The National Opera House (), formerly the Wexford Opera House, is a theatre in

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

, Ireland. It was officially opened on 5 September 2008 in a ceremony with the

Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...

Brian Cowen Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is an Irish former politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011. Cowen served as a TD for the constituency of Laois–Offaly from 1984 to 2011 and served in several ...

, followed by a live broadcast of RTÉ's '' The Late Late Show'' from the

O'Reilly Theatre The Sloane Robinson Building is a building in the Newman Quad at Keble College, Oxford, Keble College, one of the University of Oxford colleges. The building is in brick, reflecting the adjacent Victorian Grade 1 listed buildings by William Butte ...

. It was built on the site of the former Theatre Royal, Wexford, which was demolished to facilitate the development. The need for a new opera house was a result of the success of the

Wexford Festival Opera Wexford Festival Opera () is an opera festival that takes place in the town of Wexford in south-eastern Ireland during the months of October and November. Festival origins, growth and development Tom Walsh, 1951 to 1966 Tom Walsh, an avid o ...

and the provision of a theatre, concert and conference venue in Wexford. The Opera House consists of the 771-seat O'Reilly Theatre and the smaller Jerome Hynes Theatre, seating up to 176. It was designed and built by the architect Keith Williams Architects with the Office of Public Works. Wexford Opera House rises above the old skyline

Wexford Opera House rises above the old skyline

The Opera House was used for 2014 Sinn Féin Ard Fheis. The building was officially renamed as Ireland's National Opera House by the

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs The Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport () is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. The minister is Patrick O'Donovan, TD. He is assisted by one minister of ...

Heather Humphreys Heather Maud Humphreys (née Stewart, born 1960) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served in various cabinet positions from 2014 to 2025. She was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency from 2011 to 2024, and serve ...

, at the opening of the 2014 Wexford Festival.Wexford Opera House recognised as Ireland’s National Opera House
Wexford Festival Opera media report. Retrieved 30 September 2016.

References

External links

Wexford Opera Festival official websiteNational Opera House official website Wexford Light Opera Society official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Opera House Buildings and structures in County Wexford Music venues completed in 2008 Opera houses in the Republic of Ireland Theatres completed in 2008 Wexford Festival Opera Recipients of Civic Trust Awards 21st-century architecture in the Republic of Ireland 2000s in Irish music 2010s in Irish music 2020s in Irish music