Wexford is one of Ireland’s most historically significant counties, shaped by centuries of Viking settlement, Norman influence, and rich Gaelic heritage. Often referred to as part of “Ireland’s Ancient East,” Wexford offers a unique opportunity for visitors interested in both Irish history and genealogy to connect deeply with the past.

Genealogy & Tracing Your Irish Roots in Wexford

For many visitors, Wexford is more than a destination—it’s a place of discovery. The county has extensive parish records, graveyards, and local archives that make it highly valuable for Irish genealogy research.

Our private Wexford ancestry tours are designed to help you explore these connections in a personal and meaningful way. Whether you know your family’s exact townland or are just beginning your journey, we help guide you through the places and records that may connect you to your Irish ancestors.

Search the Irish Census for your Wexford Ancestry 

Our passion lies in designing and hosting private guided tours that bring visitors face to face with the soul of Celtic Ireland.

Our luxury 9-seater is the perfect way to be chauffeur-driven around Ireland. We sort all the travel to and from your hotels and cultural experiences, including airport transfers.

From our base in County Wexford we design and build a private tour that works for you. We can arrange day tours from Wexford for small and large groups.

Visits iconic locations like Glendalough, Kilkenny, Waterford, Cliffs of Moher, Dingle, and many more.

Climb 115 steps to the balcony of Hook Lighthouse in County Wexford, and soak up stunning views of the coastline. A hugely popular attraction in South East Ireland, experience its stunning beauty for yourself.  Hook Lighthouse still stands in all its glory as the oldest operational lighthouse in the world, in fitting homage to the many lives it helped save over the years.

Discover majestic Hook Lighthouse in County Wexford, voted the number one lighthouse in the world. Described by Lonely Planet Guide as a “little plump lighthouse, the granddaddy of all lighthouses”, it is a fascinating example of medieval architecture in Ireland. It all started out hundreds of years earlier with monks lighting bonfires in this very place to guide the local fishermen home.

Kayak in the ripples of the Great Knight, William Marshel who founded and built the visually stunning Tintern Abbey. This majestic Sea Kayaking Experience along the epically historic Bannow Bay and Hook Peninsula coastline in Southern Ireland takes in some of the very best Atlantic Ocean location of Ireland’s Ancient East.

We’ll find a docking area at the Abbey to land up our kayaks and re-energize with a mid-tour hot drink & snack included! Spot our local seals who occasionally tail our kayaks to see what you are up to! Beautiful marine wildlife such as dolphins, basking sharks, otters and an impressive variety of coastal birds use the same habitat that we carefully explore. Whether you are a complete novice or you have sea kayaked before, we have an amazing experience lined up here for you.

The Saltee Islands languish silently beneath the veiled skyline. You would hardly know they’re there. In the stillness, you hear quiet echoes of times past. Here on the outer frontiers of Southern Ireland you come to discover a place untouched by time. It pays to rest a little on the isle. It’s secret lies in its solitude. 

Before all that, we need nourishment and nowhere better than the Saltee Chipper for some fish and chips. This chipper is a bit of an institution in Wexford. Eating fish and chips at one of the blue tables outside the Saltee Chipper is one of those classic Wexford holiday experiences. This fish is as fresh as you can get it – picked up from boats just 20 feet away. 

Time to rest awhile by the water’s edge, taste the delicious food and soak in the stunning vista. It doesn’t get any better than this!

The Irish National Heritage Park invites you on a journey back in time to where the story of Ireland begins. Your visit here becomes an odyssey of sorts where you come face to face with all that has shaped the Ireland of today. Once you know the story, you’re ready for all that is to come during your time with us. Here, on the outskirts of Wexford town, we walk the steps of our ancestors.

Take an unforgettable journey through Ireland’s past and experience stories, sights and sounds that shaped our country. The world you enter is an authentic recreation of Ireland’s heritage. The name Ferrycarrig originates from the fact that there was a ferry crossing where the bridge now stands for over a thousand years and the town of Carrig which stood above it. 

Learn about different historical periods on the heritage trails, depicting the first settlements in Ireland up to the arrival of the Normans in the 12th century. Wander through the woodland, winding between ancient trees and pools of water, to experience what Ireland must have looked like to our Stone Age ancestors. Look out for swamps filled with mosses and lichens, and see the vibrant birdlife and insects who live here.

Discover one thousand years of Wexford’s history. Let us take you on a vivid journey through the historical streets and winding lanes of Wexford Town.

It’s good to dip our toes in the history of Wexford Town. No better way than joining local guide, Paul Walsh, on a stroll through Wexford’s Ancient streets. Around every bend there are remnants of times passed. Each place has a story to tell. 

Explore the worlds of medieval ports, bullrings, bloody insurrections, ghostly graveyards and cavernous churches. Hear about local characters, from monstrous murderers to vicious Vikings to Oliver Cromwell himself. 

Join local actor and history buff, Paul Walsh, as he expertly weaves over 1000 years of history into one highly entertaining hour. We’ll have time for a drink or two along the way. You’ll feel the real positive energy in the town. It’s happening in Wexford. You’ll discover that for yourself!

The Dunbrody Famine Ship and Irish Emigrant Experience is a spectacular feature of the New Ross quayside. This ship is an authentic reproduction of an 1840’s emigrant vessel, it provides a world class interpretation of the famine emigrant experience. Once you walk on board, you come face to face with the story of thousands of Irish people who left Ireland during the famine in search of a better life. 

Moored on the bank of the River Barrow this award winning and world unique tourist attraction allows visitors to take a trip with a difference by travelling in time. From the moment of departing on a tour, the visitor is transported back to the 1840s and given a personal sense of the sadness and excitement felt by the famine emigrants setting sail for a new life and leaving behind poverty and despair.

In the mid to late-nineteenth century, the port city of Savannah, Georgia in the southern United States became a haven for people of Irish Heritage in the US, particularly for those from the South East of Ireland. Shipping companies like the Graves company of New Ross carried a mass emigration from Wexford and parts of south Kilkenny to Georgia.

Enjoy the tranquillity and beauty of our Johnstown Castle gardens and discover the vibrancy of a fairytale estate that’s teeming with gorgeous planting and native wildlife!

The Johnstown Castle gardens and lakes you see today were developed by the Grogan family, who brought their romantic vision to life with the help of the extraordinary 19th-century garden designer Daniel Robertson, who also designed the impressive gardens at the Powerscourt Estate and Wells House.

Johnstown Castle has been declared a conservation area for the native Irish black bee which is thriving in wild colonies on the Estate. The story goes that these colonies can be traced right back the 5th Century when they followed St Aidan back from Pembrokeshire in Wales to Wexford. Local expert, Matt Wheeler, will lead us on a guided walk through the estate and make the connection between the bees of today and our Celtic past.

https://johnstowncastle.ie/

The Raven Head Loop in Curracloe is pretty spectacular. The trail combines a picturesque forest walk with an amazing return along a glorious sandy beach. ‘The Raven’ has a little bit of everything… teasing you into paddling your feet in the water or maybe even a swim these Celtic Seas. Time to soak in the beauty, feel the energy, to embrace the power of the great outdoors in this southern corner of Ireland. 

While its 10km of sands are well-known, however, the forested sand spit at the southern end is less so. This trail can be anything from 5km to 9km and has everything you’d want: the soughing south wind in the winter trees and a distant sea-sound from somewhere away to my left, over a dune system strewn with pine, bramble and marram grass.

Wells House & Gardens carries with it over 400 years of history. Originally built in the late 1600s by John Warren, the estate stretched across more than 6,000 acres of land. Following Warren’s passing, the property was purchased by the Doyne family, who would go on to steward Wells for over 260 years. It was through their dedication that much of the estate’s story has been preserved and shared, helping to shape the experience visitors enjoy today.

Now, Wells House has become one of Co. Wexford’s most unique destinations. For this evening, guests will enjoy exclusive use of the estate, making it entirely their own. Imagine dining in the elegant room still graced with original 1840s features designed by Robertson, while savouring a menu that celebrates the very best of Co. Wexford, the proud Model County.

Local wine, whiskey, and gin will pair beautifully with each course, and live music may just complete the experience. Surrounded by such timeless beauty, every moment promises to be unforgettable.

https://wellshouse.ie/

Booking Enquiry

Reach out to us on info@celticwaysireland.com
We will arrange a free consultation with you via Zoom to give us a sense of your interests and your budget.

Consultation

Give us one week and we will be back to you with a tour crafted just for you, with your full itinerary to include transfers, accommodation, guest guides, cultural experiences and the best of Irish when it comes to food.