Irelands number one town

What is interesting about Waterford? After all it’s a town of only 53,000. So let me tell you.

It is Irelands oldest city. In the 900’s Viking pirates starting raiding it. (They came all that way?!) Eventually they started a settlement here at the point where two rivers, the Suir and John’s (yup good ol’ John got his own river) come together as they make their way to the ocean.  

So they set up a tower at that point where the rivers intersected. The town/ settlement was in back of that and was shaped like a triangle. Eventually more Vikings settled there and a wall was built around the triangle. 

So things were going great for the Vikings til the native Irish attacked and took the triangle. Well the Irish were feeling pretty good about themselves when a few years later those pesky Vikings returned and took it over again. 

They kept it for over 200 years until, you guessed it, the English came in and took over in the 1100’s.  As time went on and more and more towns were established, the English nobility owned the land and rented it to the Irish. Eventually the Irish got fed up and took back their country.

Waterford was a big shipping center  and still is somewhat. That shaped the city, brought more people. Waterford crystal set up in the late 1700’s and employed thousands. Cattle farms and crop farms surround Waterford. 

Ireland had a big boom in the late 1980’s to 2008 when the recession hit. Waterford crystal shut down (now reopened), a tech firm and bank headquarters left, leaving the town economically devastated. 

It’s still here, keeping on, surviving just like a million small towns. People here really care about the town. It has a bright future. It has been named best place to live in Ireland.

Would I live in Waterford Ireland?

 I was thinking what would it be like to live in a place like Waterford. It’s a town of 53,000. I live in a city of 424,000. 

Waterford shuts down it’s retail and a lot of restaurants at 5-530 pm. I don’t really go to bars, but they close 12-1230 am.Waterford does have a couple small shopping centers. It has a couple of big grocery stores. You can get pretty much what you need here. Has arts community, small theatres.  People care about the town.

 Lots of beautiful towns on the coast and inland. Big advantage: beach is close. Dublin is 1 1/2 hours away. Bigger sports, retail, concerts.  Airport.

It’s definitely a slower pace. Less crime.  Probably really focused on friends and family. They become your entertainment.

Weather is moderate temp wise. Normally lots of clouds, fair amount of rain. Where I live snow and cold six months out of the year. 

Could I live here? No. I’m just too used to big city life. It’s not even that I take advantage of all big cities offer. I don’t go to museums, plays, even concerts. I live a simple life. It’s just that I am used the feel of a big city. I have lived in it all my life. I like the diversity. The variety. The changes. 

I don’t like all the problems that come with living in an American moderately big city. Crime. Violence. Poverty. Racism.

So it puts you between a rock and a hard place. I don’t have the answer.

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August 22, 2022 at 10:34PM

Waterford rolls up the streets at 5 pm

 I came to Waterford because it is where my dad’s family is from. I have traced the family back to about 1785.  That would be my 4th great grandfather David. I have located his son Philip born 1810’s, address. Philips son John, born 1844, left Ireland in 1868 at 24 and eventually ended up in Minnesota and married Ellen, also from Ireland.  They had Joseph Patrick in 1879 who married Leona and had my dad Bill in in 1922. Then came me and my brother.

And there you are.

Waterford is a charming town. It looks European. Sits on the River Suir. It is the oldest city in Ireland. It was the first place to fly the Irish flag. 

It was established in 862 by Viking raiders. They were driven out by native Irish in 902, but made a comebackin 914. and stayed until 1162. Then the king of England landed and the English took over. There was a brief Catholic government from 1642-1649 but it was squashed and the British retook control of Waterford. That lasted until 1922 when Ireland gained conditional independence from the British, and then real independence in 1949. John Finn was long gone by then.

Waterford was a big shipping port. It became famous for a crystal company that started in 1783. My family were farmers. I think some of them still live along the same road that Philip did. 

Waterford doesn’t feel like a tourist town. I don’t think it gets a lot of tourists from other countries unless there is some kind of connection for them. It is interesting that we have not seen one Irish tourist shop since we have been here. I think people come from surrounding small towns to the pubs and shopping. 

It has a pretty long Main Street. There are no big name stores here. There are locally owned stores and pubs. It’s a city of 53,000.  It’s pretty diverse for a city it’s size. The stores close at 5 pm, the pubs at 1230 am. 

I like it.

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August 21, 2022 at 09:05PM

3 months on the road: reflections

 

So far we we’ve been to London, Cardiff, Wales, Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast and Dublin.

My favorite so far: definitely Scotland. I loved everything about Edinburgh - the people, music, culture, the landmarks, the beauty. Linlithgow, where we stayed, was absolutely beautiful by the loch there. 

There is just something about Scotland. It’s.moody and temperamental. The people seem down to earth, friendly, authentic, a little bit eccentric. Perfect. I plan to go back some day and see more of that beautiful country. 

Every place has been great! Starting in historic London with its beautiful architecture and distinct neighborhoods.  It was fasted paced and crowded. The diversity made it really interesting.

On to Cardiff, a place we never expected to go. We added at the last minute. I loved Cardiff. Compared to the other cities, it was a small town. It was like a relic with a big castle in the middle. It felt like an easy place to fit in, accepting and no frills.

Manchester was fun. Young and hip. A mix of old and new. I loved riding through the neighborhoods along the canals. Water everywhere. No too big and not too smalll. Has everything you’d want: culture, music, restaurants, bars without being frenzied. One of my favorite places. 

Ah, Belfast, a city with a sad history and a lot of it continues to this day. Walls between religions still stand long after the peace agreements. The troubles still hang over the city. Hopefully some day, this city can come together. 

Last but certainly not least, Dublin. I read a lot of the history of Dublin and Ireland while I was here. Learned where the struggle for Irish independence took place in Dublin particularly.  History is everywhere going to medieval times with churches and old buildings and pubs. 

A lot of Irelands history had been tragic, but they have been resilient. So many people died and left Ireland during the famine, it devastated the country but they overcame again and again. 

With all the immigration, Irish culture, music, history has spread around the world, especially in the United States. 

This coming week is our last one in the UK and Ireland. We will be in Waterford, where my dads family came from.

Ireland is magic

Ireland is magic

So what are my impressions of Dublin, of Ireland so far? The people are resilient. The countryside is beautiful. Sounds kind of corny, but it’s magical.

Until the 17th century. Ireland was a series of territories ruled by kings or chiefs. It was made up of clans and divided by class (In other words, haves and have nots). The territories often fought with other. Gaelic Ireland had its own distinct dress, music, art, sport, etc.

Christianity came in the 4th century replacing paganism. The Vikings came in the 8th century. In 1169 came the Norma invasion and turbulent 800 years of English Rule. In 1916 rebels rose up for Irish independence but failed. Six years they would achieve  independence but with continued apron strings tied to England. In 1949 finall full independence finally came.

The Irish story, like that of many others, is one of struggle and perseverance. They kept coming back. People here know their history and are proud of it. They tell you about it.

Ireland is as beautiful as you think it is with hills and valleys, beautiful coastlines. It is as green as you have seen in pictures. The weather is temperamental with fog, clouds, rain and sun all in one day. It adds to the mystical qualities. When it’s foggy , you can imagine creatures from the other world hiding in the nooks and crannies.

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August 18, 2022 at 09:20PM

Dublin is more than the temple bar and leprechauns

 

Four Courts

The Temple bar area, all the Irish gift shops, hop on hop off buses are such a small part of Dublin.

The real Dublin is in the north part of the city which is rich in history. It is in the General Post Office (GPO) building which was the headquarters of the Easter rising rebels in 1916.  On April 24th 1916 Patrick Pearce read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic there. 

The uprising was a failure. All the leaders were executed. They were buried in Arbour Hill Cemetery on the north side. Their efforts were a failure but they inspired a struggle for freedom for Ireland.

It is in the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square.  It is a place for “all those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish Freedom”. It is also the place where the Irish Volunteers were founded. They would later become the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The IRA played a large part in the war for independence. 

Last, it is in the Four Courts. The Four Courts is a series of buildings that house different court systems for Ireland.

 There was a civil war after a treaty was negotiated with England that gave Ireland independence but still kept it in the commonwealth. The newly formed government favored the treaty. It divided the IRA with some favoring the treaty and some rejecting it because they thought Ireland should be completely free. 

The anti treaty rebels occupied the Four Courts buildings.It was attacked by the army. The fight went on for a week destroying part of the complex. The rebels lost and the treaty was accepted. It wouldn’t be until 1949 that Ireland would gain full independence.

To think I am staying right in the middle of where that all happened.

What a bloody mess

Breakfast is included in the price of the hotel we are staying at. It offers a full “Irish breakfast”. 

What’s in an Irish breakfast you say? Well let me tell you.  There are scrambled eggs. There is bacon. The bacon is not your thin crispy strip of bacon common in the U.S. No, this bacon is round, thick and not as done as I’m used to. It’s kind of like round Canadian bacon. There are sausages, BIG sausages. There are sautéed mushrooms. There are baked beans. There are potato cakes. 

And now the funnest part of the meal - the pudding.When I think pudding, I thinking creamy chocolate goodness. But oh no …this not creamy goodness. 

I had been wondering what these dishes of black disc shaped things were. Beside it was a dish of lighter color disc shaped ones.  I thought it was some kind of overcooked sausage.  Nope, turns off this is pudding - black and white pudding. Also served in the UK.

I had looked it up and black pudding has pork or beef blood, pork or beef fat and oatmeal or barley. It also has a herb called pennyroyal, a sort of mint type herb.

White pudding has oatmeal or barley, pork or beef fat, breadcrumbs, spices and sometimes pork meat or liver. No blood in this one.

It’s the notorious pudding of the UK and Irish. Why is it called pudding for cripes sake? Pudding is liquify. Everybody knows that (smh).

So there you have it - an Irish breakfast. I have been reluctant to try some of of the local foods on this trip like haggis, fish pie, sausage roll, etc., but this looked so, shall we say different, I had to try it. 

So I bravely bit into it…wait for it…it tasted like spiced bread, yeasty, kinda bland. It wasn’t awful. It wasn’t great. It just was. It’s all in what you are used to I guess Did I go back for more? No.