David Carroll guest post Malcomson legacy Waterford’s maritime history remains intrinsically linked with the Malcomson family. Had the Malcomson conglomerate of enterprises, which included ship owning and building, continued to prosper, one can only speculate as to...
“Tram and Ship Collide” “A tramcar and a schooner came into collision in Dublin yesterday. The tram was crossing Victoria drawbridge on the Ringsend line while a three masted schooner was being berthed in the Grand Canal Company basin, which is spanned by the...
On a beautiful spring morning, we took a trip out to Hook Head. Rather than visit the lighthouse, however, I was keen to do a short video of the maritime exhibition. It sounded like a good plan during mid-week, but as it was Easter break, the place was hopping. I did...
The old family fishing punt really opens up the rivers to us. A timber punt - Larch planked on oak frames, the punt was originally a prong, a flat-bottomed keelless craft which could slide along the local mudflats. But it was converted sometime in the 20 th C and so...
The Board of Tides & Tales Maritime Community Project CLG is proud to announce a funding sponsorship with Ireland's Arklow Shipping. Announcing the 3-year deal, which will provide modest funding and management mentoring expertise to the project, James Alexander...
On March 30th 1918, a small steamer was chugging along the southern Irish coast. Of the thirteen souls aboard, eleven crew and two naval gunners, eight were from or living in the port city of Waterford. All would die that night, within sight of their homeland. Another...
Geoffrey Spencer was the founder of the Spencer shipping operation which burst into life with an all or nothing bet on Waterford's quays in 1869. This story charts the family shipping enterprise that flourished for almost 50 years from the initial fateful risk on the...
At a recent event to unveil an interpretation board at Old Faithlegg Church, my daughter Ellen and I were assisting Damien McLellan with the set up. While we put the world to rights, we fell to discussing the perplexing question of why a large doorway was on the north...
On Sunday, 15 Feb 2026 the good folk of Stradbally, Co Waterford, unveiled an information board to commemorate the events of 100 years previous when a Spanish registered ship steamed onto the rocks at Ballyvooney Cove. The events of that day were relived in words,...
On Thursday, 22nd January 2026, a new interpretation board was unveiled at Old Faithlegg Church. The event was the fulfilment of a promise from over twenty years ago - one that we made when fundraising to maintain and preserve the fabric of the 13th Century Norman era...
Waterford has a long association with Bristol. Following the arrival of Henry II to Waterford in 1171 the harbor area was carved up by merchants, knights and religious, many with a connection to the inland port of Bristol in SW England. The city developed on a point...
Update - Show is now SOLD OUT Book now for the Minaun Community Theatre Group's new production - Tall Tales - featuring 4 short plays written, directed and performed by members of our local east Waterford community. The plays are - 'Strong Tea' by yours truly, ...
The Tides & Tales team are delighted to announce that we are hosting a maritime heritage training course commencing in the Waterford harbour area in February in partnership with WWETB Adult & Community Education. Information sessions It's something we have...
On Saturday 3rd of January 2026, Brendan Dunne retired from his voluntary position with Dunmore East RNLI. As far as I am aware, he was the longest-serving member at the time of his retirement. An incredible 40 years of service as a Crew Member, Navigator, and...
For many of us, Christmas is a time of goodwill and making merry, if you are fortunate enough and depending on what you do for a living. For seafarers, it tends to be just another time of the year. But in the days of sail, it was also a sailor’s lottery of favourable...
We are delighted to hear that the Rosslare Harbour Maritime Heritage Centre have created a new podcast series and the first episode has just dropped. Hosted by Captain Sean Boyce, the programme will profile much of the work of the centre, which was founded in October...
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...
November 28 2025 marked a significant milestone for Tides & Tales Maritime Community Project with our 500th blog post. The project started out in May 2014 as a voluntary initiative to respond to the loss of the maritime/fishing traditions in Cheekpoint, Co...
The MV Shapinsay was a converted fishing trawler that came to grief on the Hook Peninsula in November 1967. Miraculously, no one aboard died, thanks in part to the bravery of her master, but also the sharp eyes of the lightkeepers of Hook Head Lighthouse. In early...
I've mentioned more than once how one of the highlights of Halloween growing up in Cheekpoint in the 1970s was my father's ghost stories. One I remember concerns an incident that befell one of his drinking buddies. Martin, RIP, well known to all in the community as a...
For this month's blog, I want to share something very special. It's an edited transcript of a recording made by the late Stephen Whitty of Passage East, who served in the Royal Navy in WWII and Korean War, rising to the rank of Petty Officer. Stephen later worked on...
Irish Merchant Ships and Shipowners: An Outline History of Powered Ships from the Beginning of Steam Navigation. The Irish Mercantile Marine 1815 – 2015 was recently published (2025) and is the incredible lifetime's work of Terry Conlon. He is to be admired,...
The Wartime Irish Marine Service: The first-hand experiences of broadcaster Norris Davidson was published in 2023. I can heartily recommend it to anyone with an interest in Irish history, the Emergency era or the sea. Daire Brunicardi wrote the foreword to this, which...
The project had a very busy Heritage Week a report of which is now on our site. One event that was missed however, was the unveiling of a Blue Plaque at the Fishermen's Hall, Dumore East. The building has a long association with the village and is woven into the...
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