Gorey (Irish: Guaire)[2] is a market town in north County Wexford, Ireland. It is bypassed by the main M11Dublin to Wexford road. The town is also connected to the railway network along the same route. Local newspapers include the Gorey Guardian.
As a growing commuter town to Dublin for some residents,[3] there has been an increase in population in the early 21st century.[4] Between 1996 and 2002, the population of the surrounding district grew by 23%,[5] and the town itself almost trebled in population (from 3,939 to 11,517 inhabitants) in the period between the 1996 and 2022 census.[6][1]
Among the earliest recordings of the parish and town of Gorey, also sometimes historically known as Kilmichaelogue (Irish: Cill Mhocheallóg, meaning 'church of Mocheallóg'),[2][14] are Norman records from 1296 which record an existing town on the site.[15][16][17] Several centuries later, in 1619, the town was granted a charter as a borough, under the name Newborough.[16] However, as noted by cartographer Samuel Lewis and publisher George Henry Bassett, this name "never [grew] into general use" as the "inhabitants did not take kindly to the name chosen for the town".[14][18] The borough charter had been obtained by the then Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin, Thomas Ram (1564–1634).[18]
Together with other developments in the area, and as the principal local landlords, the Ram family built a large estate to the north of the town.[19] The manor house of this estate, Ramsfort, was burned following the Irish Rebellion of 1641, and again during the Irish Rebellion of 1798.[14][18][19] Ramsfort house was rebuilt in the 19th century to designs attributed to architect Daniel Robertson.[20]
In addition to Gorey's 18th century market house,[21] many of the larger buildings within the town itself date to the mid-19th century. These include Gorey railway station which dates to 1863,[22] the Church of Ireland church (Kilmakilloge) dating to 1861,[23] and the Roman Catholic church (dedicated to Saint Michael) completed in 1843.[24] Gorey was the centre of several conflicts during the 1798 Rebellion, and a memorial to these events was erected in the town in the rebellion's centenary year (1898).[25]
The parents of Jim Bolger, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, emigrated from Gorey in the 1930s.[26]
Amenities
Esmonde Street
Courtown Harbour or Courtown, a small holiday resort used by weekend visitors from Dublin, is situated 6 km (3.7 mi) east of Gorey.
The town marked the 150th anniversary of the consecration of Christ Church (Kilmakilloge) in 2011.[27] The church, which was completed in 1861, was designed by James Welland, one of the provincial architects of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners of the Church of Ireland.[23] Its stained glass windows were designed by Harry Clarke and Catherine O'Brien.[28]
Sport
Naomh Éanna was founded in 1970 by a group of Christian Brothers. Naomh Éanna's club ground is called Pairc uí Síochain located at the top of Clonattin Gorey, County Wexford. Naomh Éanna won their first senior hurling county title in 2018.[29]
There are also two soccer clubs located in the town: Gorey Rangers and Gorey Celtic. Gorey Rangers are located at The Showgrounds and Ramstown, while Gorey Celtic are located in Mullaunfin Creagh on the outskirts of the town.[citation needed]
Gorey's largest secondary school, Gorey Community School has over 1,500 students.[30] In 2012 another post-primary school, Creagh College opened to accommodate Gorey's increased population of secondary school students. Then, in 2021 an Educate Together Secondary School opened to accommodate more second-level students. Five local primary schools, Gorey Educate Together National School, Gorey Loreto Primary, Saint Joseph's Primary, Gorey Central School and Gaelscoil Moshíológ Guaire feed the secondary schools in Gorey, as do a number of schools in the surrounding area. Gorey School of Art is Post Leaving Certificate school for the arts.[31]
The library in Gorey opened its doors in 2011 - after a decade of plans to build it.[32]
The town lies on the N11 road route (Dublin-to-Rosslare) and, until a by-pass was opened in June 2007, local traffic congestion was an issue. The by-pass is a 23-kilometre-long high standard dual carriageway and was upgraded to motorway status in August 2009.[citation needed]
Several bus services serve Gorey, with most serving the Main Street's two opposing bus stops. Bus Éireann's Expressway route 2 links the town with Dublin Airport, Dublin and Wexford.[34] Bus Éireann also operates route 379 between Gorey, Ballycanew and Wexford on Mondays and Saturdays only.
Wexford Bus's route 740 links Gorey with Wexford, Dublin and Dublin Airport.[35] The company's route 740A also provides a service to Dublin Airport via Arklow and Wicklow. Route UM11 is operated by Wexford Bus between Gorey and Maynooth University during term time for students. It also operates route 389 under the TFI Local Link brand.[citation needed]
Gorey Bus Links operates route 879 from Gorey Shopping Centre, linking Gorey with Ballycanew, Ballygarrett and Courtown.[36] Dunnes Coaches operates route IW07 between Gorey's Main Street and Carlow College via Camolin.[37]
Gorey has had a local theatre group since the 1950s, which hosts a number of performances annually from its 300-seat auditorium.[39]
Gorey Musical Society has one production a year, and its 2007 staging of Oklahoma! received the 'Best Overall Show' award at the Association of Irish Musical Societies awards in Killarney.[40]
Gorey Choral Group, a mixed-voice choir founded in the 1970s, has participated in a number of contests and won the first plan in the jazz and popular music section of the 2016 Cork International Choral Festival.[41]
^"North Wexford shows largest population growth in county". Enniscorthy Guardian. 27 July 2006. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2017. [P]opulation growth in the entire Gorey electoral area surpassed all other areas in the county, and was more than twice the average growth rate for the county as a whole
^McDonald, Frank. "An overdeveloped vision". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 7 November 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2007. Wexford County Council's plan for Gorey is riddled with contradictions
^Lee, JJ (1981). "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses". In Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A. (eds.). Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
^"Gorey". townmaps.ie. Condor Publishers. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
^ abFurlong, Nicholas (2003). A History of County Wexford: A comprehensive study of Wexford's history, culture and people. Gill & Macmillan. ISBN9780717165407.
^Hore, P. H. (1911). History of the Town and County of Wexford. Vol. vi. London: Elliot Stock. p. 609. a payment of 13 shillings was made by 'the community of the town (ville) of Gorey' in 1296
^"Church of Ireland Notes". Irish Times. 14 May 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2017 – via Ireland.anglican.org.
^"Readers Paradise at New Library". Gorey Guardian. Independent News & Media. 19 April 2011. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
^"Gorey station"(PDF). Railscot – Irish Railways. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2007.
^"Little Theatre News - About Us". Gorey Little Theatre. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2017. Gorey Little Theatre Group has been running strong since the 1950s [..with a..] 300+ seater auditorium today
^The 2008 production of South Pacific was complemented by the performance of Garreth Kinsella, a Transition Year student in G.C.S.
"Association of Irish Musical Societies". Archived from the original on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
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