Rosslare - Wexford Guide and Directory, 1885.
About “Wexford County Guide and Directory,” 1885
George Henry Bassett produced 7 Irish county directories in the 1880s: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Kilkenny, Louth, Tipperary and Wexford. Each provides useful history of the respective counties as well as lists of office holders, farmers, traders, and other residents of the individual cities, towns and villages.
The directories are naturally an invaluable resource for those tracing family history. However, there are a few points to bear in mind.
- This online version of Bassett’s Wexford County Guide and Directory is designed primarily as a genealogical research tool and therefore the numerous advertisements in the original book, many full page, and quite a few illustrated, have been excluded.
- The text has been proofed with due care, but with large bodies of text typographical errors are inevitably bound to occur.
- Be aware that there were often inconsistencies in spelling surnames in the 19th century and also that many forenames are abbreviated in Bassett’s directories.
With respect to the last point, surnames which today begin with the “Mc” prefix, for example, were often formerly spelt as “M‘,”. For a list of some of the more common forename abbreviations used in the directory, see Forename Abbreviations.
WHAT Tramore is to Waterford, Rosslare is to Wexford. It is within easy reach by railway, and only requires a moderate display of enterprise to secure it a foremost position among favourite Irish watering-places. The unfinished line between Wexford and Waterford passes at a distance of something over six miles from Wexford, and three miles further, terminates at the harbour of Rosslare, which is referred to particularly in the chapter on Harbours, &c., Borough of Wexford. The line has a station at Ballygeary, where it receives passengers from Carne and Churchtown, Ladies Island, and their districts.
Rosslare’s chief attraction is its gently shelving strand, several miles in length. There are cottages in existence for use by summer visitors, but there is still room for a great many more. A splendid opportunity is offered for a man who can afford to erect a roomy family hotel, and who has had experience as a first-rate hotel-keeper. A considerable number of fishermen and small farmers live at Rosslare. Tagoat is two miles from the railway station. Rosslare, Wexford, will be sufficient as a postal address. See County Directory, Wexford Borough, and sub-post-offices to Wexford, several of which are within a radius of a few miles. The nearest post-office is at Kilrane, a quarter of a mile from the railway station.
HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS.
E. S. Flood (chairman), George Le Hunte, Col. Harry Alcock, Simon Little, Mayor of Wexford, Member of Parliament for borough, a member of the Wexford Harbour Commissioners, Henry E. Wynne, Sec. Meetings held at Wexford Court House
H.M. CUSTOMS.
Boarding Station.
Danl. O’Brien, 1st class out-door officer; James Briggs, Wm. J. Armstrong and John Hart, 2nd class out-door officers, boatmen
GROCERS AND PROVISION DEALERS.
(Licensed to sell spirits.)
Patrick Brown and James Roche
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