Waterford and Killkenny

Last evening when Tom and I went to the market, we purchased yogurt, Irish ham and cheese, rolls, and fruit for this morning’s breakfast. Nicholas our host provided us with coffee and tea. Our apartment is just a short five (5) minute walk to the Viking Triangle – the historic heart of Waterford – the oldest city in Ireland. In 914 the great Viking adventurer and pirate, Regnall, established a port and wooden defensive tower which is considered by historians to be the beginnings of Waterford. The city was captured by the Anglo-Normans (King Richard, known as Strongbow) in 1170, and the Vikings were expelled. This is a very significant year in Ireland’s history as it marked the period when all of Ireland fell under England’s control and domination – this lasted for centuries until December 6, 1921 when the Republic of Ireland was formed. To this day there are long-standing resentments of the Irish citizens towards the English although they seem to be subsiding gradually – we experienced this on numerous occasions in private conversations with the locals in Ireland.

Tom and I embarked on our walk around the historic center of Waterford in the Viking Triangle. Our first stop was a private tour of Christ Church Cathedral (or more formally known as the Cathedral of The Holy Trinity). It is located at the site of a former Cathedral that had been built in 1096 by the now-Christian Vikings. It was here in 1170 that Richard de Clare (Strongbow/becoming King Richard now) married Aoife (Gaelic for Eve), daughter of the King of Leinster, which sealed the fate of the Irish people to England for centuries. Later in the 13^th century, the Normans took over Waterford and built a Gothic Cathedral, which remained until the community decided to construct Christ Church in 1773. In that year Cromwellian Protestants engaged upon reconstructing and creating a neo-classical cathedral more in style with the rapidly developing Georgian architecture in Waterford.

The Waterford Crystal Factory and Showroom were right across the street from Christ Church Cathedral. Although we did not take the tour of the factory Tom and I spent considerable time in the showroom where we could touch, admire and photograph the exquisite pieces painstakingly crafted by very talented artisans. Unfortunately, all of the pieces were beyond our meager budget – unless one of us wins the Irish Lottery while we are here. Among the items on display were the trophies for the US Professional Golfers Tournament held at Pebble Beach and the winner’s trophy for the Kentucky Derby – very impressive to pick these items up !

We left the present day at Waterford and travelled back in time to Reginald’s Tower (named after Regnall) which was built in 914 as a wooden structure to defend his settlement. In the 13^th century a new tower made of stone was constructed on the same site. Another level was added to the original two (2) stories in the 15^th century. Tom and I climbed the very narrow circular stairway to the 3^rd floor containing a video presentation along with various Viking and Norman artifacts. These historical treasures were unearthed during at various times during the building of Waterford city – needles/cases, swords, arrowheads, circular pins to hold capes, a leather shoe, coins of various eras. The tower has been used as a mint, a prison where female prisoners held dances of reels and jigs, a military storehouse, and a residence.

A short walk with the Viking Triangle took us to Greyfriars, a 13^th century Franciscan friary built in 1240. The building was used by the Franciscans as a friary for 300 years until 1540. In 1544 the religious estate was converted into Holy Ghost Hospital and fell into disrepair after 1882.

Following a quick and late lunch Tom and I hopped into the Skoda rental car for the 45 minute drive to Killkenny. Tom was really getting the left side of the road driving down today – but the roads were certainly not the back roads we encountered yesterday either ! Killkenny had a decidedly different flavor than Waterford – more commercial and lively, but still retaining a distinct historical perspective.

Tom and I strolled the medieval streets until we happened upon the tourist information office where they recommended several ‘must see attractions’ for the remaining time we had left today.

Our first stop was Kilkenny Castle. It was built by the Normans in the 12^th century, remodeled in Victorian times, and set in extensive parklands. In 1360 it became the principal Irish reasidence of the powerful Butler family for almost 600 years. The Butler family sold almost all of the contents of the castle in a 10 day auction in 1935. The castle was magnificent, but it was pointed out to us several times by the tour guides that the building fell into horrendous disrepair. The castle was presented to the people of Killkenny for a token payment of €50. The buildings have been in  the care of the Office of Public Works since 1969. Restoration began in the 1990’s and was completed in 1999 – there are continuing efforts underway to attack middle and low level renovation projects.

Tom and I wanted to get into see the 19^th century St. Mary’s Cathedral, but unfortunately it too was now undergoing restoration. The most conspicuous building in Killkenny, ancient or modern – from whatever side and by whatever means you approach the old city the first sight to be seen is the graceful limestone structure of this fine church. The exterior was covered in scaffolding, and the interior (altar and stained glass windows) was draped in workmen’s cloth.

Just beyond St. Mary’s Cathedral was the Dominican Black Abbey, one of Ireland’s oldest churches, which dates back to 1225. The official title is The Abbey of the Most Holy Trinity and has been in continuous use for nearly 800 years – putting this into perspective the Abbey was 270 years old when Columbus sailed ! The exterior of the abbey appeared stark to me while the interior was exceptional. The stonework surrounding the truly stunning stained glass rosary window has remained entirely intact from original times - the window holds nearly 500 square feet of glass. There were numerous other stained glass windows in the abbey, but none of them approached the scale and grandeur of the rosary window.

It was approaching 7 PM; we were getting hungry; we wanted our Irish beer; and we still had a 45 minute drive back to Waterford . . . thank goodness it stays daylight until after 10 PM in Ireland in May !