Ireland’s goose reserve
From October to March, North Slob holds up to 10,000 Greenland white-fronted geese, somewhere around a third of the entire world population of the subspecies, flown in from the western lowlands of Greenland. That is the reason the reserve exists, and the reason to come. If you visit once, visit in winter: the geese take over the fields, feeding and lifting in swirling flocks, joined by Brent geese, wigeon and teal. Come in summer and that spectacle is gone; you will still get terns, gulls and harriers, but not the thing the place is known for.
The reserve covers about 200 hectares of the North Slob, a flat sweep of reclaimed farmland at the mouth of the River Slaney where it meets Wexford Harbour. The land was taken from the sea by a wall built in the mid-19th century, partly as famine relief; much of it still lies about two metres below sea level, kept dry by a pump near the visitor centre. Established in 1969 and run jointly by BirdWatch Ireland and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, it is a Ramsar wetland of international importance (designated 1984) and part of the Natura 2000 network.
The Guinness World Records started here
Before it was known for geese, the Slob had a stranger claim to fame. On 4 May 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver, managing director of Guinness, was at a shooting party here when an argument broke out over Europe’s fastest game bird, the golden plover or the grouse. No book on hand could settle it. Beaver’s idea for one that could became the Guinness World Records.
Birds through the year
More than 250 species have been recorded here. Alongside the winter geese you might pick out Bewick’s and whooper swans, oystercatchers and curlews.
- Autumn and winter (October–March): the main event, with huge waterfowl flocks and low winter light that flatters the flat landscape.
- Spring (March–May): waders return and the reedbeds fill with sedge and reed warblers; the bittern turns up now and again.
- Summer (June–September): quieter for wildfowl, but terns, gulls and marsh harriers work the channels.
Hides and viewing
An 8-metre observation tower gives the widest view across the channels and out to the harbour. Three hides let you watch without disturbing anything:
- Pat Walsh Hide, on the seawall, is good for grebes, cormorants and seabirds.
- Robert Jobson Hide looks over a reed-lined pond, close-up on ducks and waders.
- The old Pump House Hide is closed for safety; a replacement Pumphouse Hide is under construction.
The visitor centre has interactive exhibits, and wheelchair-accessible paths reach the main tower and the key viewing points, though some boardwalk sections are uneven. Guided tours run on weekday afternoons at 3pm, led by reserve staff, and no booking is needed. Binoculars can be borrowed.
Getting there and practical
The reserve and visitor centre are open daily 9am–5pm (closed Christmas Day), and entry is free. One thing to watch: the car park is locked at 5pm on the dot, so do not leave it too fine. The reserve can also close now and then for management work, with a notice left at the gate.
It is signposted off the R741 north of Wexford town, on the road towards Castlebridge, a few minutes’ drive from the centre. For guided tours or education enquiries, the reserve is on wwreducation@npws.gov.ie or +353 1 539 3460.
Nearby
- Curracloe Beach – a long Blue Flag strand about ten minutes north, where Spielberg shot the D-Day landing for Saving Private Ryan.
- Raven Nature Reserve – mature pine forest along the dune line at the north end of Curracloe strand, an easy woodland contrast to the open slob.