REOPENING OUR TOURISM GEMS
THE National 1798 Rebellion Centre in Enniscorthy will reopen to the public next month.
Speaking to this newspaper about the forced closure of the centre and the steps being taken to ensure the safety of visitors when it reopens, Rory O’Connor, who oversees the running of the centre, said the reopening of the facility will fall very much in line with that of nearby Enniscorthy Castle.
The 1798 centre is different, however, in that it is also home to small cafe and Mr O’Connor said guidelines will be implemented with regard to social distancing.
‘We will also have things like hand sanitisers in place and social distance markings,’ he said.
Mr O’Connor oversees both tourist facilities and he said the logistics for reopening both are different in some ways.
‘ The castle has more rooms so it should be easier to keep a flow going and in the 1798 centre we have the cafe but we will be advised by the guidelines laid down by the HSE and the Government,’ he said.
The centre provides an invaluable insight into one of the most significant events to ever take place on the island of Ireland.
It outlines to visitors the story of people like Miles Byrne, from Ballylusk, Monaseed, who joined the United Irishmen in 1797.
He participated in the Rebellion at Bunclody and Vinegar Hill and accompanied Fr Murphy on the march to-and-from Castlecomer.
He fought to the end and eventually escaped to Dublin where he remained undetected until 1803 when he fled to Paris following the failure of Robert Emmet’s uprising.
Byrne then joined the Irish legion and had a distinguished career fighting in the Napoleonic wars.
The story of some of the British soldiers who were prominent figures in the events of 1798 across County Wexford is also conveyed to visitors to the centre.
The events of that time, forever etched in the history of Ireland, are vividly told in the centre.
Mr O’Connor said when it reopens the public will be able to access the centre and the cafe from 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, and from 12 noon to 5 p.m. at the weekend. To contact the centre phone 053 9237596 or log onto www.1798centre.ie