It was a bumper August Bank Holiday weekend with tens of thousands of visitors enjoying Wexford’s festivals and visitor attractions in weather conditions that peaked around 24 degrees daily.

Steam train passing through Enniscorthy Station heading for the tunnel under the town on its way to Rosslare Harbour.

Enniscorthy’s 4th annual Rockin Food Festival attracted record crowds not seen since the glory days of the Strawberry Fayre and the pub trade experienced numbers not seen since the 1999 All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil in Enniscorthy. Restaurants and night clubs were also well supported.
The Enniscorthy festival continued on a limited scale for Monday with music on the street and outside pubs and the crowds, mostly family groups, were in town in large numbers. The funfair with its giant Ferris Wheel reported a brisk trade and were very pleased with the numbers enjoying the fun of the fair.
The Irish Railway Preservation Society brought about 300 people from Dublin on Monday and another 200 were treated to a return trip to Rosslare Harbour.
The Gorey Market House Festival is synonymous for its large crowds and this year’s 10th festival drew huge crowds onto the Main Street, with Friday night, in particular, probably breaking all records for attendance on a single night.
Gorey is a street music festival supported by fringe events and exhibitions that work very well and Saturday’s Fun Day in the Town Park was an outstanding success.
The organising committees in Enniscorthy and Gorey were very happy with the success of the weekend activities and much of the credit belongs with “the excellent summer weather conditions” that prevailed.
And the good news is that Garda sources are reporting “trouble free festivities” from both Enniscorthy and Gorey.
Some people commented to WexfordToday.com that it was a pity that Gorey and Enniscorthy festivals were held on the same weekend, however, this situation is highly unlikely to change since the August Bank Holiday is the most presigious date in the annual calendar, and it would be a tragedy for one side or other to concede.
WexfordToday.com met people in Enniscorthy today that we had met in Gorey yesterday, so the festivals draw a difference audience, and they complement each other in a very positive way and give visitors to Wexford a choice.
The Leo Carty Weekend brought large numbers to Our Lady’s Island, while the 37th annual Benefit Night in aid of Rosslare Lifeboat Station was a huge success in Kilmuckridge. The annual Boat Pull from Kilmuckridge to Morriscastle was well supported and Rosslare RNLI Lifeboat crew paid a visit.

The Wexford road leading into Enniscorthy seen from the Ferris Wheel at Abbey Square.

The counties beaches from Ballymoney to Rosslare and from Carne to Duncannon were also in peak demand.
The normal attractions such as the National Heritage Park at Ferrycarrig, the Walled Garden at Tintern Abbey, Wells House and Gardens, the Dunbrody in New Ross and Hook Lighthouse also enjoyed large numbers.
It was a fantastic weekend for Wexford tourism and a just reward for the people who have been pushing Wexford tourism and all the county has to offer.
It is noted that there was strong support from Dublin with hundreds of families taking advantage of bus and rail services to visit the south-east.
Wexford County Council carried out surveys over the weekend and sometime in the future we maybe able to learn where the visitor market hails from.