By Dan Walsh at Enniscorthy Municipal District Council meeting
The annual festival funding allocation agreed for Enniscorthy district for next year remains at the 2025 figure of €106,000, it was revealed at the December meeting of Enniscorthy Municipal District Council held in the Presentation Centre Chamber.
Enniscorthy’s main festival is the annual Rockin’ Food & Fruit Festival.
Topping the list is the Rockin’ Food and Fruit Festival at €40,000, followed closely by the Enniscorthy Christmas promotion at €35,000.
The Festival of Ferns receives €5,000; The Street Rhythms comes in at €4,000; and the Enniscorthy St. Patrick Day Parade at €3,000.
The Blackstairs Blues receives €2,500; the Bunclody Christmas Lights €2,000 and the Bunclody St. Patrick’s Day/Eileen Aroon Festival €1,500.
The Easter Monday Commemorations gets €2,000, and the ’98 Le Chéile in association with the National 1798 Rebellion Centre receives €1,000.
Kiltealy St. Patrick’s Day Parade receives €500. There is also a Festival Support Fund of €9,500 – not sure what that is about, or how it is spent?
Because Fleadh Cheoil na h-Éireann has taken the August Bank Holiday dates for the past two years there may be changes to the 2026 festival dates. However, I’m sure the dates will be sorted soon as the various festival groups hold public meetings and be transparent while encouraging more people to become actively involved.
The Labour Party urges immediate action on the shortage of GP’s (local doctors) given the ongoing Caredoc workers strike, which has arisen due to employees picketing after their employers failed to honour the 2023 commitment to salary increases.
Damien Corish
Labour Party local representative, Damien Corish once again is highlighting the fact that our health system in the South East is not up to standard or nationwide for that matter.
Mr Corish said; Here in the South East, we are still waiting to attend GPs with waiting times lasting weeks.
“In this region there is currently only one GP per 2,033 people that’s 24 GPs for 48,788 citizens with the north Wexford region similar at one GP for every 2,287 citizens and the national average at one GP 1,700 citizens we need an action plan to end the inequality in our society in terms of Healthcare, we are still holding Labour’s survey in relation to GP services and we were asking you to take the survey so we can work towards an equal health service for all.
You can also check the data for your area on the Labour website.”
Uisce Éireann has issued a Boil Water Notice for customers in Wexford town supplied by the Newtown Water Treatment Plant.
This notice is being issued to protect the health of approximately 22,000 customers due to untreated raw water entering the supply.
Drinking water experts from Uisce Éireann are working to rectify the disinfection issues at the treatment plant and lift the notice as quickly and as safely as possible, in consultation with the Health Service Executive (HSE).
Uisce Éireann is also progressing works at the treatment plant to upgrade and improve the supply for the community. In the meantime, all customers on this supply are advised to boil water before use until further notice.
Padraig Lyng, Uisce Éireann, regrets the inconvenience to impacted customers. “Public health is Uisce Éireann’s number one priority and we would like to assure customers that the notice has been put in place to protect public health. We acknowledge the inconvenience caused to homes and businesses and would like to assure customers that we are working to resolve the issue and lift the notice as quickly and as safely possible.”
Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communication on Boil Water Notices. Customers are reminded that the water is safe to consume once boiled.
Signing of The Apex Leisure Centre, New Ross integrated design team consultancy services energy retrofit contract in the Council Chamber, Wexford County Council.Back row: Clare Kelly, (Climate Action Officer, Wexford County Council), John Frister, (Energy Engineer, South East Energy Agency), Mark Weinkle (General Manager, The Apex), Cian O’Riordan (Managing Director, PowerTherm Solutions), Joe Fallon (Energy Officer, Wexford County Council), Siona Daly (Regional Energy Manager, South East Energy Unit), Michael Drea (County Secretary, Wexford County Council), Eamonn Hore (Director of Services, Wexford County Council), Loughlin Kilcline (SEAI Pathfinder Programme, Programme Executive). In front: Lorenzo Cammoranesi, Butler Cammoranesi Architects, and Eddie Taaffe (Chief Executive, Wexford County Council).
By Dan Walsh
Wexford County Council has announced a €1.6 million energy retrofit of the Apex Leisure Centre in New Ross.
This ambitious retrofit project, funded through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Pathfinder Programme grant, match funded by Wexford County Council, aims to decarbonise the leisure centre’s heating systems, improve the building’s overall energy efficiency, while reducing its operational running costs. This project forms part of the Wexford County Council and SEAI Pathfinder Partnership Funding Agreement. The primary objective of the SEAI Pathfinder Programme is to contribute towards Wexford County Council’s ambitious 2030 Carbon Emissions and Energy Efficiency Targets as set out in the Wexford County Council Climate Action Plan which targets a 51% reduction in Green House Gas emissions and a 50% improvement in energy efficiency from a predefined baseline by 2030.
A view from the helm in Wexford Harbour (File Pic; RNLI/Wexford Lorraine Galvin)
By Dan Walsh
A small but dedicated group of volunteers from North Kildare RNLI have raised €117,000 to fund a new D class inshore lifeboat for Wexford RNLI. The new lifeboat is to be named Cill Dara in recognition of the inland branch’s efforts to save lives at sea.
Reaching such a major milestone is testament to the group’s tireless efforts and their long-standing commitment to the charity.
Over the past year, the North Kildare RNLI branch organised a wide range of fundraising events, all of which were widely supported by the local community. These included street collections, notably at the Fleadh Cheoil na h-Éireann in Wexford town last summer.
The branch has a special affinity with Wexford Lifeboat Station because a D class was provided in 2005 by the family of one of the branch’s fundraisers who died suddenly.
Now 20 years on, the branch is honouring that tradition and memory by bringing a new D class lifeboat to Wexford.
Brian Bradshaw, President of North Kildare RNLI, said the achievement was a source of great pride; “This is a wonderful achievement for the branch, and we are proud that due to the significant efforts of many, we have now raised all the funds needed to ensure Wexford RNLI will soon take possession of a new lifeboat and we are equally proud that it will be named Cill Dara. We want to thank everyone who supported our events and many collections over the last year; each and everyone of those people have made a wonderful contribution to the charity and particularly to the lifesaving service in Wexford.”
North Kildare RNLI members fundraising at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Wexford town last August. (Pic; RNLI/North Kildare).
Wexford RNLI was established in 2002 and provides search and rescue cover for its part of the south-east coast. The station’s existing lifeboat, Alfred William Newman, has been on service since 2015 and in the last decade, launched 142 times, with its volunteer crews coming to the aid of 121 people, four of whom were lives saved.
While it has proudly served the station for 10 years, Wexford RNLI is ready to start a new chapter in lifesaving.
David Sherwood, Wexford RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said; “We are so delighted to hear the news that the North Kildarefundraising branch have hit this wonderful milestone that will see our station now receive a new lifeboat. We are incredibly grateful to everyone in the branch for all their efforts over the last year and we want to express our sincere thanks to all involved with the branch and to all who supported their events including the people of Wexford, whether that was buying a ticket and attending an event or by putting money in a collection box. These are vital funds that will power our next chapter in lifesaving at Wexford RNLI.”
The magnificent BARROW BRIDGE, once the longest in Ireland, 15 spans, 650 metres long, built 1902-1906, carried the Wexford-Waterford railway line until its closure in 2010. (File Pic; WexfordLocal.com, 2021).
By Dan Walsh
The All Ireland Strategic Rail Review 2025 does not reference any prospective developments for the Wexford to Waterford line, which ceased operations in 2010, despite its inclusion in the 2024 review.
According to the rail campaign group South East on Track, this action has undone every attempt to restore service on the line overnight.
This week, Engineers Ireland urged the government to prioritise public transport funding over new motorways to offer greener commuting options.
Spokesperson Ciara Murphy says; “South East on Track is calling on the government to prioritise the re-opening of the Wexford-Waterford line and to oppositionTDs in the region to seek clarity andtransparency regarding this knee-jerk decision to halt regional development and progress in the south east.”
Assisted by the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Rail Project Prioritisation Strategy was published on Tuesday by the Department of Transport and Department for Infrastructure.
The Strategy outlines how to best sequence and optimise the recommendations of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, which was launched following public consultation in July 2024 when the Minister for Transport was Green Party member Eamonn Ryan TD.
A female driver in her 70s was removed to Wexford General Hospital this evening following a road collision on the N25 Rosslare Road at Ballykelly, Drinagh.
It is understood that a car collided with the wall of The Coal Bunker bar and restaurant about 6pm. No other vehicles were involved.
Emergency vehicles were quickly on the scene and medical assistance was administered to the driver of the car at the roadside. Her injuries were understood to have been non-life-threatening.
The crash was on a stretch of road where a man lost his life in October.
Wexford County Council and Enniscorthy Municipal District Council are seeking expressions of interest for sponsorship of landscaping and maintenance of roundabouts in the Enniscorthy area.
This is not an original idea, roundabouts around Gorey have been sponsored for more than a decade!
According to the Council, “Sponsorship of the roundabout will entitle the sponsor to have defined advertising rights on the roundabout. Roundabouts offer an excellent promotional opportunity for businesses and organisations.”
At this point businesses and organisations are invited to register their interest in sponsorship. When the interested parties are identified a short meeting will be held to outline the Sponsorship Scheme Policy.
To Register: Please send in the details of your company or organisation, the roundabout(s) you are interested in sponsoring and details of the person in your organisation who will attend the briefing meeting.
Expressions of Interest should be returned in a sealed envelope clearly marked to: “Expressions of Interest for Sponsorship of Roundabouts”, Enniscorthy Municipal District Office, Market Square, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, Y21 W2V4. Closing Date extended to 31st December 2025.
The Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, the Most Revd John McDowell, has announced that the Revd Canon Nicola Halford, Rector of Enniscorthy and Monart Union, at the invitation of the House of Bishops, has accepted the position of Central Director of Ordinands for the Church of Ireland.
Archbishop McDowell said; “I am confident that Canon Nicola will build on the work of previous CDOs in helping to encourage vocations in a Church and on an island that has changed dramatically over the past twenty years.”
On accepting the appointment, Canon Nicola commented; “It is an honour to be asked to take on the role of Central Director of Ordinands and contribute to the important work of encouraging vocations within our Church.
“I enjoy my work as Diocesan Director of Ordinands for my Diocese of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory. Spending time with people who are discerning God’s call on their life is a real privilege.
“I look forward to serving the Church in a wider capacity as Central Director for Ordinands and helping build on the wonderful work that is already being done by the Diocesan Directors of Ordinands across this island.”
Pictured at the launch of ‘Enniscorthy Digital Retail Village’ today were (left to right); Breege Cosgrave, Head of Enterprise & Economic Development Wexford County Council, Gabrielle Lombos, Tap Retail; John Walsh, Mahady-Breen shoes; Cllr John O’Rourke, Barbara Nolan, Enniscorthy Municipal District Council; Barry Moylan, Tap Retail; Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy, Cathaoirleach Enniscorthy Municipal District Council; Claire Lawless, Enniscorthy District Manager; Stephen Hallahan, CEO Tap Retail; Theresa and Aidan Frayne, General Office & School Supplies; Senator Cathal Byrne; and Bipasha Kapadia, Tap Retail. (Pic; WexfordLocal.com)
By Dan Walsh in Enniscorthy
The Enniscorthy Digital Retail Village was officially launched in the Market Square today showcasing Co. Wexford’s first Digital Retail Village, featuring platform demonstrations, and a united message; Support small businesses — Shop Local.
Fourteen businesses have signed up for the scheme, namely Stafford’s Butchers, Evolv Health Store, Gillen’s Café, My Sport, Mahady Breen’s shoe shop, Authentic European Food Shop, Prep and Go, Reid’s Off-Licence, General Office & School Supplies, Meet Brazil, Easons Toy Department, Meraki Greek Café, Londis and Pet Depot.
Cathaoirleach of Enniscorthy Municipal District Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy stressed the initiative’s importance for the local economy. “The Enniscorthy Digital Retail Village is a major step forward in supporting small businesses and keeping our town’s retail sector strong and ensure towns are not left behind in retails digital transformation. By making it easier than ever to shop local, we are ensuring that Enniscorthy’s independent retailers continue to be at the heart of our community. This project shows the power of collaboration and innovation in protecting our local economy.”
Breege Cosgrave Head of Enterprise & Economic Development said that supporting small businesses is at the core of everything done at the Local Enterprise Office. “The Enniscorthy Digital Retail Village is an excellent example of how digital innovation can help local retailers grow, compete, and stay visible in a changing marketplace. We are delighted to support this initiative that encourages more people to shop local.”
Stephen Hallihan, CEO Tap Retail, highlighted the impact on small retailers. “The Digital Retail Village gives independent local retailers the digital tools they need to compete with big online platforms while making it simple for customers to choose local first. It is about creating something that works for retailers, customers, and the community, and I am excited to see the positive impact that this will have.”
Stephen Hallihan, Founder and CEO of Tap Retail designed the innovative Irish retail platform to make supporting small businesses easier, more convenient, and more accessible for everyone. The initiative offers:
An online shopping village that highlights Enniscorthy’s local businesses
User-friendly eCommerce tools to help small retailers grow and compete
Training and digital support to businesses
Collective marketing campaigns to strengthen the shop local message
Click-and-collect and delivery options, making it easy to support local and offers free delivery within a 3km radius.
The Enniscorthy Digital Retail Village scheme funded by Wexford County Council’s Local Enterprise Office and Enniscorthy Municipal District, unites local businesses on a single digital platform and allows consumers to buy from multiple local shops in one single transaction.
Every purchase made through the Digital Retail Village directly benefits Enniscorthy’s small businesses, helping them thrive and ensures that money spent locally continues to support local jobs and the future of Enniscorthy’s small business community.
WexfordLocal.com 