Before the Tide Went Out

Before the Tide Went Out was published by Andrew Doherty in 2017.  In it, he vividly brings you into the heart of a now practically vanished fishing community Cheekpoint, deep into the domestic lives of the people making a hard and precarious living from the river, only 6 miles from Waterford city centre.

Before the Tide Went Out is now out of print, but a pdf copy is available to buy for €8.  All the proceeds will go towards the work of the project.

Before the Tide Went Out was published by Andrew Doherty in 2017.  In it, he vividly brings you into the heart of a now practically vanished fishing community Cheekpoint, deep into the domestic lives of the people making a hard and precarious living from the river, only 6 miles from Waterford city centre. You share his affectionate memories of the local people and the fun to be had as a child playing in and around the fishing boats and nets on a busy quayside.

He also takes you out on the river, on bright and beautiful days, and on wild and dangerous nights, which he describes with a naturally poetic turn of phrase. You feel the cold, the misery of sea-soaked clothing and the pain of raw hands hauling on fish-scaled nets.

But what keeps you going is what kept him going for 15 years, the camaraderie and pride of spending time with brave, skilled and wise fishermen who could be grumpy, hilarious, sometimes eccentric, but never boring.

Before the Tide Went Out is now out of print, but a pdf copy is available to buy for €8.  All the proceeds will go towards the work of the project.