The story of New Quay’s past is explored through the ancient peoples and later Christian monks who came to worship their gods here. It tells of the literati, the poets who ran one of Ireland’s most renowned bardic schools but also the pivotal role of Mount Vernon in the 19th century literary revival.
It chronicles the development of sea trade, and efforts to build a quay as well as the endeavours of an oyster baron whose oysters became the most sought-after delicacy of the gentry in Dublin taverns. It provides a glimpse into the lives of long dead individuals, from the ruling elite, the Skerrett family of Finavarra, to a 19th century arsonist.
It explores the lives of the poor in the 19th century, the indisputable evidence of their precarious existences, tales of misery and desolation during the famine years and after.
These stories, many of which have been forgotten, or distorted through the mists of time, bring together the history of a special place.