Con Macken’s, The Cape of Good Hope in the Bull Ring is the most characterful pub in Wexford, and possibly in the south-east. Known to everyone in town simply as Macken’s — or “The Undertaker” — it is a pub, a grocer and a funeral home under one roof. The original proprietor was the town undertaker, and the bar still carries the section known as “The Undertakers.” That three-in-one arrangement is no gimmick. It is a genuine survival of how Irish town life used to work, before everything was separated into its own premises.
Pub, Grocer, Undertaker
For most of its life the building genuinely did all three jobs at once — you could buy your messages, have a pint, and arrange a funeral without leaving the room. Today the bar has taken over most of the space, but nobody has changed the sign outside, and the spirit of the old arrangement remains. It is one of the last authentic pubs in the heart of Wexford that has kept things simple and resisted every temptation to modernise.
A pub, a grocer and an undertaker under one roof on the Bull Ring. There is nowhere in Ireland quite like Con Macken’s — and Wexford knows it.
Con Macken’s, The Cape of Good Hope
The Bull Ring (off North Main Street), Wexford Town
The Bull Ring Setting
Macken’s sits right on the Bull Ring, the historic square that divides North and South Main Street and has been the centre of Wexford town life for centuries. It is a perfect spot for the pub’s particular trade: people-watching from the window stools, a quick pint in the middle of the day, or a slow one as the square empties in the evening. The location alone tells you this is a pub woven into the fabric of the town.
The Atmosphere
Inside, it is unhurried, traditional and entirely unselfconscious. The welcome is genuine, the pints are properly kept, and the music nights — particularly when there is a singer and a guitar in the corner — are a highlight. This is a pub that does not perform its character. It simply has it.
Good to Know
Con Macken’s is on the Bull Ring, Wexford, between North and South Main Street — impossible to miss and central to everything. It is a traditional pub first and foremost, so come for the pint and the conversation rather than a long food menu. Opening hours vary; the music nights are the ones to catch.
