Rosslare Strand


Rosslare Strand, or simply Rosslare, is a village and seaside resort in County Wexford, Ireland. The name Rosslare Strand is used to distinguish it from the nearby community of Rosslare Harbour, site of the Rosslare Europort.

Tourism

Rosslare has been a tourist resort for at least 100 years. It is noted as the "sunniest spot in Ireland", and records bear this out: Rosslare receives 300 hours more sunshine each year than the average place in Ireland. The long sandy strand is a Blue Flag beach. The beach itself consists of sand and stone running the length of the southern peninsula which protrudes into Wexford Harbour. It is segmented by a series of timber breakwaters which are designed to retain sandy deposits along the beach.
There are a number of golf courses in the vicinity. Rosslare also has several hotels, cafes and restaurants.
As of the 1996 census, the village had a population of 929 people, increasing to 1,620 by the time of the 2016 census. According to the April 2016 census, of the 551 occupied private households in the village, 228 were built between 2001 and 2010. The village has seen an amount of building in recent years, as tax grants became available for building holiday homes in this region. As a result, there are large housing estates of holiday homes near the strand.
A long sandspit stretching north from Rosslare separates Wexford Harbour from the Irish Sea. Until the early 1920s, this spit stretched for many miles north, almost touching the Raven Point and giving a very narrow mouth to Wexford Harbour. At the end of the spit was a small fort called Rosslare Fort. In the winter of 1924-25 a storm breached the spit and it was gradually washed away. The fort was abandoned and now all that is left is an island at low tide.
Rosslare is commonly known in Ireland as being in the "Sunny South-East", and in 1959 Rosslare recorded 1,996.4 hours of sunshine, the highest recorded in Ireland. However, it is not the warmest or driest place in Ireland.

Climate

Rosslare has an oceanic climate with cool and foggy days for most of the year. Average mean annual temperature is 10.6C. The average annual precipitation is 905 mm, and that falls on 125 days. As mentioned above the average annual sunshine hours in Rosslare are 1,600, the highest in Ireland; with temperatures rising in the summer months.

Transport

Rosslare is served by a number of public transport options.

Rail transport

opened on 24 June 1882. The Dublin to Rosslare Europort railway serves the village.

Bus transport

Two main local bus services operate; 'Wexford Bus' and 'Local Link'.
The village is also served by Bus Éireann routes 370 and 385. The 370 links it to Wellingtonbridge, New Ross and Waterford.