Overview
The one thing to see in Ballygarrett takes five minutes: local history says the pews inside the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea are made from the timbers of a shipwreck. The rest is a small farming village a couple of kilometres inland from the Irish Sea, on the R742 between Courtown and Kilmuckridge, that most people pass through on the way to the beaches. It’s worth the short stop.
The shipwreck church
The Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea is a nineteenth-century Gothic Revival church, its high tower marking the middle of the village street. Local history records that its pews were made from timber salvaged from the Pomona, a sailing ship wrecked on the Blackwater Bank offshore in 1859. The Pomona was carrying emigrants from Liverpool to New York. Check the parish information if you hope to see the interior and for service times.
A connection with Texas
Look for the village memorial marking Ballygarrett’s connection with Refugio, Texas. Wexford-born James Power emigrated to Texas and helped establish a settlement there.
The area’s roots run deeper still. At Donaghmore (Domhnach Mór, ‘the great church’) just outside the village, tradition puts a visit by Saint Patrick, and there’s evidence of an early Christian site.
Glascarrig priory and moat
A short way off, at Glascarrig, the remains of a 13th-century Benedictine priory sit beside a well-preserved Norman moat – a raised earthwork, not a water-filled ditch – thought to mark the site of a castle built after 1175. It’s a quiet field with uneven, grassy ground: good for ten minutes of history, awkward for anyone with limited mobility.
What else to do
- Pirates Cove – The family activity centre near the village has fun caves, adventure golf, bumper boats and a small train. Check its current opening times before you go.
- The GAA – The local club, Réalt na Mara, was formed in 1982 from the merger of two older village clubs and fields both hurling and football teams.
Getting there and practical notes
Ballygarrett sits on the R742, about 12km south of Gorey. Public transport is thin, so check current bus services on TFI before you travel. The nearest railway station is Gorey, roughly 12km away, on the Dublin–Rosslare line.
The Glascarrig earthworks are uneven and not suited to a wheelchair or buggy. There’s no visitor centre in the village, and the Gorey tourist office handles regional maps and trail information.
Nearby
- Cahore Point – A short drive north to a small working harbour and a sheltered sandy strand, good for a walk. Check the visitor information for Cahore for a separate coastal outing.
- Morriscastle – A long dune-backed beach a few minutes south, quieter than the Courtown resorts.
- Courtown – The nearest resort town, with a harbour, a lifeboat station and a run of cafés and chippers.
Time it for a weekday morning: see the church and monuments before the summer beach traffic builds, then push on to Cahore or Morriscastle for the afternoon.