Tag: County Wexford Story • Local Characters

Many of the surnames found in County Wexford have a link to medieval Pembrokeshire. This connection dates back over 800 years to the time when King Diarmait MacMurchada ruled Leinster.

When he was overthrown in the 1160s, Diarmait sought assistance from the Cambro-Normans of Pembrokeshire. In payment for their help, King Diarmait gave these knights and soldiers of Pembrokeshire land in County Wexford. They settled on this new land with their families, and their surnames are still used in the area today. For example, the surname Roche is believed to come from Godebert ‘the Fleming’, who held Roch Castle in Pembroke in 1130. The Prendergast surname comes from a village in Pembrokeshire (now a suburb of Haverfordwest) named Prendergast. The surname Walsh or Breathnach means Welsh in Irish. Those that bear the ‘Walsh’ surname in County Wexford are believed to be descended from Philip ‘the Welshman’ who settled here in 1172.

Other surnames that have connections to Pembrokeshire and Wales, in general, include Keating, FitzGilbert, FitzStephen, Montmorency, de Quincy, de Barry, Carew and Caunteton.

Photo Credit: Abarta Heritage. Norman Knight: Claíomh Living History

Over 1400 years ago, St Aidan left his teacher, St David, in Wales and returned to Ireland. He took a boat from Pembrokeshire and sailed across the Irish Sea to County Wexford.

As he landed at Ard Ladrann (present-day Ardmine), St Aidan saw a group of defenceless pilgrims being robbed. To stop the crime, he sounded his bell and drew the robbers attention. Distracted, the robbers let the pilgrims escape but captured St Aidan and brought him to their chieftain, Dima. 

In atonement for his men’s attack on the pilgrims, Dima granted St Aidan some land in County Wexford. St Aidan then used this land to build his first church on Irish soil. 

Once Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales were covered in a thick temperate Celtic Rainforest. Over the centuries the trees were cut down and used for everything from weapons and tools to heat and shelter.
Some trees were considered of much more value than others though.
According to the Brehon Laws, the laws of Ancient Ireland, the trees were sectioned into four groups. They were:
The airig fedo (‘nobles of the wood’), the aithig fedo (‘commoners of the wood’), the fodla fedo (‘lower divisions of the wood’) and the losa fedo (‘bushes of the wood’).
To harm or cut down a Noble tree without the permission of your Chieftain could see you fined 2 and a half milk cows!

The village of Ferns gets its name from the Alder Tree or Fearna in the Irish language. There was a large Alder forest surrounding Ferns and it makes perfect sense that a Celtic army would make a settlement here as the Adler was the Tree of the Warrior.

Firstly, when boiled the bark and leaves make a powerful antibacterial bath that heals conditions like athelets foot, lice and prevents sores or blisters from becoming infected.

When the leaves are heated up in a cloth bag, they act in a similar way to products like deep heat, just what you need for those aching muscles after a day on the battlefield!

The wood, while not great for an average campfire burns incredibly hot as charcoal. Making it the favoured fuel of the Blacksmith. He needed it to make and mend axeheads, arrowheads, and swords.
And speaking of which Alder is so lightweight yet terribly strong making it ideal for spear shafts, axe handles and shields.

Finally, when you cut into the bark of the Alder, the sap oxidizes, turning to a bright crimson red colour. And so the warriors saw a kinship with the tree that bled as they did.

Today the Alder forest is long gone, but if you ever wonder why the mighty MacMurragh tribe settled here, now you know!

When St Aidan and his monks were building the monastery in Ferns, they became very thirsty. Some of the monks went off to find water but came back complaining that there was none nearby. Clearly, they hadn’t walked the two kilometres to reach the River Bann.

Tired of listening to their complaining, St Aidan ordered them to cut down a nearby tree. When they had done this, a spring of water gushed up from the ground forming a pool which the monks enjoyed. However, word of the pool quickly spread, and local women came to use the water to wash their clothes.

St Aidan and his monks were not happy with the use of the holy water and ordered the women to stop. All but one of the women obeyed. This girl was the daughter of Becc, a local chief who owned land in the area. As punishment for her disobedience, St Aidan performed a miracle that caused her clothes to stick to the well’s rocks and for her, in turn, to stick to her clothes.

The other women ran to the chieftain Becc and told him what had happened to his daughter. Being unable to release her by force, Becc entreated St. Aidan to free her. The father’s humble apology touched St Aidan’s heart, and he prayed for the girl to be released. Once she was free, Becc and his family converted to Christianity.

William Marshall was known to many as the ‘greatest knight who ever lived’. When he married Isabel de Clare, the daughter of Strongbow and the granddaughter of King Diarmait Mac Murchada, William became the Earl of Pembroke and the owner of vast amounts of land in Wexford.

William and Isabel’s marriage was highly successful. They produced ten healthy children and founded many castles, churches, and towns throughout Leinster. However, William’s luck turned when he refused to return some land belonging to the church in Ferns.

As punishment for this, the Bishop of Ferns excommunicated William. This meant that he could not receive the holy sacraments, i.e., he could not confess his sins or receive the last rights. Despite this, William refused to give the land back to the Bishop, even on his deathbed.

William died in 1219, but this was not enough for the Bishop of Ferns. Furious that he still did not have the lands, he cursed the Marshal line promising that it would end with William’s childless sons. This seemed a bit ridiculous as William had five strapping and healthy lads to carry on the family name, but sure enough, over the following years, each of those healthy sons died without an heir.

William Marshal’s land and fortune were then split between his five healthy daughters and their children, who avoided the dreaded curse.

On the evening before Easter, St Aidan was visited by an angel in his monastery in Ferns. The angel warned him that his old friend and mentor, St David, would be poisoned during the Easter feast. St Aidan was panicked but could do nothing about it. There was no way he could sail across the Irish Sea in time to save his friend.

Hearing this, the angel told him to send one of his trusted companions to the beach. St Aidan complied and sent one of his fellow monks. The monk found the angel standing not beside a boat but next to a massive sea monster! This monster carried the monk across the rough waters of the Irish Sea to Pembrokeshire.

The monk made it to St. David just as the Easter feast began. After hearing the Wexford monk’s story, St David lifted the poisoned bread in front of everyone and divided it into three pieces. He gave the first piece to a dog who died immediately. The second piece he gave to a crow, who also died. St David then blessed the third piece and ate it! To the shock of everyone in the room, St David did not die. His powerful blessing had saved him.

Thanks to the warning from the angel, St Aidan, and the Wexford monk, the patron saint of Wales survived. This solidified the friendship between St Aidan and St David and the bond between Ferns and Pembrokeshire.

St Aidan once had his own Feast Day in Wexford, the 31st of January. It was mainly celebrated in the area surrounding Ferns and certainly no further than the confines of Wexford itself.
No work would be done on that day and a Holy Mass dedicated to St Aidan would be held.
The well, situated just outside the Cathedral in Ferns is dedicated to St Aidan and is said to cure toothaches!
A little further away is the village of Oylgate (Trans. the ridge of the goats) Here you will find St Davids Holy Well,
The water from this well is supposed to rid you of warts!