Passage East () is a

fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 ...

County Waterford County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, situated on the west bank of

Waterford Harbour Waterford Harbour () is a natural harbour at the mouth of the The Three Sisters (Ireland), Three Sisters; the River Nore, the River Suir and the River Barrow in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is navigable for shipping to both Waterford and N ...

. It is 12 km from

Waterford city Waterford ( ) is a city in County Waterford in the south-east of Ireland. It is located within the province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford Harbour. It is the oldest Tramore Tramore (; ) is a seaside town in County Waterford, on the southeast coast of Ireland. It has a population of 11,277 as per the 2022 census, the second largest town in the county. Overview Originally a small fishing village, the area saw rapi ...

History

On 23 August 1170, Strongbow landed at Passage East with 200 knights and 1,000 men-at-arms, a year after the first Normans had landed at Bannow, symbolising the beginning of the Norman invasion of Ireland. Nearby are the ruins of

Geneva Barracks Geneva Barracks () in County Waterford, Ireland, was a barracks created in 1783 by converting a settlement which had been created for an 18th-century colony (New Geneva) of disaffected citizens of Geneva following the Geneva Revolution of 1782 ...

, a one-time planned utopian colony turned into a notorious prison and point of departure for thousands of rebels transported from the country for participation in the

1798 rebellion The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (; Ulster-Scots: ''The Turn out'', ''The Hurries'', 1798 Rebellion) was a popular insurrection against the British Crown in what was then the separate, but subordinate, Kingdom of Ireland. The main organising force ...

Tourism and fishing

Passage East has a long beach which is used for fishing bass, codling, whiting, various flatfish and pollocks. It is possible to walk from Passage to Woodstown when the tide is out. Passage East also has a natural mussel bed in which it is possible to dig for ragworm. Lug can be dug all the way along the coast to Woodstown. The Waterford Estuary Mussel Festival is held each September in Passage East and some nearby villages.

Transport

Car ferry

Passage East Ferry Company Limited, which has been in operation since 1982, links the village, and

as a whole, with

County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...

, specifically the village of Ballyhack. A journey on the company's vessel, ''The Tintern'', which has a capacity for 28 cars, saves motorists a road journey of approximately 55 km. There has been some local concern in recent years about the level of traffic through the village generated by the car ferry.

Bus service

Suirway operate a bus route linking Passage East to

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

. Some buses operate via Dunmore East.

Sport

The local GAA club, Passage GAA, concentrates on hurling. Its best known players are Sean Cullinane and Eoin Kelly. Eoin Kelly won Passage's first

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

award in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

. The football club associated with the Passage area is Gaultier.

References

External links

Passage Car Ferry website
{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Waterford Fishing in Ireland