 Going back
almost 1500 years, Enniscorthy is one of the oldest settlements in Ireland. It has
undergone many different developments, until to-day, it can easily host an international
gathering of thousands, which is what Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
With a history going back to 465 AD,
Enniscorthy can rightfully call itself one of the longest continuously-occupied sites in
Ireland. First settled by St. Senan, who originated from Co. Clare, the settlement was
first a monastic one, located on the east side of the River Slaney near a convenient
crossing point of the river. Growing slowly, the town is named after the 'Island of
Corthaidh', a small island upstream in the river.
The arrival of the Normans in 1169 changed the whole complex of the town. It became a
defence point, with a major stone castle being built on the west side, overlooking the
river, starting in 1245 and finishing in 1274. The town developed slowly for the next 400
years, and was severly damaged when attacked by the Kavanagh clan in 1548, leaving much of
the town little more than a ruin for a long period of time. However, with the development
of the town as a trading centre and a focus for the timber industry - much of the oak of
the ships of the English navy came from large forests north and west of the town - the
settlement expanded, passing into the ownership of the Wallop family in the mid-1600s.
They developed the town further and restored the Castle. For the next 200 years, the
prosperity of the town was based on the richness and fertility of the surrounding
countryside. Thousands of tons of grain, butter and salted meat were exported from
Enniscorthy, moving down river to Wexford on unique flat-bottomed boats of a type
internationally known as 'gabbards', but locally known as 'cots'.
 The
Rising of 1798 again damaged the town, with much of the west side being burned to the
ground. The famous Battle of Vinegar Hill, on June 21st, which took place on the Hill
immediately overlooking the town, was the effective end of the Rising. Like the previous
occasion, it recovered rapidly after the business centre was quickly rebuilt with
compensation from the government.
Since then, it has progressed steadily, spreading along both sides of the river. In 1916,
it again raised the flag of freedom, the only place outside Dublin where a town came under
rebel control. To-day, the town has a population of about 9,000 people, with rapid
development being evident in recent years. Its steep narrow unique streets provide a wide
variety of streetscapes, many of them ending with views of Vinegar Hill to the east or
Pugin's St. Aidans' Cathedral or the Blackstairs Mountains to the west.
Many of the visitors to the town for Fleadh '99 were impressed with the authenticity - and
steepness - of the streets of the town, the shop fronts, the historical buildings and
wonderful vistas to be seen in the close environs of the town. The people of the town
again hope that the many thousands of visitors to the town will enjoy a repeat of the
hospitality and friendship which endeared the town to Fleadh goers 1999 and that they will
return home full of happy memories of Fleadh 2000. |
