November 28 2025 marked a significant milestone for Tides & Tales Maritime Community Project with our 500th blog post.

The project started out in May 2014 as a voluntary initiative to respond to the loss of the maritime/fishing traditions in Cheekpoint, Co Waterford. Using a free Google Blogger account, the stories had an immediate appeal. Over the years the momentum of the project has grown, including guest posts from many regulars like James Doherty, Cian Manning and perhaps none more so than David Carroll.  We have also included features such as project updates, particularly since the move to a community-run project and later a CLG. Book reviews are also an occasional feature, those which include a local perspective on our core work or a more national perspective where appropriate.

One of the major changes in the last two years was the provision of a new website, funded by the Irish Heritage Council. This allowed the project to provide a number of enhancements, including a cleaner look to the site, enhanced search engine optimisation (SEO), increased search facilities, improved categorisation of site content, retail facilities and the provision of a donations option for readers.

A major obstacle of the new site was the cost of maintaining it. One option was to place the new material behind a paywall. However, the committee, recognising the values on which the project had been founded, decided to maintain the free to access but to appeal for donations to maintain the site. This combined with funding applications, has helped to keep the show on the road thus far.

Because of the need to prove our worth to funders, measuring the reach and effectiveness became a feature, and commencing in April 2024 we had 38,101 views on website in that year. So far in 2025  we have reached over 45,000 views.  The top stories this year included “Lime Kilns, Silent Killers” 2,231 and “Millstone Quarries of the Harbour” 1,546. Also in our top 10 was “Faithlegg House – A history”, “From Oar to Engine – 900 years of the Passage to Ballyhack ferry” and our April Fools post – “Barrow Railway Bridge revived”.  Three local interest stories were also included: Almost 700 views on “Stephen Whitty Sails to War” followed closely by “Captain Jim Murphy turns 80” and “Pat Murphy Cheekpoint”

Average engagement was 1m 17secs, and the top three viewing countries were Ireland 13,500, USA 4,815 and UK 2,881.

As we head towards our twelfth year a blogging in 2026  the stories are still as relevant, popular and required as before. The work is still largly voluntary but we have many plans to keep the project on the road and at a minimum to preserve the stories that are online, maintain the free access content and do our best to make the site as engaging and interesting as we can. We hope to also try to appeal to younger readers in an effort to ensure the legacy of the rivers, harbour and the people, trades and vibrant folklore are preserved.

Thanks to all our readers, subscribers and contributors down the years. We hope you will stay with us in the years to come.

Tides & Tales

We are a community-based initiative, created with passion, sustained by curiosity, and kept afloat by the generosity of people like you. If Tides and Tales has informed, inspired, or simply entertained you, there are several meaningful ways you can help us continue our work.

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