Tides & Tales Heritage Week 2025 will be a busy time for the project. We have had multiple offers to provide inputs at various sites, but due to work commitments, we can only deliver three events this year. Heritage Week is one of our longest-running annual...
From oar to engine – 900 years of the Passage to Ballyhack ferry
Introduction The Passage East Car Ferry is a vital transportation link. Operating at the narrowest point of Waterford estuary, it runs between Passage East in County Waterford and Ballyhack in County Wexford, Ireland. Running since 1982, the current car ferry service...
Port of Waterford 1111 podcast
As Waterford and the Port of Waterford celebrate 1,111 years this year, and to mark the occasion, Ireland’s oldest Port has launched a brand new podcast series ‘Port of Waterford 1111’ which explores the Port’s rich and varied maritime heritage. The new podcast series...
River Blackwater of South Kilkenny
In 2024 I undertook a major piece of research on behalf of Regina Fitzpatrick. Heritage Officer. Kilkenny Co Council on the River Blackwater of Kilkenny. The Blackwater River might be considered a backwater to the modern reader. Although in a navigable waterway sense...
Tales of the Estuary
Our local drama group in East County Waterford has just completed four sold-out shows of a play that highlighted our fishing traditions and heritage of our locality, Tales of the Estuary. Performed to warm and attentive audiences, the play was a one-hour piece that...
Mudboats
Introduction In the late 19th Century, James Otway, harbour engineer, wrote a paper for the Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland. His topic was the development of the Port and Harbour of Waterford. The entire paper is a fascinating glimpse into Waterford Port...
Potential weir find at Ryan’s Shore, Cheekpoint
While picking rubbish off the Cheekpoint foreshore recently, I made an incredible find. A collection of recently exposed timber poles on the shoreline suggested an old fishing weir. It was not a surprise in itself in a once-thriving fishing community. But having...
Freney the River Pirate
Many of you will have heard of Freney the Highwayman, but Freney the river pirate? That's certainly a new one for me. Freney the Highwayman, Freney the Robber, James Freney the noblest highwayman in Ireland. These are just three of the titles I have encountered that...
Disappearance of Cheekpoint schooner Chase
By Tomás Sullivan This guest blog is brought to us by Tomás Sullivan. It is a glimpse into the days of sail in the harbour. It is also a tragic tale so common in seafaring communities. The story is of Captain Daniel Sullivan of Coolbunnia, Cheekpoint and his vessel...
Celebrating Water Heritage Day in Cheekpoint, A Community of Tides
By Damien McLellan Sunday, August 25th, 2024, concluded Ireland’s National Heritage Week, celebrating our cultural, historic, and natural treasures and resources. Of course, there were major national events, but mostly locals got together to share and enjoy perhaps...
Waterford to Dublin by the Ouida motorboat- 1911
I'm delighted to introduce this guest blog, written by Avril Harris based on the diary entries of her father-in-law Ernie Harris of Waterford city. It gives a fascinating glimpse into the country of Ireland at the start of the 20th Century and a form of river traffic...
Passing of the PS Ida
On Saturday 1st July 1902 the Paddle Steamer Ida ceased operation on the New Ross to Waterford run. The paddle steamers had commenced from the town in 1836 when the newly formed Waterford Steamship Company saw a means of getting agricultural produce to the city...
Cheekpoint – A Community of the Tides. Heritage Week ’24
This year's Heritage Week event which runs from 17 – 25 August 2024 is titled Connections, Routes and Networks. The theme invites us to explore how we are connected through physical or cultural connections. Tides and Tales Maritime Community Project will mark this...
Slí Sails – The Suir as a Social Entity
On Tuesday 30th April 2024 I was invited to speak at a gathering aboard the Cailin Deise river cruiser. My brief was to give a sense of the social aspect of the River Suir, and the people who resided upon it. Much of what others had to present was on the environmental...
Ann – The Lady Smuggler of New Ross
In November 1842 the New Ross barque Ann, arrived at Passage East. An obligatory inspection by customs officials passed without difficulty and the ship anchored at Cheekpoint to await pilotage to her home port. However, once in New Ross another customs inspection...
Flanagans Fish Shop Closure -end of an era
Last week Flanagans closed after a remarkable history of almost 116 years. In fact, a week shy of that, for Martin J Flanagan opened on Friday 28th February 1908. Ironically that was a leap year too. Waterford Standard - Wednesday 26 February 1908; page 2The original...
The Millstone Era in Waterford Harbour
Introduction Over the centuries, people have harnessed the power of water via ponds, streams and rivers to drive wheels, which created the power to grind wheat, corn and other grains. The fertile valley and hinterland along the Three Sisters rivers had many...
An Irish record in cargo handling
Earlier this week Dave O'Hallorahan contacted me via Twitter - yes I know it's got a new name, but it's bad enough to use the platform knowing the new owner, without embracing the change- to say that an interesting ship was off Dunmore. A quick search on Vessel Finder...
River women
I was delighted to recently present to the Éigse Sliabh Rua on the topic of 19th Century lives along the local South Kilkenny riverbank. One of the themes I touched on was women’s work. Women played a vital role in the local fishery and seafaring communities...
Ford Channel -man made gateway to Waterford Port
On last month's blog which gave the sailing directions to Waterford City in 1790, I mentioned that I was surprised to see the Ford Channel given as an option. This area was previously a crossing point to Little Island from the Kilkenny shore and this month I want to...
The Duncannon Lighthouses
A guest Blog by Pete Goulding. Last month I mentioned in the story about 1790 navigation into Waterford that my good blogging buddy Pete was working on a story of the lighthouses at Duncannon. It's one of those stories I always wanted to tell, but let's face it, when...
Sailing directions to Waterford Harbour 1790
Recently I chanced upon the 1790 sailing directions into Waterford and although it's for a different era, it offers some fascinating insights into the practicalities, the difficulties, and the practices of navigation at a time when all sailors had was their wits and...
White Stone – Cheekpoint fisherman’s foul mark
For generations of Cheekpoint fishermen, the White Stone was a foul mark to be wary of, a river-based location that was notorious for dragging nets to the bottom and causing costly damage. Recently I stumbled upon the back story to the foul, the cause of so...
Tides and Tales Heritage Week 2023 events
It's been a hectic Heritage Week 2023, in fact, my busiest yet with three seperate events. We kicked off on Sunday 13th August with a presentation in Byrnes of Ballyhack, Co Wexford which focused on the history of Salmon fishing here in the harbour area, the boats,...
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