A new heritage park is to be created at Ferrycarrig on the outskirts of Wexford Town.
The plans have been put forward by the Wexford Tourism Council to be constructed at a picturesque spot in Ferrycarrig on the edge of Wexford town. The site is located next to a reproduction round tower which celebrates the Crimean War.
Wexford County Council has applied to the Department of the Environment for a grant. The department has agreed to fund the project to the sum of £30,000. The grant will only finance the hiring of seven men for 17 weeks under the Youth Employment Scheme. Local business has also contributed to the project. The Wexford Tourism Council is determined to get the work underway and sees the project as a major boost for Wexford town and county.
Thousands of tonnes of earth will have to be moved to construct the ancient fortifications and houses.
Councillor Rory Murphy, Chairman of the Wexford Tourism Council, believes that this project would be unique in Europe. The finished park will show how people lived over the last ten thousand years. Over time, the park will include the construction of a Portal Dolmen, a Bronze Age burial cyst, a ring fort, a Motte and Bailey, a Crannóg, and a Fulacht Fiadh. It is estimated that the entire project will cost half a million pounds. The Wexford Tourism Council is confident that the Department of the Environment will provide further funding for the project over the coming years.
This will be an investment in the future of tourism in Wexford.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 19 August 1983. The reporter is Michael Ryan.
