On Thursday Decemember 4th 2025 Tides & Tales Chair, Breda Murphy launched our Strategic Plan. It brought to an end a busy year for the voluntary board and was even more satisfying as the committee had endured so many setbacks and challenges.

Funded by the Local Authorities Water Programme it allowed the project consider what was the best route forward after eleven years of activities.  You can read the plan here,or click on the photo directly beneath this paragraph. If you have any difficulties accessing it just drop us a comment in the contact section and we can email a copy along.

You can also access the Cheekpoint and Faithlegg Development Groups Heritage Audit here.

Breda’s speech follows from here.

I am delighted to be here this evening to launch Tides & Tale’s 5-year Strategic Plan.

T&T is particularly delighted to do this in partnership with the Cheekpoint & Faithlegg Development Group. When you get the chance to see the plan, working collectively, in partnership and in consultation with the local community and local groups is central to all our work.

Breda launches our new plan – photo courtesy of Ellen Doherty

We congratulate the Development Group on their Abarta Heritage Plan funded by the Heritage Council and for securing this valuable funding to complete an audit of the area. We believe it will be of huge value and Tides & Tales would be delighted to support and collaborate in this work.

In relation to our own Strategic Plan, the Tides & Tales management group believes in the uniqueness of this project and are working together to ensure the rich maritime history of this area along the Three Sister rivers and Waterford harbour is preserved. We are indebted to Andrew and, indeed, Deena for the voluntary work they have done over the last 11 years that has captured and preserved part of our heritage, as much of it would have been lost by now. Our aim is to protect and develop this work. Our strategic plan lays out how we propose to go about this.

The main objectives over the next 5 years are to build on the work already undertaken, the research and stories gathered, to ensure that the recorded body of work is kept safe and continues to grow. This task is never-ending. T&T recently published its 500th story on the blog. The website has reached over 45,000 views so far this year alone, during which 42 new stories were published. We logged 165 enquiries to the project in the year, but this in truth is an underestimate. You can see there is a great interest in this work.

What we aim to do is to highlight, preserve and develop

• the wonderful natural environment surrounding us
• our unique history
• skills, trades and traditions of this area
• an appreciation for the river and surroundings

Part of our photographic and memorabilia exhibition on show at the launch

Why we do it

• to protect and share what we have
• ensure the next generation of young people growing up around the river and harbour have access to their heritage and develop an appreciation and desire to protect the natural environment into the future
• to make this rich history is widely available
• attract visitors to the area
• contribute to developing vibrant maritime communities

How we do it

• research, write and publish
• design and deliver training programmes (we are delighted to announce the WWETB has just approved funding for a training programme to be delivered by Tides and Tales in the new year)
• lead walks/ talks, give interviews on the history and natural environment (approximately 700 people participated in events in 2025 and were interviewed on two podcasts). As an aside, we had to refuse 6 specific offers of work due to time constraints – 3 over Heritage Week alone.
• highlighting what the area has to offer through social media, website, talks, etc. (new website launched in January 25 funded by the Heritage Council)
• contributing to relevant plans and policies to ensure our heritage is protected. In 2025 T&T made submissions to both Kilkenny and Wexford Heritage Plans
• work in partnership with relevant organisations/groups (in 2025 we worked in collaboration with Faithlegg School, OPW, Waterford Council, Waterford Sports Partnership, Explore Carrick On Suir, Dunhill Multi Education Centre, Waterford Treasurers, Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society and Minaun Theatre Group .
• We were the county finalists (heritage) in the National Lottery Good Causes Awards 2025.

Aine Whelan WWETB, Deena Bible Pro and Breda Murphy discussing a recent successful application for a heritage course to commence after Christmas. More details to follow – photo courtesy of Glynis Currie

Tides & Tales began in May 2014, when Andrew Doherty began to write his family’s and his neighbours stories about fishing and seafaring and went on to lead guided walks outlining the history in the area. Ten years later, it became a registered not for profit company with a voluntary management committee. The current management committee are: Eoghan Hegarty, treasurer, Damien McLellan, Secretary, Deena Bible, PRO & Andrew Doherty and I, Chair, Breda Murphy. We all have a deep interest in local history and the estuary and want to see this heritage safe and accessible for future generations.

L-R Brenadette Guest HO Waterford City & County Council, Damien McLellan, Walter Foley. Deena Bible, Andrew Doherty, Breda Murphy, Eoghan Hegarty and Mags Morrissey of LAWPro – photo courtesy of Glynis Currie

A huge thanks to the Local Authorities Water Programme for the funding to develop this five-year strategic plan and to Joanne Galvin, MCX Training & Development, who supported the committee to put this plan together. The plan is a wonderful tool for us to have and will we hope help to keep us on track to achieve the agreed goals of the project. Once again a big thank you to the Cheekpoint & Faithlegg Development Group for partnering with us for this evening’s joint launch and to LAWPro for their support.