A recent maritime related photo from my cousin James Doherty led me on a rambling search for the ship and her purpose. We identified her early on as the Stormcock, we knew it was in Waterford , but with precious little other detail as to the purpose of the visit or a...
I wrote previously about growing up in Cheekpoint in the 1970’s and how the feast of St Patrick was primarily a religious occasion and a very welcome day off from school, if it fell in mid week. As I recalled in that piece getting to the nearest St Patricks Day...
We have recently explored the exploits of a noble New Ross sea captain, John Williams. This week I wanted to look into some of the activities of one of his ships, the Lady Bagot. The Lady Bagot was one of several vessels operated by the Graves family of New Ross and...
Today's guest blog comes from Roy Dooney who has previously delivered a facinating presentation to the Barony of Gaultier Historical Society on the building of Dunmore harbour. I'm indebted to Roy for typing up his presentation for sharing with the readership. I found...
On Tuesday 12th January 1926 the SS Valdura ran headlong onto the rocks west of Kilmore Quay at a spot appropriately known as The Forlorn (Crossfarnoge Point) She had sailed from Baltimore on December 29th and was bound for Liverpool. [1] Her holds were filled with...
Living beside a river, your neighbours often include those on the opposite bank. As rivers tend to be natural boundaries, these neighbours can be in different counties or indeed provinces and so it was between my grandmother in the Russianside Cheekpoint, Co...
Following the death of their captain, the men of the barquentine Herbina were described as an “unchristianlike” crew. Anchored off Passage East in February 1892, an inquiry was held in the village where their actions were examined and the judgement of their character passed. But was it fair, or even accurate?
Over a three-day period of January 22nd, 23rd and 24th 1862, a large number of shipwrecks and loss of life took place in Waterford Harbour and along the County Waterford coastline, making it probably one of the most catastrophic events in the maritime history of Waterford.
The Ballinlaw Ferry has a proud ancient history. It ran in various forms, probably from the early Christian era to the early 1960’s and must have transported tens of thousands of people in that time from the most exalted to the most humble and I’m confident that we will never really know the true extent of it.
Throughout Wednesday 6th January 1937 and into the night, groups of men began arriving in the small village of Passage East in Waterford harbour. Some arrived in buses, others by car and as the day went on into evening their numbers swelled to an estimated 500. ...
The story of the loss of the American sailing ship Alfred D Snow is well known in Waterford harbour. Following a ferocious south easterly storm overnight the American sailing ship was seen at 9 am inside the Hook with much of her sail taken off and working upriver. ...
2019 is upon us, and whatever about new year resolutions, one promise I've made myself is to publish a second book. I had planned to write a new book during this year but having had the good fortune of working on a rebrand of Faithlegg House combined with a wonderful...
The last guest blog of 2018 comes from the River Barrow and brings us back to simpler times in the company of the Connollys of Aylwardstown via the pen of Brian Forristal. The area of Aylwardstown is beside the river Barrow close to Glenmore on the Kilkenny side and...
It was Christmas eve morning 1985. Home, a small council house in the Mount Avenue, Cheekpoint, a mad house. Our father and mother, Bob and Mary looked on with mild amusement as we readied ourselves for a trip to town. Young adults with thoughts of friends, drinks...
At 11am on Saturday 15th December the SS Formby departed Liverpool for Waterford. Aboard were 37 crew and 2 passengers. She was due into Waterford the following morning, but never arrived. It was to be the start of a terrible tragedy that would be felt throughout the city and its harbour.
In 1819, newlyweds Nicholas Power and Margaret nee Mahon moved into their new home, Faithlegg House. It was bought from a financially insolvent Cornelius Bolton. They were the first Catholic landlords of the area since the Norman era Aylward family, who were...
Catherine Foley, the author, has kindly submitted a second guest blog feature to the page. It follows a hugely successful initial guest blog some months back, entitled Beyond the Breakwater which brought us back to the Passage East of her youth and Waterford city. For this blog, Catherine remembers with a loving fondness her uncle, Joe Walsh.
Before ever the Barrow Railway bridge was constructed to allow the trains run from Waterford to Rosslare, New Ross Harbour Board had concerns for its positioning. The Bridge would block access to the port and to get around this an opening span wasintroduced. ...
On the 9th of November* 1917 a small schooner slipped her moorings at Waterford Quays and sailed out of the harbour and towards the Irish Sea. Her destination was Cardiff Wales. But she never arrived. At the centenary of the end of the First World War, I thought it...
The Royal Navy Press gangs were licenced kidnappers who operated with official sanction up to the early 19th Century. Their role was to remove sailors from shore or ship and impress them into the service of the Royal Navy. It was a recruitment policy that was...
On Thursday last, Oct 5th, Michael Farrell of the Barony of Gaultier Historical Society and myself headed up to Dublin. The plan was to meet David Carroll and his old De La Salle school pal JJ Murphy at Dublin's Connolly Station and from there hit a selection of...
In a new departure for me, I'm going to be one of the contributors at this years Booze, Blaas & Banter. The venue is Jordan's American Bar on Waterford's Quay. It's part of the Imagine Arts Festival and organised by Johnny Clunno on behalf of the Waterford...
My guest blog this month is from a stalwart of the page, David Carroll. Like myself he has a passionate interest in the local maritime heritage story and his personal reflections and research into the stories make a significant contribution to our understanding. ...
There was once a village at Faithlegg. It stood on the left hand side of the road, past the church, heading for Waterford city. Locally it has always been said that the village was wiped out when the black death swept the country and such was the fear attached to the...
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