History of New Ross

r Cromwell, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649 who discharged three cannon shots at the Aldgate and thereafter it was known as the Three Bullet Gate. The Three Bullet Gate is referenced in several Irish ballads, as the Bearnabhaoil (Gap of Danger), such as Kelly the Boy From Killanne and most notably in the Irish National Anthem.

The town is an important crossing point on the River Barrow, being located between the river estuary, and the point where the River Nore joins the Barrow and was the location of one of the bloodiest battles of the 1798 rebellion. During this Rebellion, a fierce and decisive battle took place in New Ross on 5 June between the Irish rebels and the British forces. The poorly armed rebels captured most of the town by weight of numbers and drove out the defending soldiers. The soldiers returned later in the day and recaptured the town. Over 2,000 people died during the battle and most of the thatched buildings were burned.

The 18th and 19th centuries were prosperous times for New Ross with the colonisation of North America. Local merchants sailed their own ships back and forth to the colonies often carrying Irish emigrants. A replica of one of those ships, the Dunbrody, is now berthed on the