County museum is now open again

April 1994

‘People keep saying to me that we seem to have a lot of new stuff,’ comments Fintan Murphy at the re-opened County Wexford Museum in Enniscorthy Castle. ‘I tell them what we actually have is old stuff, in different places.’

The Castle, which attracted over 14,000 visitors last year, hopes to now do even better this Summer after a major Spring Clean.

The combination of contractors and a threestrong SES scheme really gave the whole place a thorough going over.

All thirteen rooms open to the public in the 12th century Norman building were attended to in the overhaul. It was the first time that the premises had received such treatment since sometime around 1970.

Tragically, the work was not completed until after the sudden passing of one of the main forces behind the opening of the Museum, Cllr. Sean Sheahan.

However, before his death, Sean oversaw most of the work which included plumbing, plasterwork, and painting, as well as attending to the exhibits themselves.

The Museum is now re-opened after the winter break for afternoon business, even though there are many small tasks still to be done. The big tidy-up has been possible despite the lack of State finance for this unique store of Wexford heritage.

Last year, it drew school parties from Waterford, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Kildare, Offaly, Laois, Carlow and Dublin in addition to local students. And the Museum has also always been a consistent favourite with foreign tourists, who have come from as far away as China.

‘ The collection here is wide ranging,’ comments Fintan Murphy. ‘As Dana might say, we have all kinds of everything.’