods, coastline, and farmlands, to vivid vignettes of windmills, rabbit warrens, wolves and dovecots. It also offers detailed treatments of the history of Wexford, New Ross and Enniscorthy.

This book offers a bold reimagining of the history of a remarkable county with a distinctive history and culture.

Kevin Whelan is a native of Johnstown in County Wexford. One of twelve children, he attended school at Clonegal NS, and FCJ Bunclody and he played for Kildavin GAA club and Bunclody soccer club. He was awarded his doctorate from UCD When he was twenty-two years old. was been Director of University of Notre Dame Dublin 1998-2024. He has lectured in fifteen countries, and at the Sorbonne, Cambridge, Oxford, Torino, Berkeley, Yale, Louvain and Sydney. He has written or edited over twenty books and over one hundred articles on Ireland’s history, geography, literature and culture. His specialist topics include the 1798 Rebellion, the Famine and James Joyce. His passions include hurling, poetry, book-collecting, the Irish language and travel.