New Ross

New Ross is a town in County Wexford. In Gaelic its name is Ross mhic threoin..which means " Ross on the woods", as Ross at the time of founding was a tiny village in the woods (threoin).River Barrow, which forms the county boundary. The town was an important port in medieval times, until shipping outgrew the river; a battle of the 1798 rebellion was fought here. There was much emigration from New Ross in the famine years, including by the ancestors of US President John F Kennedy. Nevertheless the town grew to straddle the river, with its western edge in County Kilkenny, and in 2016 its population was 8040.

Get in
Expressway Bus 4 runs hourly from Dublin Airport and Busáras to Carlow and Waterford. Three per day continue to New Ross, otherwise change for Bus 40.

Expressway Bus 40 trundles the width of the country from Rosslare Europort to Wexford, New Ross, Waterford, Dungarvan, Youghal, Cork, Killarney and Tralee. From Waterford it takes 20 min and from Wexford 40 min, with buses every couple of hours.

Bus Éireann 370 runs four times M-Sa from Waterford to New Ross, Duncannon and Wellington Bridge, with one bus continuing to Fethard-on-Sea.

Bus 882 runs once M-Sa from Kilkenny via Thomastown to New Ross. Otherwise you have to backtrack via Waterford.

There isn't a bus station in New Ross, the main bus stop is on The Quay just south of the bridge.

By car from Dublin take N7 / M9, leaving at junction 11 for R704 east. You could also follow N11 / M11 down the coast to Enniscorthy then N30 southwest. From Rosslare ferry port follow N25 past Wexford then west.

Get around
You need your own wheels to reach the sights out of town.

See

 * St Marys on Church St is C of I (Anglican), built in 1812 within the ruin of a 13th century abbey church. The old chancel and transepts survive, and there's a bosky overgrown graveyard.
 * is a Georgian mansion 3 km north of town. They offer B&B but the main attraction is the gardens, open daily 10:00-14:00, adult €5.
 * didn't open for the 2020 season.
 * Kilmokea Gardens are part of Kilmokea Country House, see Sleep. They're open to non-resident visits April-Oct. The House is on Greatisland, which was an island in medieval times, and there's the remains of a 6th century monastery. Take care not to trip over the "High Cross", probably the world's smallest example of one.
 * Kilmokea Gardens are part of Kilmokea Country House, see Sleep. They're open to non-resident visits April-Oct. The House is on Greatisland, which was an island in medieval times, and there's the remains of a 6th century monastery. Take care not to trip over the "High Cross", probably the world's smallest example of one.
 * Kilmokea Gardens are part of Kilmokea Country House, see Sleep. They're open to non-resident visits April-Oct. The House is on Greatisland, which was an island in medieval times, and there's the remains of a 6th century monastery. Take care not to trip over the "High Cross", probably the world's smallest example of one.
 * Kilmokea Gardens are part of Kilmokea Country House, see Sleep. They're open to non-resident visits April-Oct. The House is on Greatisland, which was an island in medieval times, and there's the remains of a 6th century monastery. Take care not to trip over the "High Cross", probably the world's smallest example of one.

Do

 * St Michael's Theatre on South St has live performances and a 3D cinema, box office +353 51 421 255.
 * The Apex sports and leisure centre is on Bosheen, 500 m east of the river. It has gym, pool and fitness classes.
 * Galley River Cruises putter up the Barrow in summer as far as Inistioge.
 * New Ross Golf Club is 1 km west of town on R704. It's a parkland course, white tees 5759 yards, par 70, visitor round €30-40.

Buy

 * The retail strip is along R723, which orbits the south side of town. Tesco on the east edge is open M-Sa 08:00-22:00, Su 10:00-20:00.
 * Several banks with ATMs are on South St, a block back from The Quay.

Drink

 * Spider O'Brien's at 34 South St is a buzzing bar with TV sports and decent bar food.
 * Prendergast at 15 The Quay is a friendly place with TV sport.
 * Tholsel means "tolls hall" - a mix of tax collection, council office, market hall and courtroom, before those evolved into separate premises. Only half a dozen survive intact and this example on Quay St by the bridge was built in 1749 and rebuilt in 1806. It's nowadays a pub.

Connect
As of Dec 2020, New Ross has 5G from Eir and Three, and in parts of town from Vodafone.

Go next

 * Waterford is Ireland's oldest city, with Viking, medieval and Georgian heritage.
 * Fethard-on-Sea is the main village on the scenic Hook Peninsula to the south.
 * Wexford has the National Heritage Centre, and Johnstown Castle with the Agricultural Museum.