County Waterford
WATERFORD is a modern European port wrapped
around an ancient Irish city. It's an important
commercial centre and this, coupled with
a large student population, makes it a fairly
lively place. Alongside the city's modernity,
though, there's plenty that's traditional,
most obviously the place of the pub as a
focal point of social activity, and the persistence
of traditional music.
The
layout of the city, with its long quays
and adjacent narrow lanes, dates back to
its origin as a Viking settlement in the
mid-ninth century. Waterford flourished as
a European port into the eighteenth century - the
period when the famous Waterford crystal
was first produced - and there's plenty of
architectural evidence of this prosperity.
Reginald's
Tower is Waterford's most historic building.
A large, cylindrical, late-twelfth-century
tower in the quays area of the city, it houses
the city's museum, which has an impressive
collection of royal charters showing the
central role of Waterford's allegiance to
the English Crown from the arrival of Henry
II in 1171 onwards.
Wander up Bailey's New St just behind the
tower and you'll immediately come to Waterford's
other important medieval building, the ruined
French Church, or Greyfriars. Founded by
Franciscans in 1240, it was used as a place
of worship by French Huguenot refugees from
1693 to 1815. Nearby is the City Heritage
Centre, a showcase for recently excavated
Viking and Norman artifacts of outstanding
quality and design.
Further up Bailey's New St,
you enter Waterford's next significant
period of church-building
at Christ Church Cathedral, which currently
hosts a sound and light presentation of the
city's history. Built in the 1770s by John
Roberts, who did much work in Waterford for
both Catholics and Protestants, it's a nicely
proportioned building, with some fine monuments
inside - look out for the tomb of James Rice
(1482), an effigy of a corpse in an advanced
state of decay.
By far the finest eighteenth-century
architectural detail in the city, though,
is the beautiful
oval staircase inside the Chamber of Commerce
in George St, yet again by John Roberts.
Georgian housing continues down O'Connell
St, where the Garter Lane Arts Centre has
a gallery, a theatre and a good events noticeboard.
County Waterford is world famous as the
home of Waterford Crystal. And there is so
much more that makes Waterford a wonderful
place to spend your holidays. The pace of
life is relaxed, and the variety of activities
delicious. From golf to angling and walking,
all tastes are catered for.
Nestling on the South East coast of Ireland, Waterford is
within one or two hours of Shannon, Dublin, and Cork airports,
and Rosslare and Ringaskiddy Ferries.
