This year, as is our norm, the Tides & Tales project will contribute to several events both directly and indirectly, and will also promote other talks connected to our waterways or the harbour on the blog, by social media or in person where possible. Below is a listing of events that we want to promote directly (more may be added but this is what we could see at the time of publishing), but remember to check the website link of each for booking, accessibility etc.

My first contribution will take place in the Ferrybank Library at 7pm on 19th August.

Grannagh, Kilmacow and Dunkitt Pill – A Fading River Placename. For centuries, rivers served as the roadways of everyday life, providing routes for travel, trade and sustenance. Many of Europe’s great towns and cities developed along their banks. Recognising the strategic and commercial importance of the Three Sisters—the Nore, Suir and Barrow—the Vikings established the city of Waterford in 914 AD at a strategic point close to where these rivers meet the sea.

This talk explores the freight traffic that once flourished along the River Blackwater in south Kilkenny which connected directly to the city and the wider rivers. It will examine the cargoes, boats and people that were central to river life. Drawing on the fading memories, it combines local knowledge, historical maps and evidence found along the waterways themselves to reconstruct this forgotten world. It will also explore the term Pill in its nautical placename context.

The mouth of the Blackwater at Grannagh a once thriving location is now beset with mud and overgrown banks.

I will also provide a talk for Water Heritage Day on Sunday 23rd August at Ballyhack Castle at 2.30pm. The title is “The Battles of Ballyhack Castle” and explores known events around the site but will draw on some specific details from the ships log of the Fellowship of Bristol which was based in the harbour in 1642, attempting to thwart the activities of the Catholic Confederacy. Please remember the castle is accessible only by steep stairs and we have limited room. Please prebook to 0469 422 544

Detail of Ballyhack, Passage and Duncannon defences from the Jobson chart of 1591.

Locally we have several new events connected to the WEVA initiative – Waterford Estuary Villages Alliance. Under the alliance, the five traditional fishing villages of the Estuary (Cheekpoint, Passage East, Ballyhack, Arthurstown & Duncannon) have come together to confront the threat of heritage loss among other issues. The villages have been under long-term threat from population decline since the collapse of the fishing industry in the early 2000s and the failure to replace it with alternatives that would help to sustain the communities. With great resilience and self-reliance, the villages have a mission to forge a more sustainable future by preserving and developing their shared heritage as part of a wider economic strategy.

• The events include
  Re-Enactment of Croppy Boys’ March on 15 August, 12pm – 2pm from the Star of the Sea Church, Duncannon
• Tales of the Estuary – The Cockle Women Re-Enactment on 15 August, 3pm – 6pm Passage East Strand.
• The Reaper Revival – A Family Legacy Reborn – take a trip on the newly restored Reaper on 16 August, 3pm – 5pm from The Pier, Cheekpoint
• Voices of the Estuary (Social history through memories) – B reel on 17 August, 7pm – 8pm at Faithlegg National School
• History & Heritage Estuary Cruise in the Orinoco on 18 August, 11am – 1pm & 2pm – 4pm from the Quay in Ballyhack
• Demonstration of Fishing Net Roping Skills on 21 August, 2pm – 3pm, Duncannon
• Walking Tour of Ballyhack Graveyard on 22 August, 2:30pm – 4pm from Arthurstown

On Saturday 15 August, 1pm – 4:30pm Deerpark Mills in Mullinavat County Kilkenny is the venue for a tour of their water powered grain mill, including a drying kiln built in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. It served farmers from Mullinavat and the surrounding parishes drying and grinding oats, being the predominant crop in those times, barley, wheat and maize. The event will consist of a guided tour of the mill, kiln and its surrounds, and partnering with the local Buckstown Vintage Club there will also be a display of vintage stationary engines, cars, tractors, motor bikes, horse drawn farm machinery, working model steam engines, thrashers etc.

A History of the Waterford to Rosslare Railway line on 21 August, 2pm – 3pm at Tintern Abbey by David Gazeley will highlight the wonderful rich history of the SW Wexford line and the Barrow Bridge.

The Maritime Out of Storage Collection will be showcased on 18 August, 6pm – 7:30pm. At the Garden room Medieval Museum in Cathedral Square Waterford. Join Curator Donnchadh Ó Ceallacháin to see objects from the collection not usually available to view. This year Waterford Treasures has partnered with the Port of Waterford to create a permanent maritime gallery so they are highlighting objects from our long history as a Port City.

There are also numerous events nationally, one I would be very keen to attend is Talamh agus Tonnta : The Landscape Speaks on 21 August, 3pm – 3:45pm at Kinsale Library in Cork. Jerome Lordan who is involved with the event has kindly given me some local information relevant to my Pill placename journey.

These and many other events are taking place all over the country, so if nothing here takes your fancy, drop over to the Heritage Week website where you can browse events by date, topic or county.

At the time of writing this, there were 1300 events listed nationally. Well done to everyone involved and the very best of luck with your activity.