The ruins of St. Michael’s parish church are located in the townland of TOWNPARKS (#54529) (par. St. Michael’s of Feagh) outside the old wall of Wexford. This church was dedicated to ‘St. Michael Archangel’ (3), as was ST. MICHAEL’S (par.) (#2619) near Rosslare. According to Culleton (1999, p.215) a pattern was held here until recently, on the 29th of September, the feast day of this saint. He also suggests that both parishes called St. Michael’s in Wexford may have been founded by Vikings (ibid. p.170; see also Colfer, 2002 p.169), but this biblical name also occurs around the country in place-names of Irish origin such as Cill Mhichíl (CE; CK; LK) (see logainm.ie) and Scandinavian origin need not neccessarily be presumed here.

The final element Feagh (locally ‘The Faythe’) is an anglicised form of faiche “green”, or more accurately its Middle Irish or Early Modern Irish precursor faithche, the dental fricative of which is clearly reflected in the local pronunciation (14–14b) (see FAYTHE (#54433), par. Tacumshin). Faiche is explained among other things as meaning “an open space in or before a city” (see DIL faithche), which agrees with the situation of the present parish just outside the old town wall (cf. Dalton, 1921 p.30).

[Excerpt from Logainmneacha na hÉireann IV: Townland Names of County Wexford, 2016]