Southeast Ireland is a region of Ireland with historic cities, great landscapes and beautiful beaches. It's known as the Sunny Southeast because it gets the best weather in Ireland, traditionally being the only area where wheat can be reliably grown - although global climate change may alter that.
Regions
52°27′0″N 7°6′36″W
Map of Southeast Ireland| County Carlow Noted for its nature, culture, vibrant nightlife and modern amenities, a pleasant place to visit, where history and contemporary life sit side by side. |
| County Kilkenny This has the attractive medieval city of Kilkenny, the great priory ruin of Kells, and small towns along its rivers. |
| County Waterford With the rich heritage of Waterford city, the stately buildings around Lismore, and many beaches and small harbour towns. |
| County Wexford The main beaches in the south of Ireland are here. Tragic history was played out in the streets of Enniscorthy, Gorey and New Ross. |
Cities and towns
- 1 Waterford is Ireland's oldest city, founded by the Vikings, and embellished and battled over since. It has the best concentration of visitor attractions and facilities in this region.
- 2 Lismore has an elegant castle, gardens and cathedral, with other mansions and gardens in the nearby countryside.
- 3 Carlow blends history and modern attractions
- 4 Kilkenny has a medieval core, and is second only to Waterford in its concentration of visitor facilities.
- 5 Wexford is an attractive small city near Rosslare ferry port.
- 6 Enniscorthy was the centre of the 1798 rebellion, and the tiny nearby village of Ferns has a cluster of medieval ruins.
- 7 New Ross is near the JFK arboretum and Kennedy family homestead.
Other destinations
- 1 Great Saltee Island is a self-proclaimed independent principality off the Wexford coast, reached by boat trips from Kilmore Quay. The Wexford rebel enclave lasted six weeks, the Kilkenny Confederacy of Ireland lasted six years, but somehow this one has endured since 1945. Either the mainland authorities are short of muskets and gumption, or the taxes that the "Prince" says he won't pay aren't really that much in arrears.
Understand
Get in
Get around
By bus
Cities and towns
Urban bus networks operate in the following cities and towns:
- Waterford - Bus Éireann operate a city network of five routes (W1 to W5), as well as route 360 to Tramore. All routes run every 20 or 30 minutes throughout the day.
- Kilkenny - City Direct operate two cross town routes, KK1 and KK2, every 30 minutes.
- Wexford - Wexford Bus operate two town loop routes, WX1 and WX2, every 30-40 minutes.
Regional, Commuter and Rural
An extensive network of regional bus services operate across the region. However, the frequency of routes can vary significantly, from high frequency routes between nearby towns, to rural services running only once a week. The majority of services are public funded and operated by Bus Èireann and Local Link, although in some areas commercial services also play a large role in providing transport.
The main regional bus networks are:
- Bus Éireann operate an extensive network of regional bus services across Ireland. Commuter services are provided along routes into the main cities and towns, while in rural areas there are routes connecting many villages and small towns into their nearest large town or city. Most routes are shown on the Bus Éireann network map. Routes are numbered by region, with the 100's in the east, 200's in the south, 300's in the midwest and southeast, and 400's in the west and northwest.
- Local Link is the brand name for all services funded under the rural transport programme. There are over 1,000 rural bus routes serving nearly all corners of the country. These range from regular scheduled routes running several times a day between nearby towns, to door to door routes running only one day per week. The regular scheduled routes operate like normal bus routes, with fixed routes and timetables, however the door to door routes can vary and may require advance booking, so it's best to inquire with your nearest Local Link office[dead link] the day beforehand.
- Bernard Kavanagh operate route 817 from Kilkenny to Dublin
Intercity
The main intercity routes operating within the region are:
- Dublin - Kilkenny - Clonmel: JJ Kavanagh route 717
- Dublin - Carlow - Waterford: Bus Éireann Expressway route 4/X4, Dublin Coach route 600, JJ Kavanagh route 736
- Dublin - Wexford: Bus Éireann Expressway routes 2/X2, Wexford Bus route 740
- Limerick - Waterford: Bus Éireann Expressway route 55
- Tralee - Cork - Waterford - Rosslare: Bus Éireann Expressway route 40
See
- Many of the top sights are Heritage Ireland Sites. A heritage card valid for a year costs €21 for an adult.
- County Carlow: Altamount Gardens near Tullow.
- County Kilkenny: the castle and Dunmore Caves at Kilkenny, St Mary's Church at Gowran, and Jerpoint Abbey in Thomastown.
- County Waterford: Reginald's Tower, and the castle in Dungarven.
- County Wexford: Ferns Castle near Enniscorthy, Tintern Abbey and the Kennedy Arboretum at New Ross, and Ballyhack Castle at the west edge of the county.