The City Where Ireland Began

In March 2019, daughter Jill and I went on a ten-day tour of Ireland – three days in Dublin on our own and seven days on a guided tour of the Emerald Isle with CIE Tours International. Click HERE to read a short introduction about our memorable tour.

In this story, which is part of a series, I've written about our awesome excursions in Waterford. 

---

Waterford (Thursday, May 14, 2019) Yesterday afternoon, Jill and I embarked on our seven-day guided tour of Ireland with a bit of sightseeing in Dublin. Today, then, was the first full day of our tour, and at day’s end Jill and I were of like mind – we were off to a great start!

This morning we toured a 6th century monastic settlement in Glendalough Valley (amazing!) and midday we lunched at a 17th century pub in Clonroche (delicious!). Please click HERE to read my post.

​It was a short drive to Waterford from Clonroche – about 25 miles, which we covered in three-quarters of an hour. As I watched the countryside scenery unfold from my window seat, I gave an ear to Bryan, our tour guide and driver, as he sang an Irish song and shared a bit of the history of Waterford.  

♫ Waterford, my crystal city fair
Waterford, there’s no place to compare ♫
♫ Near or far, no matter where I roam
My heart is always with you ♫
♫ Waterford my home
~ Lyrics from Waterford My Home 

With a population of 53,000, Waterford was the fifth most populace city in the Republic of Ireland. It was also the oldest city on the Emerald Isle – literally, the City Where Ireland Began.

The Vikings came to Ireland to plunder, drawn by rich monasteries filled with gold.
But as time went on, they settled, forged alliances, established trading routes with
​Europe, and became a vital part of Ireland’s story. 
~ Ireland.com

While there was some dispute about the year in which the city-that-would-be Waterford was founded (was it 853 or 914?), there was no doubt, based on the discovery of tools, weapons, coins, and other artifacts, that the Vikings were the first to establish a permanent presence.  At first, the site of present-day Waterford was a “weather fjord” – a place where the Vikings sheltered their longships from the weather (that is, when they weren’t out raiding the countryside!). In time, under the leadership of Jarl Ottar, the Vikings established a settlement with a fortress, which they called Vadrarfjord – Fjord of the Rams – a nod to the sheep exported from this area. 

Did You Know?
We can thank the Vikings for the expression “to pay through the nose.”
You see, the Vikings demanded tribute money – perhaps silver coins –
from the indigenous people of Waterford…and would cut off the nose
of anyone who refused (or couldn’t) pay! 

The Norsemen held sway over Waterford until the Normans invaded Ireland in the late 12th century. Despite a more than 800-year absence, Jill and I soon learned that the people of Waterford continued to embrace their Viking heritage.

The House of Waterford

Like a flock of sheep, our tour group advanced from the bus to the atrium of the House of Waterford. There we met our tour guide, who offered a primer on the history of Waterford crystal: 

The Penrose brothers opened the first glass making factory in 1783 on a site adjacent to Merchants’ Quay, just minutes from the present location. Although successful into the 1800s, they were forced to close the factory in 1853 because they lacked the necessary capital to operate it. Almost 100 years later, glassmakers from Czechoslovakia studied surviving examples of the Penrose brothers’ crystal and soon opened their own glass making operation – the House of Waterford. The first pattern was ‘Lismore’, which was still the best-selling crystal pattern in the world. 

My wife Debra, who had a greater appreciation for Waterford crystal than me, purchased many pieces over the years. I had always assumed that the crystal she bought was made in Waterford. Maybe not, I learned, as our guide told us that the city of Waterford was one of several locations where the world-famous crystal was made. Other locations included Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Germany. “In fact,” she said, “most Waterford crystal is now produced at factories outside Ireland.” 

Our tour was a 90-minute walkthrough of the five departments in the production process – Mould Making, Blowing, Marking, Cutting, and Engraving. There were “Masters” in each department, and it took eight years for an apprentice to reach the Master level. Our tour guide kept us moving from department to department, but we had ample time to watch craftsmen at work and talk with a few.
​
Moulds (British English) were made from beech and pear wood, which had a high tolerance to heat. Still, each mould had a short life span – seven to ten days – because of the extreme temperature of molten crystal – 1,300 to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. By the way, that’s my daughter Jill in the photo at the left.

The next department was my favorite, as I was always spellbound when I watched artisans blow glass – a difficult process that they made look easy as they created an elegant piece of art. Our guide commented, “This is where the magic begins,” and so it was as we watched an apprentice glassblower, under the watchful eye of a Master, create a Lismore vase from a glob of molten crystal with the aid of a blowpipe and wooden moulds. Absolutely amazing!  

We moved from my favorite department to my least favorite – Marking. Yes, it was an important step to achieve a finished product, but for me it was a bit like watching paint dry – not a lot of action, so please excuse me for not having much to show you! 

I was fascinated as I watched the craftsmen in the Cutting department. They used diamond-tipped wheels to make precise cuts in the crystal based on a design set out in the marking department. “This is intricate work,” said one of the artisans I talked with. “With too little pressure, my cut won’t sparkle, and with too much pressure, I would cut through the crystal.” Either outcome, I learned, was a “reject” for the scrap heap.  Check out the intensity on his face - he was definitely “in the zone!” 

---

There was a special (sixth) department, Sculpting, just past Cutting. There, Master sculptors created “inspirational pieces” from a block of crystal to showcase their individual skills. I stopped to talk with this Master craftsman, who proudly showed me this one-of-a-kind crystal gramophone that he designed and sculpted. It was magnificent!

The final department was Engraving, where skilled artisans – apprentices and Masters – used copper wheels to engrave intricate designs on limited edition pieces and trophies. “The deeper the engraving,” our guide said, “the more pronounced the detail.”

By the end of the tour, I had a much better appreciation for Waterford crystal. Far from being a “factory,” the process and finished products were pure craftsmanship, with every piece made by hand.

We walked through a door at the end of the tour and – SURPRISE! – we stepped into a retail showroom with the “opportunity” to purchase Waterford crystal. I had never seen such a large display in one place before! I moved from one case to another as I looked for the right piece of crystal for my wife, and when I found it, I knew that it was THE perfect gift: a Lismore Angel of Prayer. I had it shipped to our house, and it reached Debra in time for her birthday. SHE LOVED IT!  

---

The Viking Triangle

We met Jack Burtchaell, a historian and award-winning tour guide who specialized in Waterford’s Viking history, at a café located a short distance from the House of Waterford. Jack led us on a one-hour walking tour of the Viking Triangle, a heritage area once surrounded by stone walls built by the Vikings. This was also a cultural area, with a trio of museums dedicated to Waterford’s Viking past. 

Jack ushered us from the café to Reginald’s Tower, a landmark monument that harkened back to the days of Vadrarfjord. The original tower, built by Vikings in the 10th century, was the apex of their triangular settlement. The tower was rebuilt by the Normans in the 12th century and the top two floors were added in the 15th century. Reginald’s Tower, Ireland’s oldest civic building, was named for Ragnall Mac Gilla Muire, the 12th century Irish-Viking ruler of Waterford who was captured and held prisoner in the tower by the Normans.

The statue at the left in the photo above is of Thomas Francis Meagher, an Irish nationalist from Waterford who led the Young Irelanders in the Rebellion of 1848. He was captured and sentenced to death for sedition, but his sentence was commuted to life in an Australian prison. He escaped from this prison and made his way to the United States. Once a soldier always a soldier, I guess, as Meagher served as a Union brigadier general during the Civil War. As an aside, Meagher was the first to fly Ireland’s tricolor flag in public – in 1848, the year of the Rebellion.
​
We walked along Parade Quay, a limestone flagged footpath, to our next stop, which was near the ruins of Greyfriars, a Franciscan Friary built in 1241. There we saw a 75-foot Viking sword – the longest wooden sculpture in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records – designed and carved by John Hayes and James Doyle from a single Douglas fir, roots and all. 

Breaking a record was great but being able to do 
​something for Waterford is a big thing for me.
~ Sculptor John Hayes 

The story of the Vikings was told through intricately carved designs along the sides of sculpture, which was dubbed Dragon Slayer. Mounted on a wall nearby was an exhibit that explained what various designs meant – ​the Vikings began to build bases for their longships from which to raid monasteries and settlements (840s), the Irish challenged the Vikings’ attempts to expand beyond their coastal settlements (921 – 980), and Strongbow captured Waterford and married Aoife, an Irish princess, to mark the end of the Viking Age (1170), to cite a few. Dragon Slayer, which was completed and installed in 2017, was spectacular!

We passed Christ Church Cathedral to reach Bishop’s Palace Garden in the heart of the Viking Triangle. There, Jack regaled us with the story of Aoife and Strongbow. 
​
Strongbow, also known as Richard de Clare, was the eldest son of Gilbert de Clare. In 1148, he succeeded his father as the second earl of Pembroke, and more than 20 years later, Dermot MacMurrough, who was the deposed King of Leinster, enlisted Strongbow to recover his kingdom and regain his throne. What was in it for Strongbow? The hand of MacMurrough’s eldest daughter, Aoife, and succession to Leinster on MacMurrough’s death.

Strongbow landed in Ireland, in 1170, with a force of two hundred knights and one thousand troops. In rapid order, he successfully attacked Waterford, Dublin, and Wexford to regain Leinster for MacMurrogh. Soon after, Aoife and Strongbow were married at Christ Church Cathedral. 

This was quite a love story, and one that Jack did not just tell us. Rather, he picked two people from our tour group to play Aoife and Strongbow – you know, to bring the story to life. And who did he pick to play Strongbow? Well, that would be me! Here I am with Aoife. 

When the curtain was drawn on our theater production of The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife, Jill and I sat on a bronze sculpture of the two, with Christ Church Cathedral in the background.
​
Jack was quite the saenchai (Gaelic for “storyteller”) as he unfolded the story of the Vikings and the sites we saw. His style was witty and entertaining. I highly recommend that you sign up for his tour of the Viking Triangle when you are in Waterford!

Jill and I walked from Bishop’s Palace Garden to Dooley’s Hotel on Merchants Quay, where we checked in before we joined our fellow tourists for dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. And a delicious dinner it was – poached haddock stuffed with a salmon mousse, green beans wrapped in English bacon, and mashed potatoes, with a poached pear for dessert.

We had quite the day – a great day, in fact, filled with history, beautiful scenery, delicious food, interesting conversations with fellow tourists, and more.
​
Tomorrow we will stop at Blarney Castle before we arrive in Killarney for a two-night stay. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you!