Wexford Strawberries

Wexford gets more sunshine hours than anywhere else in Ireland and has light free-draining soils, which is why strawberry growing concentrated here. Through June, July and August the county's main roads carry a line of roadside stalls and caravans selling punnets picked that morning, and buying them from the caravan rather than a supermarket is the local practice - the fruit is riper because it has not been picked hard for transport. Enniscorthy has held a Strawberry Fair since 1968, originally a week-long town festival built around the harvest with a strawberry queen, parades and music; it has changed format over the decades and now runs as a summer festival weekend. The industry has changed too, with much of the crop now grown under polytunnels and picked by seasonal workers, extending the season at both ends. The roadside stalls remain, and the fruit at the peak of the season is genuinely better than what is in the shops.

The main sights

• The roadside caravans - punnets sold direct on the county's main roads.
• The sunshine hours - the reason the crop concentrated in Wexford.
• The Enniscorthy fair - running since 1968 around the harvest.
• The polytunnels - the modern growing method extending the season.

When to go

June to August for the roadside stalls, with the peak in July. The Enniscorthy festival is in early summer - check the current dates, as the format has changed over the years.

Before you go

A short season, and outside it the stalls are gone. Stalls generally want cash. The fair is a general town festival now rather than strictly a strawberry event.

Nearby

Enniscorthy and Vinegar Hill are central; Wexford town and Curracloe are south-east.