A Mix of Music and History for the launch of Decies 75

It was certainly fitting to have the launch of the journal linked to a weekend of musical celebration, (John Dwyer Trad Weekend) since one of the articles concerns the 75th anniversary of the founding of Waterford Music Club, as illustrated on the cover with the photograph of the medallion of the club.

The launch kicked off with
Dr Jimmy O'Brien-Moran 

who played a few tunes on the Uilleann Pipes, 

before rushing off to another venue. 

Some of the contributors to the journal had also been invited to give a short talk related to the article they wrote.

Cian Flaherty talking about the diary of Bishop Stock, written in 1811. 

A great number was in attendance despite the heavy downpours outside.

Continuing the musical theme, Jenny Walsh played a few tunes on the fiddle

There had been great excitement in Dungarvan when excavations on a hill outside the town

 revealed multiple burials had taken place many centuries ago. 

The Gallows Hill Community Archaeology Project took place between 2015 and 2019.

Dave Pollock, archaeologist, stepping in for Christina Knight-O'Connor, gave us an insight on the work done on Gallows Hill. 

The launch was brought to a close with some more music, bringing us nicely back to the modern times

Committee member and former chaiman Sonny Condon on the harmonica 

had us humming along to The Rose.

Peigí Devlin, Hon editor, and her editorial committee:

Clíona Purcell, Shane Brown and Cian Flaherty.

Dr Elizabeth Twohig, Chair of the Waterford Music Club, 

wearing the medallion that appears on the cover of this year's journal. 

Past Tracks Launches in Waterford

Past Tracks, a collaboration between Iarnród Éireann, Flahavan's 

and award-winning author, travel writer and historian Turtle Bunbury 

was launched at Waterford's Plunkett Station on Saturday 12th October.

Committee member and well known local historian Joe Falvey 

was invited to give a short history of the area on the occasion. 

John Flahavan and Jane Cregan holding the panel which offers whimsical

 and little known information about Waterford. 

The pictures on the panel are by talented Carlow-based illustrator Derry Dillon.

Upcoming Events : Lecture on Pirates and Decies 75

Friday 18th October 2019 at 8:00pm in Saint Patrick's Gateway Centre, Patrick Street

Dr Connie Kelleher will give a talk on Pirates, Slaves and Shipwrecks 

Dr Connie Kelleher is a member of the State Underwater Archaeology Unit (UAU) in the National Monuments Service (NMS), Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Former chair and current secretary of the Irish Post-Medieval Archaeology Group (IPMAG),  Connie has published widely and has two books due for publication shortly.

The talk will delve into aspects of the parallel maritime economy that developed on the coast and the waters around Waterford, and the historical and archaeological evidence for these activities.


Saturday 19th October 2019 at 6:00pm in The Granville Hotel, Meagher's Quay

Launch of the 75th edition of Decies 

In conjunction with the John Dwyer Trad Weekend, there will be live music provided by Sonny Condon, while WIT music lecturer and uileann piper Jimmy O'Brien Moran will talk about trad music in Waterford.

Three contributors will also be giving brief talks on their research:

Historian and former Decies editor Des Cowman will discuss new information he has uncovered about how people once lived in the village of Kill.

Coming straight from this summer's dig in Dungarvan, Christina Knight-O'Connor will talk about what archaeologists have discovered beneath the ground at Gallows Hill, a mysterious mound which has been a source of speculation for generations.

Cian Flaherty will explore the significance of a small diary, tucked away on the shelves of Trinity College Dublin.

Copies of the brand new journal will be available for members to pick up, and for non-members to purchase.
Everyone is welcome, so come along to see our members, meet some of our brand new contributors, and to hear about the latest historical research taking place in County Waterford.

Whether you're a student looking for inspiration for a history project, a curious history fan, or are interested in joining a welcoming local society, there's something here for everyone!

See you there!

AGM 2019 - Friday 5th April 2019

Our Annual General Meeting 2019 will be held on Friday April 5th at 8pm in St. Patrick's Gateway, Patrick Street. 

The Agenda is as follows:

1. Welcome
2. Minutes of the 2018 AGM
3. Chairpersons address
4. Secretary's report
5. Treasurers report
6. Election of Officers and committee
7. A.O.B.

It will be followed by a talk given by William Whelan, editor of the recently published book "Towns and Villages of the Waterford Greenway". 

Lecture: Waterford and New Ross: piracy, court cases and the theft of silver – medieval economic politics in action

Waterford and New Ross: piracy, court cases and the theft of silver – medieval economic politics in action

A lecture by Dr Linda Doran to the Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society will take place on the 29th March 2019 at St. Patrick's Gateway Centre at 8pm. 

The founding of the town of New Ross by William Marshal c.1200 was an integral part of the exploitation of his lordship of Leinster. The construction of the bridge at Ross linked the rich farmlands along the Barrow valley in Carlow with the new port of Ross and the caput of the lordship at Kilkenny. A sense of the importance of this bridge is reflected in the name of the town,Pons Novus, Villa Willelmi Marescalli [the new bridge, William Marshal’s town], given by King John in his letter written from Ross in June 1210. From its foundation the town was an outstanding success.

The creation of New Ross disrupted the economies of neighbouring trading centres of Wexford and Waterford. Both of these towns were Norse foundations with long established commercial connections across Europe. Waterford, which had the status of a royal port, was Ireland’s nearest port to France and had strong connections with Bristol. In 1215 King John agreed to Marshal’s request that ships should be allowed bypass Waterford and sail directly into New Ross ‘if this did not hinder the trade of Waterford’. Merchants, therefore, could come right into the heart of the Marshal lordship without having to side-track to the King's town of Waterford. Using the communication hub of the navigable Barrow and Nore rivers and the ancient routeway known as theslighe culann they could then travel, by water and road, deep into the lordship. This permission was revoked four years later and re-instated and revoked at regular intervals. The need for constant petitions to have the ban on the bypassing of Waterford re-instated indicates that it was impossible to enforce. This lead to intense rivalry between the two towns. A long series of petitions, counter-petitions and charters detail the dispute that lasted almost two hundred years. This lecture will examine this dispute and will also consider the European dimension to the rivalry and, in particular to the founding of Ross.

Linda Doran is a graduate of University College Dublin where she completed her PhD in 2001. She carried out a Heritage Council-funded study of medieval settlement along the valleys of the Barrow, Nore and Suir rivers. She has published numerous papers on settlement and communication routes, is editor of the New Ross section of the Royal Irish Academy’s Irish Historic Towns Atlas and has edited books on medieval lordship (2008) and Glendalough: City of God (2011). She is a former honorary general secretary of Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland and is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. She lectures in medieval history in University College Dublin

Lecture: Pilgrimage in Medieval Waterford

Pilgrimage in Medieval Waterford

A lecture by Dr Louise Nugent to the Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society

The Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society 2018 – 2019 lecture season continues on Friday March 1st with a lecture at 8 pm in St Patrick’s Gateway Centre, Waterford when Dr Louise Nugent will deliver a talk titled “Pilgrimage in Medieval Waterford”.

Pilgrimage was a central part of life throughout the medieval period. It was practiced in Ireland from the 7th century to the 15th centuries and following the reformation it continued down to the present day. This lecture will explore what motivated people to go on pilgrimage to in Medieval Ireland, where they went and the various types of sites that were used for pilgrimage. It will have a particular focus on evidence relating to Waterford and the south-east.

Dr Louise Nugent is a Tipperary-based archaeologist and blogger who specialises in pilgrimage and folk art. In 2010 she was awarded a PhD by University College Dublin for her research on Pilgrimage of Medieval Ireland. She has contributed papers on her research to a variety of journals and edited books and is in the final stages of writing a book on Irish pilgrimage. She curates the blogs Irish Folk Art Project (https://irishfolkartproject.wordpress.com/) and Pilgrimage in Medieval Ireland (https://pilgrimagemedievalireland.com/) in the latter she covers topics relating to modern and medieval Irish pilgrim traditions

Photos: 'Waterford Archaeology From the Air' Lecture

Lecturer Simon Dowling with Waterford Archaeological & Historical Society Chairperson Beatrice Payet. 

On January 25th, a full-house heard Waterford Archaeological & Historical Society member, Simon Dowling, deliver a fascinating and accessible lecture titled ‘Waterford’s Archaeology From the Air’.  

St. Patrick's Gateway Centre hosted the talk by Simon Dowling. 

Simon illustrated a variety of the aerial photographic techniques he has used and how he analyses publicly available satellite and laser imagery to reveal otherwise hidden aspects of many archaeological sites in Waterford. It was a well-received lecture which generated a lively discussion afterwards.