Historic Ferns

03/09/2026

There was a fantastic turnout for the Heritage Week talk at St Edan's Cathedral — and no one was left disappointed.

Unlocking the Secrets of St Edan’s Cathedra gave us a fascinating insight into the hidden history of the cathedral, as part of a Heritage Council funded project to develop a Conservation Management Plan.

The talk and tour were led by Conservation Engineer Ivor McElveen and Archaeologist Ronan O’Flaherty, who encouraged us to look at the cathedral in a whole new light as they revealed some of the secrets held within its ancient stones.

While many knew the current cathedral is much smaller than the original 13th century building, the sheer scale of what once stood at Ferns was a real eye-opener for a lot of people. When the footprint was shown to be similar in size to St Canice’s Cathedral in Kilkenny, it completely changed how we see a building we’ve all passed so many times before.
St Edan’s Cathedral and the Ferns Union of Parishes The Heritage Council

20/08/2026

Unlocking the secrets of St. Edan’s cathedral.

Another great local event taking place during

‘Fresh Eyes on Old Stones:
Unlocking the secrets of St Edan's
Cathedral, Ferns’

The modest 19th century appearance of St Edan’s Cathedral in Ferns belies a history which stretches back 800 years. However there are clues to that sometimes troubled history still to be found in the fabric of the building which survives today…if you know where to look!

In this guided tour, led by archaeologist Ronan O’Flaherty and conservation specialist Ivor McElveen, St Edan’s gradually reveals its secrets - and you may be surprised by what you learn.

Presented by The Cathedral Church of St Edan’s Ferns, as part of its outreach programme in connection with the preparation of a new Conservation Management Plan for the church, funded by The Heritage Council

St Edan’s Cathedral and the Ferns Union of Parishes North Wexford Historical Society Heritage Week fans Slaneyside Heritage Wexford County Council Historic Ferns @

20/08/2026

‘Care and conservation of historic graveyards’
Join archaeologist Barry Lacey of Slaneyside Heritage for a very informative guided tour exploring the rich heritage of historic graveyards and how best to care for and conserve them.

📆 Saturday 22nd August 2026

⏰ 10.30am

📍Ferns ‘Old Graveyard’

St Edan’s Cathedral and the Ferns Union of Parishes Slaneyside Heritage North Wexford Historical Society The Heritage Council Heritage Week Ferns Tidy Towns

15/08/2026

The Ferns Old Graveyard Steering Group were thrilled with the turnout this morning for ‘The Story Behind the Stones’ with archaeologist Barry Lacey.

A brilliant talk and tour, and part of the The Heritage Council funded project to map and record the headstones in the old graveyard.

15/08/2026

St. Edan’s Cathedral is opened this week Monday- Saturday from 11am as part of Heritage week. And every Sunday at normal service times. Why not come along and visit this historic Cathedral and explore what it has to offer inside.

11/08/2026

Another great local event taking place during

‘Fresh Eyes on Old Stones:
Unlocking the secrets of St Edan's
Cathedral, Ferns’

The modest 19th century appearance of St Edan’s Cathedral in Ferns belies a history which stretches back 800 years. However there are clues to that sometimes troubled history still to be found in the fabric of the building which survives today…if you know where to look!

In this guided tour, led by archaeologist Ronan O’Flaherty and conservation specialist Ivor McElveen, St Edan’s gradually reveals its secrets - and you may be surprised by what you learn.

Presented by The Cathedral Church of St Edan’s Ferns, as part of its outreach programme in connection with the preparation of a new Conservation Management Plan for the church, funded by The Heritage Council

St Edan’s Cathedral and the Ferns Union of Parishes North Wexford Historical Society Heritage Week fans Slaneyside Heritage Wexford County Council Historic Ferns @

10/08/2026

🪦 Another event not to be missed 🪦

‘The Story Behind the Stones’
Join archaeologist and historian Barry Lacey from Slaneyside Heritage for a guided tour of Ferns Old Graveyard.

Hear the stories behind the headstones, and meet members of the Ferns Old Graveyard Steering Group and volunteers who are currently being trained to map and record every headstone as part of a major conservation project.

This project is funded by the The Heritage Council and focuses on best practice for the care and recording of our graveyard heritage.

📆 Date: Saturday 15th August 2026

⏰ Time: 10.00am - 11.30am

📍 Location: Ferns Old Graveyard

All welcome.
North Wexford Historical Society County Wexford PPN St Edan’s Cathedral and the Ferns Union of Parishes Heritage Week Ferns Tidy Towns

📸 Mary Gethings

10/08/2026

Building stories with the 1926 cenus and other digital sources – a user’s guide, by Dr. Ida Milne

Dr. Ida Milne is an academic historian and lecturer at Carlow College and visiting research fellow at the Department of History in Trinity College, Dublin. Her historical demographic work on the global 1918-1919 influenza pandemic looked at how deaths and illness from the pandemic and other then common infectious diseases affected families across time.

Location: Wexford County Council, Carricklawn, Wexford, Y35 WY93

⏰ 7 - 8pm

📅 11 August 2026

Booking is essential for this free event:
https://www.wexfordcoco.ie/libraries/more-library-services/local-studies-service/the-story-of-us-census-1926-exhibition

10/08/2026

‘Care and conservation of historic graveyards’
Join archaeologist Barry Lacey of Slaneyside Heritage for a very informative guided tour exploring the rich heritage of historic graveyards and how best to care for and conserve them.

📆 Saturday 22nd August 2026

⏰ 10.30am

📍Ferns ‘Old Graveyard’

North Wexford Historical Society Wexford County Council County Wexford PPN St Edan’s Cathedral and the Ferns Union of Parishes Ferns Tidy Towns Heritage Week