Waterford History
Helen Keller visits Waterford

Helen Keller visits Waterford

Recently Cian Manning featured a story in Irelands Own about the visit of disability rights campaigner Helen Keller to Ireland. Her entry point to the country was via Waterford City by ship and here Cian reprises the article with a specific focus on the local element....

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Falskirt Rock

My first introduction to Falskirt Rock was in the Spring of 1984 fishing on the decked motor boat Reaper with Jim Dips Doherty and his neighbour Denis Doherty.  Denis pointed it out to me as we steamed away west from Dunmore East towards Tramore Bay with a deck...

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Waterford Quay

The very existence of Waterford and the quays are linked to the coming of the Vikings, who arrived in the mid 9th Century to the area.  The harbour was first seen as a staging point, from where raids could be launched inland via the Three Sisters river network of the...

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Arming the IRA – BGHS Talk

Arming the IRA – Running guns into Waterford Harbour 1921 By early summer of 1921, the IRA was facing a crisis in its conflict with British forces - a severe shortage of arms and ammunition.  This shortage was threatening to curtail operations by the active units...

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Henry II, Crooke 1171 Recalled

Henry II, Crooke 1171 Recalled

Henry II, Crooke 1171 Recalled  is a two day event that the Barony of Gaultier Historical Society is hosting on the 23rd and 24th of October 2021.  We had previously planned to hold it a week earlier on the 17th October 2021, which is the 850th...

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The Ice House

The Ice House

Concluding our examination of the placename Halfway House today, we showcase another wonderful building on the site, the commercial Ice House- the fridge freezer of the 19th Century.  It utilised frozen water as a cooler area and a preservative for foodstuff –...

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Lime Kilns – A silent killer

Lime Kilns – A silent killer

The Halfway House site is one of the most densely populated sites of Lime Kilns that I know of. They were built to produce quicklime which had a variety of uses in agriculture and rural living in the 18th & 19th centuries. The site was chosen due to its location on the tidal Pill as I will explain. The operation of the kilns was a tough, physical task, but it could also be deadly as one young woman found to her cost at Halfway House.

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Halfway House Mill

Last week we looked at the operation of a saltwater mill, which harnessed the tides to power a mill wheel to grind local corn. This week, we will look at another innovative water-powered wheel, but this time it was freshwater, harnessed by man. Just off the main...

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