Andrew Doherty’s new book; Waterford Harbour Tides and Tales is a collection of 23 stories located in the fishing communities of the estuary and the two ports of New Ross and Waterford. The harbour has centuries of tradition based on its extensive fishery and maritime trade. In these tales we travel back to a different era, relive the fear of the dreaded press gangs who raided the communities for crew, join in search of buried gold when pirates seized the sailing ship ‘Earl of Sandwich’ and witness the horror visited on the community in WWII when a German airplane bombed the rural idyll. On every page we learn something of the history of this nautical community, steeped in traditions, customs and imbued with an enviable spirit.
If you would like to buy a signed copy directly from me, I am happy to inscribe it as directed and post it anywhere in the world. For Irish orders this will cost €17.00 per copy incl P&P. For anywhere else in the world this will cost €20.00 per copy incl P&P. Please contact me at tidesntales@gmail.com if you would like more details, a specific dedication for a present etc or if you want a price on more than one copy. I can send an electronic invoice through Paypal which you can pay with either a Paypal account or any credit/debit card. I’m also happy to accept a postal order or a cheque. Again, email me at tidesntales@gmail.com for further details.
Bookshops it is available in thus far:
- Waterford City – Book Centre and they also have it online
- Wexford Town – Book Centre
- Dublin – Alan Hanna’s Bookshop Rathmines D6
- Dublin – Hodges Figgis, Dawson St
- Dun Laoghaire – Easons bookstore
- Limerick – O’Mahoneys Bookshop O’Connoll St
- Wicklow – Bridge St Books
For more information of other online sales options go here.
- Here’s what some people have said about the book
- Paul Clements gave it a really positive review in the Irish Times on Saturday 19th June 2021
- Dan MacCarthy reviewed the book for the Irish Examiner in February of 2021. Here’s what Dan had to say
- Liam on Goodreads had this to say: I enjoyed this book immensely, it is collection of well told stories, some folklore some fact but all connected to Waterford Harbour. It is obvious that the author comes from a line of story tellers but it is his ability to conduct historical research that is probably his best asset. Full review here
- Author Grace Tierney wrote this review on Goodreads in May 2021
- Ruairí via facebook said: “...This is simply wonderful. A collection of stories handed down by magnificent storytellers, and combined with the factual history of the incidents. A series of snapshots of times gone by, written with great care, deep knowledge, and even deeper affection for the lives of those captured within its pages….“
- Roy Dooney of Dublin by email: “have just finished reading your book and want to tell you how much I greatly enjoyed it. It is a great blend of local anecdote and real scholarship. It covers a multitude!”
- A retired scientist and fellow blogger Andrew Lloyd had this to say in his review
- Liam Cahill wrote a review of the book on his blog
- Got my first 5 out of 5 review on Amazon on Oct 29th…and I am not even related, let alone known to the person
- Julie on twitter: When you have an early read and next minute the tea is cold and you’re happily back a few centuries. Gold from Andrew Doherty. Would have liked it delivered by packet boat but An Post did a swift job in fairness. Read this book.
- Pat via email said it was so lovely to see the mudboat on the cover. I remember one day as a young boy being down on the quay with my father and seeing the mud boat heading down the river I asked “Daddy, are they real sailors the men on the mud boat?” With a straight face he assured me they were “Every man jack of them, three times around Cape Horn under sail”
- Tom from Wexford: Andrew….I finished the book. Will you have another for Christmas? I will I said, Christmas 2021 if I am lucky 😉
- Brian Forristal via facebook “Finished your book, what can I say, fabulous. So many stories I knew nothing about, I read it in two days, could not put it down, well done. It lifted some of the blues with the lock down looming. Congratulations
- Alexandra from Achill wrote: “I just loved your book with all the stories, all vignettes, showing how much goes on in a small geographical area. . You must have really enjoyed all your research; the reader can *hear* local voices telling the scéalta. I am a strong believer in the importance of local history and your book will be of help to generations to come to understand what went before. WELL DONE. Wishing you all the best for Christmas and inspiration to forge ahead on the road as a local historian for 2021. Look forward to your new publication already…”
Saturday October 10th got featured on the weekend edition of the Marine Times
On the 7th June 2021 I featured on Tom MacSweeneys Maritime Ireland radio show, and specifically I spoke about the Spit Light at Passage East
On Friday 16th April I appeared on Seascapes, the RTÉ Radio 1 maritime programme with Fergal Keane. Fergal very kindly interviewed me about my book Waterford Harbour Tides and Tales. We covered the background to my blogging and writing, discussed the importance of Waterford as a port, and finished with the story of the Portlairge. If you would like to listen back the link is here
October 8th 2020. Damien Tiernan invited me in to talk on Deise Today, his award winning radio show on WLR FM. A podcast is available here (i start in the middle of it!)
September 30th 2020. The book is finally on sale, online! Phew. Now for the bookshops. I also have gotten copies which I hope I can sell as it has been a long tome without any income from sales.
September 2nd 2020 – There was not much happening over the last few months, but the History Press did try to stay connected with me with a few emails. Today Ele came back to me to say she was back in the office part time and would get the proofs of the changes we had worked on back in February to me ASAP. I turned these around once they came within two days and on the 15th she sent the email I had been waiting for – the book is now gone to the printers. I’m now finished with Ele and its over to Molly in marketing…now the hard work really begins
March 2020 – Disaster…Covid Shutdown. The History Press have gone on furlough for the foreseeable future. The process is now halted.
Feb 2020 On the 4th Feb the PDF proofs arrived for me to look over. The design and layout look great, love the typeset although I’m a little concerned about the photo quality. I know its only a proof and low res, but having spent so much money on them I want them to look right. The hard work is now to try make sure it is error-free. My deadline is the 18th! ( I got it submitted by the 22nd)
January 2020 – Bad news on the book launch. The History Press had been in discussion with the Book Center in Waterford which is seen as the principal retail outlet for my book. Their opinion was that a spring launch might mean that by Christmas the book would be perceived as an old book. They believe that a nearer to Christmas launch might yield a lot more sales. I don’t have a choice, so it’s now set for a late August launch date…bit more time to get it right!
August to September 2019 – Cover Image. A few weeks have now gone into the cover design. I had originally secured a fabulous image from marine artist Brian Cleare of the Alfred D Snow. However, the image was not of a high enough image quality for the book. I got some great help from my usual sources and ultimately Brendan Grogan secured an image that with some work became the cover. This was a photo from Jonathan Allen of the Portlairge, a shot he took while crossing the Bridge in Waterford in 1978. In September a few options were presented to me to choose from. I went for the lighter, brighter image in the hopes that it will stand out on the shelves of a book shop…Time will tell. The publisher also agreed on a spring launch – April 2020 here we come!
July 17th 2019 – Book deal offer
In the last few weeks I have made 8 submissions to publishers in the hope of landing a book deal offer. Today I received an offer from the History Press at lunchtime. Another company asked for the full manuscript, and nothing have I heard from the other six. It came as a great shot in the arm. My alternative of funding a self published book via sponsorship has yielded a poor response. A contract is to follow, and although I know the money will be small, at least after all the hard work the book will see the light of day…hopefully
July 2019 – a chink of light
June announcement – unsuccessful funding application
January 2019 – Intentions for 2019. A new Book
I made an announcement about Book 11 in January of this year, outlined the concept, the chapters and generally tried to notify people of my plans.
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