1.
Munster
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Munster is one of the provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a king of over-kings Irish, following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into counties for administrative and judicial purposes. In later centuries, local government legislation has seen further sub-division of the historic counties, Munster has no official function for local government purposes. For the purposes of the ISO, the province is listed as one of the provincial sub-divisions of the State, geographically, Munster covers a total area of 24,675 km2 and has a population of 1,246,088 with the most populated city being Cork. Other significant urban centres in the province include Limerick and Waterford, in the early centuries AD, Munster was the domain of the Iverni peoples and the Clanna Dedad familial line, led by Cú Roí and to whom the king Conaire Mór also belonged. In the 5th century, Saint Patrick spent several years in the area and founded Christian churches, during the Early Middle Ages, most of the area was part of the Kingdom of Munster, ruled by the Eóganachta dynasty. Prior to this, the area was ruled by the Dáirine and Corcu Loígde overlords from the early 7th century onwards, later rulers from the Eóganachta who would dominate a greater part of Ireland were Cathal mac Finguine and Feidlimid mac Cremthanin. Notable regional kingdoms and lordships of Early Medieval Munster were Iarmuman, Osraige, Uí Liatháin, Uí Fidgenti, Éile, Múscraige, Ciarraige Luachra, Corcu Duibne, Corcu Baiscinn, around this period Ossory broke away from Munster. The 10th century saw the rise of the Dalcassian clan, who had earlier annexed Thomond and their leaders were the ancestors of the OBrien dynasty and spawned Brian Boru, perhaps the most noted High King of Ireland, and several of whose descendants were also High Kings. By 1118 Munster had fractured into the Kingdom of Thomond under the OBriens, the Kingdom of Desmond under the MacCarthy dynasty, the three crowns of the flag of Munster represent these three late kingdoms. The OBrien of Thomond and MacCarthy of Desmond surrendered and regranted sovereignty to the Tudors in 1543 and 1565, the impactful Desmond Rebellions, led by the FitzGeralds, soon followed. By the mid-19th century much of the area was hit hard in the Great Famine, the province was affected by events in the Irish War of Independence in the early 20th century, and there was a brief Munster Republic during the Irish Civil War. The Irish leaders Michael Collins and earlier Daniel OConnell came from families of the old Gaelic Munster gentry, noted for its traditions in Irish folk music, and with many ancient castles and monasteries in the province, Munster is a tourist destination. During the fifth century, St. Patrick spent seven years founding churches and ordaining priests in Munster, but a fifth century bishop named Ailbe is the patron saint of Munster. In Irish mythology, a number of goddesses are associated with the province including Anann, Áine, Grian, Clíodhna, Aimend, Mór Muman, Bébinn, Aibell. Each is historically associated with certain septs of the nobility, the druid-god of Munster is Mug Ruith. The province has long had trading and cultural links with continental Europe, the tribe of Corcu Loígde had a trading fleet active along the French Atlantic coast, as far south as Gascony, importing wine to Munster. The Eóganachta had ecclesiastical ties with Germany, which show in the architecture of their capital at the Rock of Cashel
2.
Waterford
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Waterford is a city in Ireland. It is in the South-East Region, Ireland and is part of the province of Munster, the city is situated at the head of Waterford Harbour. It is the oldest and the fifth most populous city in the Republic of Ireland and it is the eighth most populous city on the island of Ireland. Waterford City and County Council is the government authority for the city. Waterford is known for Waterford Crystal, a legacy of the citys former glass-making industry, according to the 2011 Census,65,928 people live in the Waterford Metropolitan District, however this figure does not include its suburbs in County Kilkenny and County Wexford. There are over 80,000 people within a 15 km radius of the city centre, with a population of 51,519, Waterford is the fifth most populous city in the State and the 32nd most populous area of local government. Following the Local Government Reform Act 2014, Waterford City and County Council is the government authority for the city. The authority came into operation on 1 June 2014, prior to this the city had its own local council, Waterford City Council. The new Council is the result of a merger of Waterford City Council, the Council has 32 representatives who are elected from five electoral areas. The city itself forms three of the electoral areas – which when combined form the Metropolitan District of Waterford –, residents in these areas are restricted to voting for candidates located in their ward for local elections. The office of the Mayor of Waterford was established in 1377, a mayor is then elected by the councillors from the two electoral areas of the Metropolitan District of Waterford every year, and there is no limit to the number of terms an individual may serve. Mary OHalloran who was mayor during 2007–2008 was the first woman to hold the post, the current mayor is Adam Wyse. The constituency elects four deputies to Dáil Éireann, there are no such ward restrictions for these elections and voters are entitled to vote for any candidate throughout the city and county. The name Waterford comes from Old Norse Veðrafjǫrðr, meaning ram fjord, the Irish name is Port Láirge, meaning Lárags port. Viking raiders first established a settlement near Waterford in 853 and it and all the other longphorts were vacated in 902, the Vikings having been driven out by the native Irish. Among the most prominent rulers of Waterford was Ivar of Waterford, in 1167, Diarmait Mac Murchada, the deposed King of Leinster, failed in an attempt to take Waterford. He returned in 1170 with Cambro-Norman mercenaries under Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, together they besieged, in furtherance of the Norman invasion of Ireland, King Henry II of England landed at Waterford in 1171. Waterford and then Dublin were declared cities, with Dublin also declared capital of Ireland
3.
Republic of Ireland
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Ireland, also known as the Republic of Ireland, is a sovereign state in north-western Europe occupying about five-sixths of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, which is located on the part of the island. The state shares its land border with Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom. It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, Saint Georges Channel to the south-east, and it is a unitary, parliamentary republic. The head of government is the Taoiseach, who is elected by the Dáil and appointed by the President, the state was created as the Irish Free State in 1922 as a result of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. It was officially declared a republic in 1949, following the Republic of Ireland Act 1948, Ireland became a member of the United Nations in December 1955. It joined the European Economic Community, the predecessor of the European Union, after joining the EEC, Ireland enacted a series of liberal economic policies that resulted in rapid economic growth. The country achieved considerable prosperity between the years of 1995 and 2007, which known as the Celtic Tiger period. This was halted by a financial crisis that began in 2008. However, as the Irish economy was the fastest growing in the EU in 2015, Ireland is again quickly ascending league tables comparing wealth and prosperity internationally. For example, in 2015, Ireland was ranked as the joint sixth most developed country in the world by the United Nations Human Development Index and it also performs well in several national performance metrics, including freedom of the press, economic freedom and civil liberties. Ireland is a member of the European Union and is a member of the Council of Europe. The 1922 state, comprising 26 of the 32 counties of Ireland, was styled, the Constitution of Ireland, adopted in 1937, provides that the name of the State is Éire, or, in the English language, Ireland. Section 2 of the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 states, It is hereby declared that the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland. The 1948 Act does not name the state as Republic of Ireland, because to have done so would have put it in conflict with the Constitution. The government of the United Kingdom used the name Eire, and, from 1949, Republic of Ireland, for the state, as well as Ireland, Éire or the Republic of Ireland, the state is also referred to as the Republic, Southern Ireland or the South. In an Irish republican context it is referred to as the Free State or the 26 Counties. From the Act of Union on 1 January 1801, until 6 December 1922, during the Great Famine, from 1845 to 1849, the islands population of over 8 million fell by 30%
4.
Gaeltacht
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Gaeltacht is an Irish-language word used to denote any primarily Irish-speaking region. The boundaries of the Gaeltacht have included a percentage of resident English-speakers since British colonisation. It is now recognised that the Gaeltacht is threatened by serious language decline, research published in 2015 showed that of the 155 electoral divisions in the Gaeltacht, only 21 are communities where Irish is spoken on a daily basis by 67% or more of the population. 67% is regarded by some academics as a point for language survival. In 1926 the official Gaeltacht came into being after the report of the first Gaeltacht Commission Coimisiún na Gaeltachta, the exact boundaries were not defined. The quota at the time was 25%+ Irish-speaking, although in many cases Gaeltacht status was accorded to areas that were weaker than this. The Irish Free State recognised that there were Irish-speaking or semi-Irish-speaking districts in 15 of its 26 counties, in the 1950s another Gaeltacht Commission concluded that the Gaeltacht boundaries were ill-defined. It recommended that the Gaeltacht status admittance of an area be based solely on the strength of the language there, the Gaeltacht districts were initially defined precisely in the 1950s, excluding many areas which had witnessed a decline in the language. This left Gaeltacht areas in seven of the states 26 counties and this would threaten the future of the Gaeltacht. Parents felt that the educational system cancelled their efforts to pass on Irish as a language to their children. The study added that a significant number of Gaeltacht schools had switched to teaching through English, in 2002 the third Coimisiún na Gaeltachta stated in its report that the erosion of Irish in the Gaeltacht was now such that it was only a matter of time before the Gaeltacht disappeared. In some areas Irish had already ceased to be a community language, even in the strongest Gaeltacht areas, current patterns of bilingualism were leading to the dominance of English. Policies implemented by the State and voluntary groups were having no effect, a new language reinforcement strategy was required, one that had the confidence of the community itself. The Commission recommended, among other things, that the boundaries of the official Gaeltacht should be redrawn. It also recommended a comprehensive study to assess the vitality of the Irish language in the remaining Gaeltacht districts. The study was undertaken by Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, and on 1 November 2007 Staidéar Cuimsitheach Teangeolaíoch ar Úsáid na Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht appeared, in response to this situation, the government introduced the Gaeltacht Bill 2012. Its stated aim was to provide for a new definition of based on language criteria. This status could only be revoked if the area failed to prepare a language plan, the Bill was also criticised for placing all responsibility for the maintenance of Irish on voluntary organisations, with no increase in resources
5.
Dungarvan
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Dungarvan is a coastal town and harbour in County Waterford, on the south coast of Ireland. Prior to the merger of Waterford County Council with Waterford City Council in 2014, Dungarvan was the county town, Waterford City and County Council retains administrative offices in the town. The towns Irish name means Garbhanns fort, referring to Saint Garbhann who founded a church there in the seventh century, the town lies on the N25 road, which connects Cork, Waterford and Rosslare Europort. A friary in Abbeyside, founded by Augustinians in the 13th century, is incorporated with the structure of a 20th-century Roman Catholic church. One of the most significant colleges in the town was founded by these Augustinians whose order survives. In everyday local usage, Dungarvan is taken to refer to the western, less suburban half of the town, a castle, commissioned around the 12th-13th centuries by King John of England, stands by the harbour. But no trace of the walls John built remain, unlike nearby Waterford and Duncannon, Dungarvan surrendered without a siege in the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The 1921 Burgery ambush, an incident in the Irish War of Independence, just over 3% of the towns population, or 242 persons are daily Irish speakers, outside of the education system. Education through the medium of Irish is available at pre-school and primary level in the town in the local Gaelscoil, Scoil Garbhán, the Irish Language Officer of Waterford City and County Council is based in Dungarvan. There are a range of activities and projects undertaken to strengthen the Irish language in the town, an Irish in Business award was established in 2009 to recognise businesses in Dungarvan and West Waterford who work to promote the Irish language. The town is home to an office of Glór na nGael, the Dungarvan office is responsible for Glór na nGael’s work across South Leinster and most of Munster. There is also significant contact between the town and the nearby Gaeltacht area of An Rinn and An Sean Phobal which make up Gaeltacht na nDéise, Dungarvan has been identified as a potential Gaeltacht Service Town under the Gaeltacht Act 2012. Under the act, a plan for the town will be developed. The aim of the plan will be to enhance the use of the Irish language in the town. Dungarvan is situated at the mouth of the Colligan River, Dungarvan Harbour as such is formed by The Quay and The Causeway. A single-span bridge was built in the late 18th century by Lord Devonshire to link Dungarvan with Abbeyside, outside the harbour, a 3-kilometre sandbar, The Cunnigar defines the western limit of the 4-kilometre wide Dungarvan Bay. The Cunnigar encloses the estuary of the River Brickey which flows out to sea at Abbeyside without actually joining the Colligan, the two estuaries are separated by The Point. It is positioned on the N25 national primary road and the R672, the town is separated from the open ocean by a shallow, eastward-facing bay
6.
Ardmore, County Waterford
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It is believed to be the oldest Christian settlement in Ireland. Saint Declan lived in the region at some time in the period 350–450 AD, in September 2014, Ardmore was included on a shortlist of Irelands top tourist towns composed by Fáilte Ireland. He was regarded as a saint of the Déisi of East Munster. A bishop of Ardmore swore fealty to Henry II of England at Cashel, as a suffragan of its archbishop, the last reference to an independent bishop of Ardmore dates to 1210, when Innocent III listed it as one of Cashels eleven suffragan dioceses. No longer a residential bishopric, Árd Mór is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see, the parish, now called that of Ardmore and Grange, is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Waterford and Lismore. St. Pauls, an old Church of Ireland church in the village, is part of the parish of Youghal. On a hill above the village is a well-preserved 30-m-high, 12th-century round tower, one of the outer walls of the Cathedral features some stone carvings retrieved from an earlier 9th-century building. The carvings include an early image of a harp, images of Adam and Eve in the garden. The Cathedral also contains two Ogham stones, which rest in small alcoves, some elements of the original structure can still be seen within the building. The present Church of Ireland church is close to this complex, vital harbour development remains unfunded and larger fishing vessels are unable to utilise the present docking facilities due to a lack of water depth. However, a number of fishermen maintain some of the old fishing practices as they continue to fish from Ardmore. The Samson, a ship, was wrecked on Ram Head, near the village. Its wreck is now a diving spot. There are many other older wrecks in the bay including the Marechal de Noailles, Bandon, Peri, Scotland, Sextusa and Peg Tranton. The remaining keel of the wreck may still be seen at low tide on the main beach. The village includes two hotels, a number of pubs and restaurants, a petrol station, a pier and slipway. There are also one or two clubs and a primary school. It boasts a mile-long beach, commonly termed the Main Beach, and several beaches, such as Goat Island, Ballyquin, the Curragh
7.
River Suir
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The River Suir is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Waterford after a distance of 185 kilometres. The catchment area of the Suir is 3,610 km2 and its long term average flow rate is 76.9 cubic metres per second, more than twice the flow of the River Barrow. Popular with anglers, it holds plentiful reserves of brown trout, while the Suir holds the record for a salmon taken from an Irish river, as is the case in many other Atlantic rivers, salmon stocks have been in decline in recent years. Rising on the slopes of Devils Bit Mountain, just north of Templemore in County Tipperary, merging with the River Aherlow at Kilmoyler and further on with the Tar, it turns east at the Comeragh Mountains, forming the border between County Waterford and County Tipperary. It then passes through Cahir, Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir before reaching Waterford, near the Port of Waterford it meets the River Barrow at Cheekpoint to form a wide navigable estuary, capable of accommodating seagoing vessels up to 32,000 tons dwt. It exits to the sea between Dunmore East and Hook Head, together with the Nore and the Barrow, the river is one of the trio known as The Three Sisters. The Suir is known in Irish as the Siúr and it is thought the present spelling in English with the u and i reversed is due to a mistake, some people therefore feel that the spelling in English should be Siur and this spelling is occasionally seen. In the early years of the 21st century, the remains of a very large Viking settlement were found at a bend in the river at Woodstown just upstream from Waterford. In Clonmel, the Suir floods the area after very heavy rainfalls falling in the up river catchment of 2,173 km2. Phase 1 of the Clonmel Flood defence which stated in 2007 is scheduled for completion in late 2009, the flood defence consists of demountable barriers, walls and earth banks. The Gashouse Bridge, Coleville Road, Davis Road, the quays, the tide turns above the Miloko chocolate crumb factory in Carrick-on-Suir. The flood waters spill onto the land above Miloko on the County Waterford side of the river, Carrick-on-Suir is tidal and has a 1–50-year flood defence. The Office of Public Works now plan to install a 1–200-year flood defence where the river Suir flows through Waterford city, rivers of Ireland Salmon Ireland, information on the Salmon rivers of Ireland The Suir Navigation from Carrick to Clonmel
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County Waterford
