Until the creation of ships too large to reach the port, in
the 19th century, New Ross was a prosperous port town. However, the river is
too shallow to allow passage of large ships and the port gradually
went into decline. The town continued to be a prosperous market town for the
rich agricultural hinterland, but suffered from severe recession throughout the
1970s, 1980s, and early part of the 1990s. As of now there is a small amount of
industry in the area
