Confusion over Wexford Town Street Names, Ireland 1971

Although many streets in Wexford were renamed after participants in the Easter Rising, local people continue to refer to the original names.

Following a plebiscite in 1932, Wexford Council changed the town’s street names to honour those who took part in the Easter Rising of 1916. However, locals still use the original street names and are often unaware of the new ones.

Frank Hall visits Wexford to investigate whether its citizens are familiar with the official street names or if they are still using the old names.He asks a number of people for directions and discovers that many of them are unfamiliar with James Connolly Street but can all point him in the direction of William Street.

A guide for the Old Wexford Society Sammy Coe explains the meaning behind the name Keyser Lane, the second oldest street in Wexford and the only one to escape renaming. He agrees the dual naming is confusing for tourists to Wexford. The street plates have new names but the old names are still in the guide books and maps of the town.

I’m sure the Rising generation will eventually come around to the new name.

Some of the new names have caught on however, and Pearse Street is no longer referred to as Talbot Street. Wexford Corporation solely uses the new names in all official correspondence and fortunately for all, the Post Office is familiar with both versions.

This episode of ‘Hall’s Pictorial Weekly’ was broadcast on 20 October 1971. The reporter is Frank Hall.