B107: My Déise Dozen

12 Things To See & Do in Co. Waterford

Map of My Travels June 2023

So, from my Facebook page you will see that I’ve spent the last two week’s catching up with family and friends in my hometown of Carrick-on-Suir in South Tipperary.  It was a great opportunity to explore the neighbouring county, Co. Waterford – the home county of both my parents, my parents’ parents and even THEIR parents’ parents.  So, you see why I have a real affinity for County Waterford!

County Waterford (Irish: Contae Phort Láirge) is in the province of Munster. The population of the county at large, including the city of Waterford, was 127,085 according to the 2022 census. The county is based on the historic Gaelic territory of the Déise, hence my blog title. 😊

Over the two weeks visiting Co. Waterford, I’ve seen some great places and met some great people.  This week’s blog is therefore on “My Déise Dozen - 12 Things to See & Do in Co. Waterford”.  There are a few places I visited which I have omitted from this post that I actually think are “Must Sees” in my opinion e.g., the Waterford Greenway, the Nire Valley, Melleray Abbey and Mount Congreve.  But I reckon that they are so popular that you may have heard of or seen them already.  So, my Déise Dozen are the less well-known sights.  Enjoy! (And apologies to those who’ve seen my Facebook posts over the last two weeks! 😊)

My Déise Dozen June 2023
1.   Waterford Suir Valley Heritage Railway

So I started my visits to Co. Waterford with a fun 40 minute trip on the Waterford Suir Valley Heritage Railway from 1878 Kilmeadan Station. This 3 ft (914 mm) gauge railway runs for approximately 10 km of track from Kilmeadan back towards Waterford. The line shares much of its route along the banks of River Suir with the Waterford Greenway. The station which has car parking and a coffee shop for visitors.
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The railway uses diesel locomotives. In addition to regular scheduled services, the railway also operates the 'Spooky Express' and 'Santa Express' services. The carriages are wheelchair accessible.  I really loved this and would recommend to train lovers of all ages.

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2.  Clonea Power and Rathgormack Graveyards (North Waterford)

So you might think that graveyards are an odd place to visit.  However, I have a keen interest in genealogy so as well as getting a chance to pay respects to loved ones buried in these cemeteries, it was also a great opportunity to see headstones in person that I had seen on www.findagrave.com.

​Sometimes relatives are buried in close proximity to each other and this isn’t always obvious online.  Anyway, the visits resulted in me adding a few more cousins to my family tree. 

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3.   Tramore including Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens

The day I visited Tramore, I started with a lovely lunch in Mol's Restaurant - O'Neill's (Tramore) near Holy Cross Church, then walked the Prom. The tide was in so most of the famous 5 km of sandy beach was under water.  It was a bit hazy so we could just about make out the Metal Man but it was lovely and warm.

Then I visited the nearby Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens....named in honour of the Irish writer who became very famous in Japan. It's a gorgeous, peaceful place and I'd definitely recommend. Lovely views from the cafe there where we enjoyed coffee and cake.

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4.  Dunmore East Fishing Village (East Waterford)

Our excursion brought us out to Dunmore East, the picturesque fishing village in County Waterford, situated on the west side of Waterford Harbour on Ireland's southeastern coast. This is about 45 km from my hometown. 

​We walked the pier and took in the views of the lighthouse there and also Hook Lighthouse across the harbour in neighbouring Co. Wexford. It was a glorious day.

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5.  Waterford Castle Afternoon Tea

We then headed back to Waterford Castle for Afternoon Tea. Not only is the 16th century castle and surroundings stunning, set on a 310-acre Private Island, (accessible via a short crossing on the resort's private car ferry over the King’s Channel)......but the food is top-notch holding 2-AA Rosettes.  This was probably the best Afternoon Tea I've ever had and the service was friendly and faultless.
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I loved the dining room's original oak-panelled walls, ornate ceilings and Waterford Crystal chandeliers.   I enjoyed everything on the menu!   I also enjoyed the prosecco! What a treat!!

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6.  Curraghmore House & Gardens

Curraghmore House & Gardens is the spectacular home of the 9th Marquis of Waterford and his ancestors since 1170 near Portlaw, Co. Waterford. This is less than 10 km down the road from my hometown.  Some 2,500 acres of formal gardens, woodland, and grazing fields make this the most extensive private house & gardens in all of Ireland. 😯

Henry Nicholas de la Poer Beresford, 9th Marquess of Waterford was born in 1958....the same year as my brother! He's very hands-on with the estate management and when we were arriving, we saw him heading out to herd some sheep!!  🐑

We were extra lucky in that the three of us got a Private Tour (with only one other person) of the house, gardens and famed Shell House from Alan the Estate Manager ...... as a large tour bus of Americans was being looked after separately. Alan was an excellent guide with an obvious passion for the history of the family and the conservation and preservation of the house and estate.  He took the time to answer questions and make the house come alive.

It is requested not to take photos indoors so I didn't .... but if interested you can see the fabulous interiors we toured: the Inner Hall, Dining Room, Yellow Drawing Room, Blue Drawing Room and wonderful original furniture and artworks .... on the link above. 

Outside, we then strolled to the Shell House; the whimsical folly created by Catherine de la Poer Beresford with shells in 1754.  Apparently, the decoration of the folly took her 261 days to complete and the intricate patterns of shells from all over the world still glow with colour above her statue.  Records show that Catherine herself charged ship's captains sailing to and from Waterford Harbour to collect and return shells to her from far-flung places. A recent scientific examination of the shells which adorn the walls identified many exotic and rare varieties from numerous varying regions of the world’s oceans.

I was especially interested in the de la Poers and Curraghmore as my great grandfather, John, worked for them as a gamekeeper at nearby Gurteen Castle when he returned in 1899 from Massachusetts.  And my second cousin, Maura, was a cook at Curraghmore in the 1950s.  So, it was fascinating to see.
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As it started raining, we had a quick look around the gardens where a Sitka spruce planted on the estate in the 1830s is one of the tallest trees in Ireland, and stands guard over King John's Bridge. Built in 1205, this stone arched structure spanning the Clodagh River, is one of the oldest bridges in Ireland built almost 290 years before Columbus 'discovered' America!!  We took shelter from the rain in a converted stable with coffee and scones served by the friendly women from the coffee shop.  We left Curraghmore full of admiration for the generations that have looked after it .... not just the family but countless estate workers.

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​7.  House of Waterford Crystal

Then we headed to tour the House of Waterford Crystal in Waterford City.  The latter is known as the prestigious brand behind NYC Times Square New Year’s Eve Crystal Ball and the chandeliers at Westminster Abbey.  It was founded back in 1783 and I can remember when it operated at the iconic factory on the Cork Road. In its heyday it was Waterford's largest employer and everyone knew someone "working in the Glass".  Sadly, in January 2009, this main Waterford Crystal manufacturing base was closed due to the insolvency of Waterford Wedgwood PLC, and in June 2010, Waterford Crystal relocated to the House of Waterford Crystal.

Much of the crystal production is now done in the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary and Germany. However, the company still produces an impressive 750 tonnes of quality crystal onsite here.
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So, we had a wonderful tour with Ciara our guide to observe skilled craftsmen blowing the molten crystal, marking/designing and cutting pieces before we browsed a collection of dazzling crystal pieces in the retail shop. A truly informative experience.

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8.  Lismore Castle Experience

One of the days, we headed to Lismore beside the Blackwater River. We had lunch in the Red House Inn. 

The Castle itself is a private rental so instead we did the "Lismore Castle Experience" in the nearby Heritage Centre.... a virtual reality tour of the Castle.   It was an opportunity to see behind the walls of Lismore Castle, virtually tour the beautiful rooms and halls of the Castle and listen to the story of Lismore narrated to us by world famous scientist Robert Boyle, who told us how his father bought the castle.
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We heard about all the famous residents and visitors like Sir Walter Raleigh, importer of the potato; illustrious visitors like American president John F Kennedy whose sister Kathleen ‘Kick’ Kennedy married a Cavendish and Fred Astaire who came to visit his sister Adele.  We heard all about the castle as it used to be and saw the rooms as the Dukes of Devonshire use them now. We also got to dress up in period costumes which was a laugh! 😆

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9.  The Copper Coast (South Waterford)

Another morning we chose to drive part of the Waterford Copper Coast; now a UNESCO Global Geopark. It extends along the stunning County Waterford coastline for 25km and is named after the 19th century copper mines that lie at the heart of this spectacular stretch of coastline.

We had a lovely tour starting at Dunhill and the Ann Valley Walk all the way westwards to Dungarvan.  I definitely recommend it.

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​10.  Mahon Falls & The Magic Road

Above:  Our car goes back up the hill on the Magic Road - June 2023

One of my favourite trips in Co. Waterford was to The Mahon Falls, Magic Road & Comeragh Drive with a scrumptious lunch at nearby Cooney's Yard. ❤️

The Mahon Falls are located in the Comeragh Mountains, County Waterford, only 24 km or a half hour drive from Carrick-on-Suir. The falls are lined with sheer rock faces and provide an area of peace and tranquillity only broken by the sound of mountainy sheep 🐑 bah-ing.  It's an 80m waterfall formed where the waters of the River Mahon plunge over sandstone cliffs.  There is a car park close to the falls with a moderate walk which even I could manage ... with beautiful views back towards the sea and the town of Dungarvan.

On the way, we drove up the Magic Road.  It's one of those roads where if you park your car at the bottom of the hill and take the handbrake off then the car will roll backwards up the hill!  Is it the work of the fairies?  Some magic power of this ancient mountain?  Is it an optical illusion?  You will have to go yourself and find out! All I can tell you is that we let the handbrake off and sure enough the car went back up the hill on her own! 😅

Literally just down the hill from the Magic Road we pulled into Cooney’s Yard Café which was doing a brisk lunchtime trade.  All that fresh mountain air was obviously giving people an appetite!!  🤣

Bridget and Willie Drohan opened the restaurant and café last October, already employing almost a dozen staff between full-time and part-time.  Cooney’s Yard is proving very popular and several people had recommended I visit it.  Well, I can now see why!! 

We sat outside on a picnic table in the lush surroundings under a sun parasol. I had the most delicious Comeragh Mountain Lamb Burger (the lamb is home-reared by the Drohans and butchered in Carrick) followed by a to-die-for homemade Coffee & Walnut Cake 🍰 washed down with a Latté.  The service from two local girls was friendly and faultless.  I would definitely recommend!
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Serving breakfast (9:30am to 11:30am) and lunch (12:30pm to 2:30pm) from Wednesday to Sunday and with teas, coffees and homemade treats available until 4:30pm. 🍰☕️🍩🍪🧁

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11.  An Rinn Gaeltacht

Ring lies on a peninsula about eleven kilometres (7 mi) south of Dungarvan. There are two fishing piers/harbours (Ballynagaul and Helvick), two beaches (The Cunnigar and Ballynagaul) and a cove at Helvick.
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It is the only Gaeltacht in Waterford, and the only one in the south-east of Ireland.

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12.  Ardmore Fishing Village (West Waterford)

​Ardmore’s Round Tower, built in the 12th century, is one of the best-preserved examples in Ireland. Round Towers were built by the monks of early Irish monasteries as places of refuge in case the monastery was attacked. If the monks suspected that the monastery was in danger, they would move all their valuable books and treasures into the tower and pull up the wooden ladder. Though hostilities against monasteries increased with the Viking raids in the 9th century, monks were often in as much danger from native Irish chieftains.
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The Cliff House Hotel is a 5-star hotel in Ardmore.  I had the pleasure of staying there before. The building seems to defy gravity, clinging to a cliff on the south side of Ardmore Bay where there has long been a fishing village.  It has spectacular views which we couldn't take advantage of because of the rain. But we still enjoyed the delicious food ❤️

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Bucket List Items Ticked Off in the above Blog 107
​​​Number 16 - Nature & Wildlife - See 8 Stunning Waterfalls

• The Mahon Falls, Co. Waterford, Ireland

​Number 39 - Food & Drink - Have Afternoon Tea in 8 Locations

• Waterford Castle Hotel, Waterford, Ireland

Number 59 - Travel - Hotels

• The Cliff House Hotel, Ardmore, Co. Waterford, Ireland

​Number 60 (b) - Travel - Stay in each of the 32 Counties of Ireland

• Co. Waterford, Ireland

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​Other Blog Posts
Blog 11 - Sydney, Australia
Blog 12 - Hong Kong, China
Blog 17 - Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai, China
Blog 19 - California, USA
Blog 27 - Scotland
Blog 28 - Barbados
Blog 29 - Canada
Blog 30 - Alaska
Blog 31 - Everglades, Florida

Have you ever been to Co. Waterford?  Tell me about your experience in the comments section below.
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