County Wexford Contae Loch Garman
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Motto: Exemplar Hiberniae (Latin) "An example to Ireland" "Sampla na hÉireann" |
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Location in Ireland |
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Coordinates: 52°30′N 6°45′W / 52.5°N 6.75°WCoordinates: 52°30′N 6°45′W / 52.5°N 6.75°W | ||
Country | Ireland | |
Province | Leinster | |
Dáil Éireann | Wexford | |
EU Parliament | South | |
County town | Wexford | |
Government | ||
• Type | County Council | |
Area | ||
• Total | 2,365 km2 (913 sq mi) | |
Area rank | 13th | |
Population (2011) | 145,273 | |
• Rank | 14th | |
Vehicle index mark code |
WX | |
Website | www |
County Wexford (Irish: Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the town of Wexford and was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (Uí Ceinnsealaigh), whose capital was Ferns.Wexford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 145,273 according to the 2011 census.
The county is rich in evidence of early human habitation.Portal tombs (sometimes called dolmens) exist at Ballybrittas (on Bree Hill) and at Newbawn — and date from the Neolithic period or earlier. Remains from the Bronze Age period are far more widespread. Early Irish tribes formed the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnsealaig, an area that was slightly larger than the current County Wexford.
County Wexford was one of the earliest areas of Ireland to be Christianised, in the early 5th century. Later, from 819 onwards, the Vikings plundered many Christian sites in the county. Wexford town became a Viking settlement near the end of the 9th century.
Wexford was the site of the invasion of Ireland by Normans in 1169 at the behest of Diarmuid Mac Murrough, King of Uí Cheinnsealaig and king of Leinster (Laigin), which led to the subsequent colonisation of the country by the Anglo-Normans.