The recently completed Geological Heritage Audit of County Wexford was officially launched by Wexford County Council and Geological Survey Ireland at an event in Wexford County Hall on Monday 9 March.

County Wexford is perhaps more widely known than many counties for its geological heritage, and clearly many of the rich heritage and tourist sites have an underlying geological heritage that is the foundation for either cultural heritage interest or for the rich biodiversity of the county. It has some particularly fine but underappreciated geological sites. Wexford County Council's support for this geological heritage audit is critical in raising the profile of geological heritage in County Wexford and for maximising its potential, since some of the sites may be otherwise overlooked, particularly in favour of biodiversity or cultural heritage.

The Audit documents what are currently understood by the Irish Geological Heritage Programme of Geological Survey Ireland to be the most important geological sites within County Wexford. It recommends them as County Geological Sites (CGS) for inclusion within the County Development Plan (CDP). The audit provides a more detailed study of sites to replace a provisional listing based on desk study which was adopted in the current 2013-2019 CDP. The report can be accessed here.

Data and Maps Update

The geological heritage data for Wexford and all other audited counties has now been updated on Geological Survey Ireland's web viewer in our Data and Maps section. Individual County Geological Sites (CGS) are mapped and the associated site reports can be downloaded directly.