Ferns -Nearby Attractions

We are fortunate in Ferns to be located in an area of natural beauty, with great beaches nearby, wonderful landscape and much to see and do. See box on right for links to attractions in Ferns.

Beaches

Courtown Beach

Courtown and the surrounding area is blessed with fabulous long sandy beaches stretching from Kilpatrick beach which is north of Courtown and should you drive down the coast road from Courtown to Wexford you will come across a plethora of beaches for you to chose from. Visit www.courtownharbour.com for more information.

Curracloe Beach

Curracloe Beach is a regular holder of the Blue Flag Beach status. The dunes are currently the subject of an active conservation policy by Wexford County Council ensuring that this marvellous amenity and the plant and wildlife it contains, will be preserved for future generations. A nature trail runs through the dunes and continues for 5 km to Raven Point, passing through the beautiful peninsula which constitutes Raven Nature Reserve.

MorrisCastle Beach

Known as The Golden Mile -this beautiful sheltered beach is great for children and also has lovely sand dunes.

Museums

Ballymore Historic Features

Ballymore
Camolin
Enniscorthy
Co Wexford
Tel: +353 (0)53 9383189
Email: margaretdonovan@gmail.com
Web: www.ballymorehistoricfeatures.com

Opening Hours:

• Open Sundays only 2pm to 6pm
• May 2nd to June 27TH -Fridays Saturdays and Sundays
• July 2nd to September 5th and also Bank holiday Mondays between 2pm and 6pm.

Groups are welcome by appointment.

Ballymore Historic Features includes an award winning Family Museum, Picture Gallery, Farm Display, 1798 Exhibition Period Residence Farmyard, Church and Graveyard, Castle Site and Holy Well.

Berkley Costume and Toy Museum

Berkeley Forest,
New Ross,
Co, Wexford
Tel:051 421361

Private collection of 18th and 19th century toys, dolls and costumes, displayed in the drawing rooms of Berkeley Forest House. Rare dolls toy carriages and embroidered textiles on show, some important Irish families. Small pretty garden included in the visit. Victorian goat-carriage rides available for children on occasion.

Dunbrody Emigrant Ship

JFK Trust,
South Quay,
New Ross
Tel: 051 425239
Email:info@dunbrody.com
Web: www.dunbrody.com

Open All Year Round

• April to September 9am – 6pm. Last tour 5pm.
• October to March 9am-5pm. Last tour 4pm

Admission: Adult €7.50, Senior €6.00 Student/Children €4.50, Family €20.00
Location: Located alongside the New Ross docks, the Dunbrody Famine Ship is a full scale replica of the original ship built in 1845 which transported emigrants to North America. Visitors to the ship are admitted by means of the 1840’s ticket, and meet actors, in costume and character, who tell of the conditions endured on board and in Ireland during the famine period

Duncannon Fort Visitor Centre

Duncannon,
New Ross,
Co, Wexford
Tel: 051 389468
Open: June to Mid September, daily, 10am to 5.30pm. Guided tours daily: 10am-5pm. Other times please phone for appointment.
Admission: Adult €5.00 Senior/Student €3.00, Child €3.00, Family €12.00 Group discount available.

Built in 1588 Duncannon Fort is one of the only four Military Fort’s in the Country it was built on a strategically important promontory in Waterford harbour in expectation of an attack on the area by the Spanish Armada, it is now a visitor centre preserving this ancient monument for posterity. The Fort is noted for its dry moat, exterior walls, lower gun battery and rampants. Every June bank holiday weekend there are military re-enactments, including a gathering of veteran military vehicles

Enniscorthy Castle

Castle Hill,
Enniscorthy,
Co. Wexford
Tel: +353 (0)53 92 35926
Web: www.enniscorthycastle.ie
Reopening summer 2011

When the Normans built a castle they built it to last. Enniscorthy Castle, in the centre of the town and overlooking the Slaney River, proves the point. Nearly 800 years after its construction, the huge castle is still in remarkable condition.

Recently renovated and refurbished, Enniscorthy Castle explores the development of the castle and town from its earliest Anglo-Norman origins, (12th Century) through the 16th century with recreations of the last residents rooms rooms of the, Mr. Henry J. Roche and his family, who lived here from 1903 to 1951. The exhibitions also explore the 1916 Rising in Enniscorthy, the work of Irish furniture designer and architect Eileen Gray born in 1878 just outside Enniscorthy.
For Opening times and contact details please visit www.enniscorthycastle.ie

Enniscorthy 1500 Heritage Trail Bus

Tel: 053 92 37596/7
Hop on at the National 1798 Rebellion Centre, sit back and take a trip through historic Enniscorthy.
Attractions include:

• St. Aidan’s Cathedral
• Enniscorthy Castle
• Vinegar Hill
• The 1798 Rebellion Centre

For more information contact the 1798 Visitors Centre or Cathy on 087 3299900
Tours can be arranged to suit your day.€5 euro Per Person

Hook Heritage Centre

Hook Head
Fethard On-Sea
Co Wexford.
Tel: 051 397502
Email: hookinfo2@eircom.net
Opening Hours: The visitor centre opens year round. June, July, August 9.30am-6pm. May/Sept 9.30am-5.30pm. Rest of year 9.30am-5pm. All year round guided tours of the lighthouse tower are provided. Closed 18th December 25th inclusive.
Admission:Adult €6.00 Senior/Student €4.50, Children 5-16 years €3.50. Children under 5 free. Family (2 adults & 3 children) €20.00. Discounts available for prebooked groups. Hook Lighthouse, one of the oldest operational lighthouses in the World, marks the entrance to Waterford Harbour at the mouth of the three sister’s river system for over 800 years. A 13th century Norman structure, built by Earl of Pembroke as part of the development of this lordship of Leinster. Hook Lighthouse is one of a kind

Irish National Heritage Park

Ferrycarraig, Wexford.
Tel:053 9120733
Email: info@inhp.com
Web: www.inhp.com

Opening House: The Park is open all year round. May - August 9.30 - 6.30p.m. September -April 8.30 - 5.30p.m.
consists of remarkable heritage trail over 35 acres. This is a great place for a family to visit and includes a Campsite, Ringfort, Mill, Fulacht Fiadh, Crannog and Viking house. Every activity is an unexpected adventure into 9000 years. This is an authentic recreation of Ireland’s heritage. Homesteads, places of ritual, burial modes and long forgotten remains will enlighten the casual visitor and interest the scholar.

Johnstown Castle & Gardens

Johnstown Castle Estate,
Johnstown,
Co Wexford
Tel: +353 (0)53 9171247
Email: info@irishagrimuseum.ie
Web: www.irishagrimuseum.ie

Opening Hours: The Castle Gardens are open all year round from 9am to 5pm daily. An admission charge applies from May to September.

The Gardens consist of an exquisite Victorian Castle set within 50 acres of ornamental grounds. The architect Daniel Robertson designed both Johnstown Castle Gardens and Powerscourt Gardens. The grounds contain a wide variety of trees and shrubs representing the best aspects of a formal and wild garden

The Hook Lighthouse

- Co Wexford 49 Km
Tel: +353 (0)51 397055
Email: info@hookheritage.ie
Web: www.hookheritage.ie
One of the oldest operating lighthouses in the world. Relax and have a cup of tea in the Lighthouse Cafe or have a look in the gift shop

The National 1798 Rebellion Centre

Tel: +353 (0)53 9237596
The storyline traces the epic and heroic tale of the 1798 rebellion and its aftermath, using the latest multi-media and interactive computers. A spectacular audio-visual presentation places the story in an international context and state of the art exhibition techniques are used to give visitors a glimpse of our fascinating journey to modern democracy.

Tintern Abbey

Saltmills,
New Ross,
Co, Wexford
Tel: 051 562650
Email: tinternabbey@opw.ie
Open: Mid June to late September, 10am-6pm. Admission: Applies.
This Cistercian Abbey was founded circa 1200 by the Earl of Pembroke. Situated on the West shore of Bannow Bay in Co. Wexford, Tintern Abbey was one of the most powerful Cistercian foundations in the South East until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536.

Castles and Historic Houses

Ferns Castle

Ferns,
Co. Wexford
Tel: +353 (0) 53 936 6411
Opening Hours: Mid June to Mid September, Please call for exact opening hours.

Ferns Castle was built in the 13th Century, possibly by William The Earl Marshall, originally the Castle formed a square with large corner towers. Only half the Castle now remains. The most complete tower contains a fine circular chapel, with carved ornament. The tower also has several original fireplaces and a vaulted basement Archaeological excavation revealed a rock-cut ditch outside the castle walls. Today, Ferns Castle is in state care as is the adjacent Visitor Centre housing the Ferns Ferns Tapestry -depicting the history of the village of Ferns.

Ballyhack Castle

Ballyhack,
Co. Wexford
Tel: +353 (0)51 389468

Ballyhack Castle is located on a steep slope in a commanding position overlooking Waterford estuary. The castle, a large tower house, is thought to have been built c. 1450 by the Knights Hospitallers of St. John, one of the two great military orders founded at the beginning of the 12th century at the time of the Crusades.

The present day 5 storey castle is 15th century in date and probably has nothing to do with the knights. The ground floor is vaulted and has a number of deep recesses, and the second floor is also vaulted.

There are also a number of recesses on the third storey; that on the east wall was once a chapel. On the same floor is now inaccessible prisoners' cell. An amount of 17th century pottery was found during conservation work in the castle.

Johnstown Castle & Gardens

Johnstown Castle Estate,
Johnstown,
Co Wexford
Tel: +353 (0)53 9171247
Email: info@irishagrimuseum.ie
Web: www.irishagrimuseum.ie

Opening Hours: The Castle Gardens are open all year round from 9am to 5pm daily. An admission charge applies from May to September.

The Gardens consist of an exquisite Victorian Castle set within 50 acres of ornamental grounds. The architect Daniel Robertson designed both Johnstown Castle Gardens and Powerscourt Gardens. The grounds contain a wide variety of trees and shrubs representing the best aspects of a formal and wild garden

Gardens

We are fortunate in Ferns to have a wonderful range of gardens open to the public on our doorstep. For a full listing of gardens see the Wexford Garden Trail brochure or visit www.visitwexford.ie for details. You can contact them on wexfordgardentrail@gmail.com

Ballymore Gardens

Camolin
Co. Wexford.
Web: www.ballymoregardens.com.
Ballymore Schoolhouse Garden is an interesting and quirky garden well worth a visit. Open in summer months from May to September. Visit their website for opening hours and directions.

The Bay Garden

Camolin,
Enniscorthy,
Co Wexford
Tel: +353 (0)53 9383349
Email: thebaygarden@eircom.net
Web: www.thebaygarden.com

The Bay Garden consists of an array of “garden rooms”, each with its own distinct style. The Cottage Garden, The Hot Border, The Funeral Border, The Pool Garden, The Barn Garden, The Hot Border, and The Woodland Garden. Created by Frances & lain Macdonald when they moved to Camolin in 1989 to the neglected orchard full of tress and wild cherry which has today, through excellent design, careful planning and great knowledge, turned Bay Garden into a veritable feast for the senses.

Tombrick Garden

Enniscorthy
Tel: 053 9388863

Newtown Barry House & Garden

Bunclody
Tel: 053 9376383
Web: www.newtownbarryhouse.com

Ram House Gardens

Coolgreaney
Gorey
Co Wexford
Tel: +353 (0)402 37238
Opening Months: April, May, June, July & August – Sundays & Bank Holidays to groups by appointment & during the Wicklow Garden Festival

The Ram House, nestling behind a stone wall and a wicket gate, its Georgian fanlight draped in roses and clematis, looks like a Beatrix Potter illustration. The cottage style garden lives up to the image and is packed with interest and full of inspiring ideas. One of those happy gardens that just grew over the years, its two acres are laid out as a series of contrasting areas where visitors are irresistibly drawn from one to the next. Lolo Stevens started with nothing more than a patchy lawn and a cypress tree... The lawn was gradually replaced with informal planting and gravel paths, and the cypress is now smothered in Clematis montana, one of the 50 varieties of clematis in the garden grown through trees and old roses.

There are gardens within gardens like Russian dolls. Inside the courtyard garden with its banks of old roses and clove scented dianthus, is a secret shady garden known as the Piggery, plus a pool garden, and a terrace garden with inviting seating. In a further Beatrix Potter touch, animal statues have been dotted about the garden with a Pigling Bland here and a Jemima Puddleduck there.

Johnstown Castle & Gardens

Johnstown Castle Estate,
Johnstown,
Co Wexford
Tel: +353 (0)53 9171247
Email: info@irishagrimuseum.ie
Web: www.irishagrimuseum.ie
Opening Hours: The Castle Gardens are open all year round from 9am to 5pm daily. An admission charge applies from May to September.

The Gardens consist of an exquisite Victorian Castle set within 50 acres of ornamental grounds. The architect Daniel Robertson designed both Johnstown Castle Gardens and Powerscourt Gardens. The grounds contain a wide variety of trees and shrubs representing the best aspects of a formal and wild garden

Kilmokea Manor & Gardens

Great Island
Campile
Co Wexford
Tel: +353 (0)51 388109
Email: info@kilmokeagardens.com
Opening Hours: Open from 10am to 5pm. Wheelchair accessible, restaurant serves a la Carte lunches opens from 12pm to 3pm.
The gardens at Kilmokea, which cover some seven acres, fall into two distinct parts. Around the house are formal walled gardens; set into this stonewall is a heavy wooden door which leads to the magical lower garden. Originally started in 1947 these gardens host a wide selection of rare and tender trees and shrub, with over 130 different species, the garden is a delight to both the keen amateur and the more serious horticulturalist. Presently Kilmokea holds the Irish Garden Heritage Certificate, which is a justifiable reward for years of creation and dedication.

Nature

Kilbora Woods, Ferns.

Kilbora wood is located just over 1km from the village of Ferns on the N11. This small wood is ideal for walks and nature lovers. Local wildlife include; foxes, pheasants, hawks and even mink.

Courtown Woods

The Courtown Woodland area is situated immediately north of Courtown village. It covers approximately 25 hectares. The area being restored covers 18 hectares and is roughly triangular in shape. It is bounded on the north and northwest by the Owenavorragh River, on the south by the main Gorey/Courtown road and by the main car park on the north side of the village.The Courtown Canal marks its eastern boundary. Ballinatray Bridge on the southwest boundary is a particularly fine feature. It is an easy walk to be enjoyed by the whole family.

Kia-Ora Mini Farm

Gorey,
Co. Wexford.
Tel: 053-9421166
Web: www.kiaoraminifarm.com
Kia-Ora Mini Farm is a family run hands on open farm where children get to interact with, hold and feed animals of the usual farmyard variety and some more exotic such as llamas, emus, alpacas, pot bellied pigs, chinchillas. parrots, scottish highland, kerry cows etc.

Mount Leinster & Blackstairs Mountains

Mount Leinster and The Blackstairs Mountains are an enjoyable days hiking or biking. Starting from Kildavin, near Bunclody, forest tracks offer easy access. Mount Leinster is the highest point and a favourite spot for hang gliders, when conditions prevail

Ravens Point

Curracloe,
Wexford
6 Miles of unspoilt Forrest, perfect for walkers or runners. You can walk to the edge of the Forrest and return along Curracloe Beach or take many of the sidetracks along the walk which lead over sand dunes to the beach

Wexford Wildfowl Reserve

Ardcavan,
Wexford
Tel: 053 9123129

The Reserve is owned in partnership with BirdWatch Ireland, a national voluntary organisation. BirdWatch Ireland is Ireland's largest conservation charity and is dedicated to the protection of Ireland's wild birds and their habitats.