The harmony between great castles and their ornamental grounds is rarely seen in such perfect form as at Johnstown Castle. The gardens and grounds were designed by Daniel Robertson, of Powerscourt fame, assisted by Martin Day. The castle itself was home to two prominent Wexford families, the Esmondes and the Grogans, who have between them occupied the grounds from the fifteenth century right up to 1945. Today the castle is owned by Teagasc, the Agricultural and Food Development Authority, who manage the estate and provide access to the public. This book is the first published history of the castle, and in these pages author, historian and Wexford native Liam Gaul, explores the development of this imposing aspect of Wexford and national heritage from its earliest beginnings.

The castles of Ireland are an essential part of the story of medieval Europe, but were, until recently, a subject neglected by scholars. Dr McNeill weaves the evidence from the castles into the story of lordship and power in medieval Eire.

The book details the origins and growth of Wexford town since its establishment by the Vikings in the early tenth century. The influence of the broader environment on the foundation, expansion and economic development of the town is also examined. Periods covered include the Anglo-Norman, the Cromwellian settlement and eighteenth-century expansion. Detailed sections will include medieval churches, town wall and castle, the 1798 Rebellion and nineteenth-century church expansion. As a maritime town, shipping and trade for the different periods will also be examined. The growth of the town down to the present time will be analyzed by using a series of maps and aerial photographs. Wexford town has a long and rich history, a varied archival record, and a powerful personality embedded in its tight streets. The landscape layers that underpin the town are painstakingly built up, period by period, component by component. The focus of this volume is different from a conventional history because the concentration is on helping the reader to understand how the landscape of the town is evolving. To achieve this understanding in this most cosmopolitan of towns, the book ranges far and wide--from the Viking north to the Mediterranean south, from privateers to navy commodores, from croppies to entrepreneurs. The history of the town leaps into vivid life through four hundred illustrations, including fifty new maps, historic prints, photographs and paintings. The result is a comprehensive treatment of the evolution of Wexford town, understood not just as an abstract pattern of bricks and mortar, but as a real place where people lived and loved, shopped and traded, fell and rose, all the time creating through their accumulated efforts a rich communal fabric. Wexford town has its own distinctive setting on its shallow harbor, its own way of doing things, its own accent, its own inheritance of streets, buildings and spaces. Together, they create the town, whose story is so evocatively recorded here.

The Little Book of Wexford is a compendium of fascinating information about the town, past and present. Here you will find out about Wexford's trade and industry, crime and punishment, music and literature, clubs and societies, and its famous (and occasionally infamous) men and women. It covers not only the famous elements in Wexford's history but also focuses on the details of the everyday man in the street, recording facts that could so easily have been forgotten. A reliable reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped into time and time again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage, the secrets and the enduring fascination of this ancient county. It is essential reading for visitors and locals alike.