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Oilgate Irish:Bearna na hAille | |
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Village | |
 Oylegate National School | |
  Oilgate Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates:52°25′18″N6°28′00″W / 52.4217°N 6.4668°W /52.4217; -6.4668 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Wexford |
| Population | 401 |
Oilgate orOylegate (Irish:Bearna na hAille, meaning 'the gap in the cliff'), also known previously asMullinagore (Irish:Maolán na nGabhar, meaning 'the grazing of the goats'), is a small village inIreland, located about halfway betweenWexford andEnniscorthy towns, inCounty Wexford. It had a population of 401 as of the2022 census,[1] up from 358 in the2016 census.[2]
The name is usually officially spelt as 'Oilgate' and this spelling can be found on road signs entering the village and is the official spelling used on maps and by the Central Statistics Office.[1][3] However, the spelling 'Oylegate' is found on a plaque on the wall of the villagenational school dated 1929, and many locals spell it as such.
The Irish name for Oylegate isBearna na hAille,bearna meaning gap or gate andaill meaning cliff, getting its name from the place that the river Slaney breaks through the gap in the cliffs or rocks on its way to Wexford harbour. It would appear that the name Oylegate became anglicised over time and got its name by sayingaill quickly (oila) and gate from the English translation ofbearna, gap or gate.[citation needed]
Oylegate is also referred to asMaolán na nGabhar which is the Irish name for Mullinagore, getting its name from an area of land where goats used to graze. This reference is likely because there is no actual townland recorded as Oylegate, and the townland of Mullinagore would have been the more central part of the village consisting of the local church, the old school and a small settlement of houses. The Electoral District (E.D) of Edermine covers all of Oylegate, parts of Glenbrien with Ballyhuskard covering all the remaining townlands (except for Ballycourcy more which is in the E.D of Enniscorthy Rural).[citation needed]
The village's patron saint isSaint David, after whom the localRoman Catholic church is named. It has an adjoining cemetery. There is aholy well and shrine named Saint David's in nearby Ballinaslaney.[4] A village approximately 5 kilometres northeast called Glenbrien is the half parish of Oylegate.
The village has anational (primary) school, two public houses, a combined post office/shop, a petrol station, a Garda (police) station and a small retail park.[citation needed]
Gaelic games (hurling, camogie, Gaelic football) are played in the localGaelic Athletic Association complex, home to the Oylegate-Glenbrien teams. Hurler and club memberPat Nolan played for Wexford as goalkeeper during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and won three All-Ireland medals with the county.[citation needed] Nolan also helped the Oylegate-Glenbrien club win their soleWexford Senior Hurling Championship title in 1963.[citation needed]
The village is served by Wexford Bus routes 376, 740 and 740x, which provide connections withDublin Airport,Dublin,Gorey,Enniscorthy,Bunclody,Carlow andWexford.Bus Éireann operates route 2, which provides connections withDublin Airport,Dublin,Arklow,Gorey,Enniscorthy andWexford.[citation needed]
TheN11national road, which runs between Dublin and Wexford, passes through the village, and is also part ofEuropean routeE1. The southern end of theM11 motorway can be found to the north of the village at Scurlocksbush. It has been proposed that the village be bypassed as part of the N11/N25 Oilgate to Rosslare Harbour Scheme. As of 2024, planning applications for this scheme were due to be submitted in "Q3 2026 (subject to receiving the necessary approvals and the availability of funding)".[5]
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