Circa 1870. Ballygeary was described by the railway
historian Casserley as “a pleasant but insignificant
sea side resort on the extreme south east tip of
Ireland”. Ballygeary is the town land in which
Rosslare Harbour is situated.
The birth of Rosslare Harbour was brought about by
the development of the Railways in Ireland. The
south east corner of Wexford is only 50 miles from
the Welsh coast and during the 1860’s it became the
possible site, for a port for cross channel
shipping. Two railway companies raced to be the
first to connect Wexford with Dublin and the Dublin,
Wicklow and Wexford Railway (D.W.W.R.) succeeded
when they reached Wexford in August 1872. In 1882
D.W.W.R. opened the new pier at Ballygeary.
Business did not pick up for some years and the pier
was almost closed by 1889. The life line arrived
from the Welsh side of the channel when in 1894
negotiations started on the development of Fishguard
and Ballygeary Harbours, which would allow large
passenger ships to dock.
This development was under taken by the co-operation
of the railways on both sides to form the Fishguard
and Rosslare Railways and Harbours Company. Rosslare
Harbour as we know it today was given life.
Included in this plan was the building of a railway
line linking Rosslare with Waterford. On 21st July
1906 all plans were accomplished with the
inauguration of the Fishguard-Rosslare Harbour Ferry
service. Three new ships were acquired – St Patrick,
St David and St George. Traffic increased and a
fourth ship the St Andrew arrived two years later.
Rosslare harbour has continued ever since to be the
arrival & departure port for thousands of emigrants
and tourists all using the railways. The increase in
the use of motor cars eventually led to cars being
shipped – at first by being lifted on to the ferry
by crane and then by drive on. Huge volumes of
freight allowed for the arrival of larger ferries.
There are now regular services to Fishguard,
Pembroke, Le Havre, Cherbourg and Roscoff.
Rosslare Harbour has also developed on shore at the
same pace and has become a small town – with Hotels,
Supermarkets, Service Industries and an ever
increasing vibrant population.
