Sea Shanties with The High C's at Enniscorthy Castle

What to Expect

The High C’s are a 15-member vocal and instrumental ensemble from Rosslare Harbour, and this National Heritage Week performance brings them inside Enniscorthy Castle’s Waters of Wexford exhibition to sing traditional maritime songs in a genuinely fitting setting. Many of the group’s members come from seafaring families connected to Rosslare Harbour and the local fishing community, so the shanties are performed with a real, lived connection to the working boats and harbours the songs describe rather than as a costume-piece re-enactment. Between songs the group weaves in stories and local history about Wexford’s maritime past, tying the music directly to the exhibition’s own subject matter. It is a family-friendly, seated performance inside the castle rather than a pub gig, and it runs as a single one-hour-thirty session rather than an all-day event.

Enniscorthy Castle itself is a Norman-era castle overlooking the town and the River Slaney, restored as a museum and exhibition space that covers the county’s history from Norman times through the 1798 Rebellion and beyond. Pairing a maritime song tradition with a inland castle setting is a deliberate piece of Heritage Week programming, using the shanties to connect Enniscorthy, an inland market town, back to the fishing communities on the county’s coast that its river ultimately leads to. It is a good option for anyone doing the rounds of National Heritage Week events in the county who wants a music-led event rather than a straight talk or walking tour.

Good to Know

• Sunday 16 August 2026, 3.00pm to 4.30pm, inside Enniscorthy Castle
• Part of National Heritage Week 2026
• Combines traditional sea shanty singing with stories of Wexford’s fishing and maritime history
• Performed by The High C’s, a 15-strong ensemble from Rosslare Harbour
• Contact Enniscorthy Castle on 053 923 4699 or info@enniscorthycastle.ie for ticket details

Getting There

Enniscorthy Castle sits on Castle Hill in the centre of Enniscorthy, a short walk from the Market Square and the River Slaney. Enniscorthy is on the Dublin to Rosslare Europort rail line, with Irish Rail calling at the town’s station, and Bus Éireann routes connect Enniscorthy to Wexford, Gorey and Dublin. The castle is within easy walking distance of the town’s central car parks.