Waterford City & County

Waterford is the oldest city in Ireland, famous for its crystal ware and intriguing medieval history. Located on the River Suir, Waterford was once one of the most important European ports in times past. Today, Waterford still maintains it’s ‘small Irish town’ feel, and has a much more relaxed vibe than the larger cities. Appealing most, perhaps, to interests including history, culture, music and arts. Waterford, like most Irish towns, has a lot of pubs.

Waterford is located in the south-east of Ireland on the River Suir, and close to where the Suir, Barrow and Nore enter into the sea. Most of Waterford City itself is located on the southern side of the river, Ferrybank being the only suburb on the north. The South Quay (once dubbed ‘The Noblest Quay in Europe’) is a mile long and provides the perfect entrance to the city.

Being a medieval town, the city itself has sprawled over other fully functional villages over the many generations of it’s existence. Most (if not all) of these villages have kept their own village centres and attitudes which provides the city with numerous cultural quarters. The oldest being the Viking triangle near Reginald’s tower. Narrow laneways, tranquil surroundings and late-night dining has made this spot very popular with visitors. The architecture in the area is also some of the finest in the city.

After a Norman conquest, as Waterford grew, the city walls were extended west. A large portion of these walls still stand today, and tours are run regularly. Inside the Norman quarter (opposite the Clock Tower on the Quay) is the pedestrianised John Roberts Square, and Arundel Square. These are two of the main social and commercial hubs in the city.

Just outside the walls is Ballybricken, one of the many inner-city villages in Waterford. The centre has been converted into a public green area with a bandstand and many benches for those tired from walking the hill. Being an old farmers community, Ballybricken is known locally for having some of the finest produce and butcher shops in the city. Waterford city Garda station is also located on Ballybricken.

Getting to Waterford

Waterford City is located 65km (40 miles) west of Wexford, 53km (33 miles) west of Rosslare Harbour, 158km (98 miles) southwest of Dublin, 126km (78 miles) east of Cork, and 153km (95 miles) southeast of Shannon Airport. Waterford is reachable from anywhere in Ireland by road.

Waterford County

The Comeragh Mountains are one of Ireland’s best kept secrets. Here you will find hill walks of all kinds with spectacular views, hidden lakes, pretty valleys, wild waterfalls and rocky crags. Some of the larger tracks are suitable for mountain biking.

Dunmore East is a working fishing village about 10 miles from Waterford City. With views across to Hook head, the scenery can be breathtaking. Dunmore East was recently (2005) home to one of the main events of the 2005 Tall Ships Race. The start of the race was hosted by Waterford City, with the bay around Dunmore East holding over 50 antique tall ships. Well worth a visit to anyone who goes to the south-east of Ireland.

The coast of Waterford is scenic and varied and is still very unspoiled. There are cliffs, sandy beaches and sea-caves. The stretch between the towns of Tramore and Dungarvan is called the Copper Coast. See the Copper Coast geopark website.

Tramore, Clonea and Armore are known for their fine, long sandy beaches. The beaches at Bonmahon, Clonea, and Dunmore East have Blue flag status.

The text on this page has been taken from Wikitravel, and used under the Creative Commons license. Photographs are the property of John Mernin and are not to be used without permission