Tides & Tales
Tides & Tales is a community response to the loss of maritime traditions in the Waterford harbour villages, the tidal portions of the Three Sister River network, Barrow, Nore & Suir and the Waterford coastline. We focus on the maritime and fishing heritage that was once an intrinsic part of the maritime community here through research, writing and dissemination. The work is communicated via the blog, social media, books, presentations, workshops, walks and in educational settings.
Voluntary Management Committee
In December 2023 a voluntary committee was formed to seek to secure funds to offset the costs of the work which up to that point had been entirely self-financed through personal means, walks and talks. The work was and is also supported with information and images by many contributors and mentors with a deep interest in the maritime community, local history, traditions and heritage. In September 2024 we became a CLG (#772195) with a three person board. Our Chair is Breda Murphy, Secretary, Damien McLellan and Treasurer is Eoghan Hegarty.
Our Vision
Heritage Preserved, Opportunities Created
Our Mission
To foster understanding, appreciation and care for the unique culture and natural environment of the Three Sister Rivers by researching, documenting and promoting the stories, traditions, trades and river craft of the communities where the rivers meet the sea
Our Method:
- To raise awareness of the rich historic and cultural heritage of these communities that may not be forgotten or taken for granted.
- To research, record, document and publish the maritime stories and traditions that are in danger of being lost forever.
- To establish a working group that can support this work and put it on a more permanent basis.
- To finance a co-ordinator who can take a lead role in this work.
- To raise funds by sourcing grants and other income streams that are available and relevant to the project.
About The Management Committee:
The Management Committee is a not-for-profit group.
The aims of the Management Committee are as follows:
- Maintain and support the existing body of work.
- Examine the feasibility of identifying and establishing an appropriate formal framework to support the work.
- To develop a pilot project proposal.
- Explore funding options.
Our Values:
This project has been driven since inception by the principals of community development. It was born out of a desire to strengthen the social capital and community pride of the maritime communities of the estuary and rivers. Some specific values that guide us include:
- Awareness Raising. To raise the consciousness of what we have in terms of location, history, knowledge and skills.
- Empowerment. Seek to encourage an appreciation and respect for the traditions of this maritime community to get people engaged, excited and involved.
- Participation. Seek ways to include people of all ages in the process of researching, communicating and preserving the heritage of our community.
- Respect. Model respect and pride in our maritime traditions and those who practiced them and work to foster a shared appreciation of this in everything we do.
- Social Justice. Strive to put a focus on the issues impacting the maritime villages and communities and ensure that any benefits are directed towards these and not those already doing well.
Our Blog
Pilot Boats of Waterford Port
A recent announcement that the Port of Waterford had commissioned a new pilot boat to be called the Portlairge II prompted a flurry of communication to me asking for details and some of the history of the pilots. So this months blog is a journey from 1816 to the...
Venus B – a tragedy long remembered
A guest blog by David Carroll tells the tragic loss of the barque Venus B on Feb 21st 1885 at Ballymacaw and how it lived long in local folklore From 1937 to 1939, the Irish Folklore Commission enlisted more than 50,000 schoolchildren from 5,000 schools in Ireland to...
‘‘A Novel and Unusual Spectacle’’; Ice on the ‘Three Sisters’ in the Late 19th Century
A guest blog by Conor Donegan Standing at the end of the breakwater in Dunmore East two Sundays ago, I couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the frost covered cliffs and the white roofs all around the village, despite the intense and bitter cold. The estuary was...
Centenary; Loss of the Esperanza de Larrinaga
A guest post courtesy of Liam Cheasty and Pat Sheridan A centenary is defined as the one hundred anniversary of a significant event and in 2021 there will be many related to the War of Independence and partition of Ireland in 1921. However, while conflict and strife...
Spanish Fort at Passage East
Passage East stands at the head of Waterford Harbour, where a spit of sand runs out into the estuary. Because of its location, it has long been of strategic importance. Ships from earliest times could sail with relative ease to the village before the rivers narrowed...
So this is Christmas…2020
Well, 2020 has been a strange one, to say the least. A year where we saw Irish politics altered in a government formed of consonants and contrarians that was just missing a Big Brother/Love Island narrator. A pandemic that saw us hit pause in our schedules but...