placenamesThe Shannon
Historic houses and a sporting family connect this Enniscorthy street with the town’s wider story.
The name
A reliable full-name meaning has not been established here. The recorded Irish and English forms are given without an unsupported translation.
Recorded forms
- The Shannon · English · main form
Place & story
A nineteenth-century house
A two-storey house on The Shannon, already standing by 1886, retains an elaborate central doorway. Granite steps and an iron boot scraper lead to a timber doorcase with decorated brackets and a cornice. Inside, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage recorded timber door surrounds and panelled window shutters. Its slate roofs follow the building’s L-shaped plan. [2]
Sam “Wilkie” Thorpe
Sam “Wilkie” Thorpe, born in 1909, came from a family on The Shannon. He played hurling and football for Wexford and Leinster. In 2024, Enniscorthy honoured him by naming the steps between Castle Hill and Church Street Wilkie Way; these steps lie elsewhere in the town. [3]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — The Shannon. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- The Shannon, Templeshannon, Enniscorthy, record 15603179 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Wilkie Way experience opens in Enniscorthy, 19 April 2024 · Dan Walsh
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2014-10-29. How this page was prepared.