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NEW ROSS |
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First impressions of NEW ROSS, twenty-one miles west of Wexford on
the N25, are not encouraging: a glamourless old port of grubby wharf
buildings. However, the place isn't without character, thanks mostly to
the river that has long given access to the heart of the Wexford and
Kilkenny countryside, and the clutter of narrow lanes that do much to
preserve the human scale of the place. In addition, the quayside has
been greatly enhanced from spring 2001 by the presence of the tall-ship
Dunbrody , a magnificent reconstruction of the original SS Dunbrody , a
three-masted famine ship which took thousands of emigrants to new lives
in America and Canada. On board will be an interactive visitor centre
and a comprehensive database of all Irish immigration into the US from
1820 to 1920 (call 051/425239 or the tourist office for details; the
ship might not remain in port all year round). It's worth climbing the
steep back alleys to the top of town for views over the river and hills,
and exploring the thirteenth-century ruins of St Mary's Church, with its
graceful, Gothic windows and medieval tombstones in the chancel.
New Ross's tourist office (mid-June to Aug Mon-Sat 10am-6pm; tel
051/421857) is located on the quays. Bus Éireann buses to Waterford
leave from outside the Mariner's Inn , also on the quays. Options for
accommodation include the comfortable Riversdale House , Lower William
St (tel 051/422515; £33-40/¬41.90-50.79); a short walk from the centre
of town. The friendly MacMurrough Farm Hostel (IHH; tel 051/421383,
machostel@eircom.net ) is a comfortable cottage hostel in a beautiful
setting a couple of miles out of town; it makes a particularly good base
for cyclists from which to explore the Nore and Barrow river valleys .
To get there, ask for directions to Kelly's Statoil petrol station on
the ring road; the hostel is signposted down the lane alongside.
Down on the quays, John V's has an excellent reputation for midday and
evening meals , while good-value bar food is also served at The Ship on
North Street, and there's no shortage of coffee shops along South
Street. For something different, reserve a table on the Galley Cruising
Restaurant (tel 051/421723), which, from Easter to October, runs boat
trips up the Barrow and Nore as far as Inistioge and St Mullins and
along the Suir to Waterford.
You can sometimes catch live bands at Crosbies , while traditional music
can be heard on a Friday night during summer at Mannion's, a cheerful
country pub, about a mile out from the centre along the N30 Enniscorthy
road.
The arboretum , five miles south of New Ross, known as the J.F. Kennedy
Memorial Park (daily: April & Sept 10am-6.30pm; May-Aug 10am-8pm;
Oct-March 10am-5pm; £2/¬2.54; Heritage Card), contains a collection of
around five thousand species of trees and shrubs and affords expansive
views of the surrounding countryside. Kennedy's great-grandfather was
born close by in Dunganstown, so the place is often frequented by
Americans in search of presidential roots. The road south of here will
take you to the coast and the Hook Head Peninsula .
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