When Perkin Warbeck abandoned the siege of Waterford, in 1497, he embarked at this place for Cork. A fort here, which commanded the passage up the harbour, was taken in 1649 by a party of Cromwell's troops, on commencing the seige of Waterford: the serious inconvenience this produced to the besieged caused Ferral, the governor, to attempt the recovery of the place, but his forces were repulsed by a large body of Cromwell's army. In 1663, the Duke of Ormonde was made governor of the port and town of Passage for life.

The town contains 112 houses, and is situated on a narrow piece of low land between the river Suir and a lofty precipitous hill; it is a constabulary police station, and the parish church stands on the summit of a hill here. A block-house mounted with several great guns, and commonly under the command of the governor of Duncannon Fort, about a league distant, on the Wexford side of the river, formerly stood where the old pier or mole now is. The river affords commodious shelter and anchorage to vessels of large burthen, and the town is now progressively improving. Here is a Roman Catholic chapel, situated in part of the parish of Crook; also a school.