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IN A SLIGHT change to the usual Hidden Heritage series, in this article we’re going to focus on the historic city of Waterford.
(And as it’s Heritage Week, we’ll outline some great events there in the next few days at the end of this piece so look out for that.)
From its foundation by Vikings, Waterford has played a hugely important role in Ireland’s story and today you can experience a thousand years of history in a thousand paces by visiting the three sites that make up the Waterford Museum of Treasures in the Viking Triangle.
The first of these sites is Reginald’s Tower, once described by the famous Irish patriot Thomas Francis Meagher in 1843 as being “a massive hinge of stone connecting the two great outspread wings, the Quay and the Mall within which lay the body of the city”, Reginald’s Tower is one of the finest surviving examples of medieval urban defence in Ireland.
The story of Reginald’s Tower begins with the Viking adventurer Regnall who constructed a defensive base (known as a Longphort) where the tower stands today. Regnall was the grandson of the feared Ivor the Boneless, and by establishing his longphort at Waterford he created the foundations for the city. It quickly developed into an important trading hub, and Waterford become a vital part in an expansive trading network that connected it to far flung and exotic places like Baghdad, Greenland, Russia and Byzantium.
Waterford grew in wealth and prestige, and gradually the Viking raiders became entwined with the Gaelic Irish population through alliances and marriage, forming a culture known to historians and archaeologists today as the Hiberno-Norse.
Interior of Reginald’s Tower
The peace of Waterford was not to last though, the city was taken following a siege by the Anglo-Normans in 1170 after many of the Waterford men were slaughtered after falling into Raymond le Gros’s cunning trap at nearby Baginbun in County Wexford (click here for that story). The Normans held the leaders of the city in Reginald’s Tower, but released them following an intervention by their Irish ally, Diarmaid MacMurrough, King of Leinster. The leader of the Normans, Richard de Clare (known as Strongbow) married King Diarmaid’s daughter Aoife in Christchurch Cathedral in Waterford, strengthening the alliance between the Norman invaders and the Irish kingdom of Leinster.
The Hiberno-Norse warriors who survived were expelled from Waterford, but rose in a bloody rebellion in 1174, forcing the Norman nobles and garrison to take shelter in Reginald’s Tower, where they managed to repel the attack and following reinforcement they took back the city. King Henry II in England had began to worry that Strongbow was becoming altogether too powerful and big for his boots, so he sailed into Waterford in 1171 and declared the wealthy Waterford to be a ‘Royal City’, thus denying its lucrative trade to Strongbow.
King Henry had the city refortified in the early thirteenth century, and it is likely that it was at this time that the wooden fort of Reginald’s Tower was reconstructed in stone. He had large stone walls constructed to surround and protect the city with a number of defensive gateways and towers added. Portions of these walls still survive today, and of the seventeen defensive towers that once protected Waterford only six still survive, with Reginald’s Tower being the most impressive and best preserved.
Reginald’s Tower was again at the centre of the action in 1495, Perkin Warbeck a pretender to the English Crown, sailed up the River Suir and began to bombard Waterford to force it to surrender. The people of Waterford retaliated by firing cannon from Reginald’s Tower and succeeded in sinking one of Warbeck’s ships, defending the city with such ferocity that Warbeck retreated. In recognition of the determined bravery by the people of Waterford, King Henry VII gave Waterford the motto: ‘Urbs Intacta Manet Waterfordia’ – Waterford Remains the Untaken City.
Casement in Reginald’s Tower
However the Tower is not without its scars, and if you look high on the tower to the right-hand side of the entrance you can see a cannonball deeply embedded into the stone. This was fired during the Parliamentary siege in 1650. They had returned to capture Waterford after Cromwell had failed to do so in 1649, Waterford was the last Irish city east of the Shannon to fall to Cromwell’s forces.
Today visiting Reginald’s Tower you can become steeped in all of this history, and see the variety of ways that Reginald’s Tower has served Waterford over the centuries, from being a defensive bastion, a coin mint, an armoury and arsenal, a prison and the home of the High Constable of the city. It is split over four floors connected by a medieval -tyle spiral staircase, with displays on different aspects of the buildings history on each level.
There are some really interesting artefacts on display, as a dog owner I was touched by the 900-year-old beautifully intricate dog collar, it must have belonged to a rightly pampered twelfth century pooch! (Pictured above)
Reginald’s Tower is a truly iconic landmark of Waterford, and today the superb museum is certainly worth a visit! It is under the auspices of the Office of Public Works, you can find information about opening hours, entry fees and accessibility here.
From Reginald’s Tower take a short walk up the Mall to The Medieval Museum (pictured above). This is one of Ireland’s newest and finest museums, and is a superb place to spend a few hours of the day. You enter the beautifully designed museum that combines modern architecture with the medieval Choristers Hall and fifteenth century wine cellars (pictured below).
15th century wine cellar in the Medieval Museum, Waterford
Spread across a number of floors, the Medieval Museum leads you through Waterford’s history from its foundation as a Viking Longphort, through the medieval and Tudor periods and up to the seventeenth century.
Some of the artefacts on display are just incredible and include the unique Great Charter Roll from 1373, the Cap of Maintenance, (the only item of Henry VIII’s wardrobe that still exists), The Great Parchment Book (detailing 300 years of life in Waterford and ends dramatically with the final entry during Cromwell’s siege of 1649). If you go this summer you can also see the famous Lismore Crozier that is on temporary loan to the Medieval Museum from the National Museum of Ireland.
The Cap of Maintenance – the only item of Henry VIII’s wardrobe still existing – is in the Medieval Museum of Waterford.
The number and significance of the artefacts and manuscripts on display is staggering, and it contains perhaps the most breathtaking display of any museum in Europe – the wonderful collection of fifteenth century vestments. They are displayed in a darkened room lit by stars (pictured below), and you can walk around the sumptuous robes to see the intricate detail and lavish design close up.
My picture and words cannot possibly do justice to this incredible display. The museum is also great for kids with a number of interactive displays and panels.
Staircase at the Georgian Museum of Waterford
When you fancy moving forward in history cross the courtyard to the Bishop’s Palace Georgian Museum. Here we enjoyed a really entertaining guided tour by the gossipy housekeeper Mrs Rickards who had just returned from watching the hanging of a man found guilty of murdering the head gardener. She squabbled her way around the beautifully restored Bishops Palace with the butler Mr Whatwhy. They pointed out some of the fascinating objects on display that illustrate life in eighteenth and nineteenth century Waterford.
Some of the highlights included the oldest piece of Waterford Crystal in the world (from 1789), and a mourning cross commissioned by Napoleon’s mother on the Emperor’s death in 1821, you can even see a lock of Napoleon’s hair! I was really interested by the uniform and sword of one of Waterford’s most famous sons, the Irish patriot Thomas Francis Meagher, the man who introduced the modern tricolour to Ireland.
The museum has items relating to the modern era upstairs with a fancy pair of hucklebuck shoes from the 1960s on display…
These three museums that form The Waterford Museum of Treasures are an absolute fascinating way of spending a day, I cannot recommend a visit highly enough. If you still have a hankering to see some of the sites of Waterford then the Waterford Crystal visitor centre is just across the road, and the city itself is a great place to wander around to soak in the atmosphere of the ancient city. You can find more information by looking here.
All photographs © Neil Jackman/abartaaudioguides.com
Today is the first day of Heritage Week that takes place from the 17th – 25th August.
I hope you enjoy my articles on Irish heritage sites, if anyone has any suggestions for places to visit I’d love to hear them. Please leave a comment below or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. If you’d like to consider supporting us you can do so by downloading one of our audioguides.
They are narrated by professional actors, and contain original music by talented musician Enda Seery to help immerse you in the story. They generally run for around 45mins and can be downloaded from our website abartaheritage.ie
This is the latest in a fortnightly series of articles for the Journal.ie you can catch up with all the posts here.
The articles are based on my blog which has over fifty suggestions so far for great heritage sites to visit across the country. Why not pay us a visit to see if we have a suggestion in your area?
Why would you have 36 convictions and still be allowed to be in society?
@Mickey Finn: yeah and unfortunately that’s a low amount compared to others still out free in society.
@Mickey Finn: This is Ireland Mickey. You gotta remember that a locked-up criminal is of little use to the legal profession. Just try to visualize the amount of loot they (the legal eagles) have got from this buck already—- And still wonderful potential for more.
@John Mc Donagh: Let me just try to understand here. You’re saying the legal profession has a hidden agenda to keep him out of jail, so they can use him as a cash cow for services?
Do you really think this ‘young buck’ you speak of has the finances to pay? Or is it subsidised.
And should a legal professional not be paid for the service they provide to a serial reoffender?
On top of this, only a judge can decide on his guilt, and punishment if any. But I guess you think they’re in cahoots and it’s a big conspiracy?
@John Mc Donagh: It’s very odd when someone kicks a dog so hard it dies, and he’s called a “young buck” being taken advantage of by solicitors.
@Edward Natali: I don’t want him kicking my dog.
@Ann Neylan: I’m pretty sure that goes without saying… but obviously judges and legal professionals do right? I mean how else would they make any money. As the old legal phrase goes, “teach a man to kick a dog, and you’ll have a client for life”…
@Edward Natali: yes Eddy, it is one of the biggest crimes of the centuries, lawyers and judge’s in a big money pocket lining schemes ever seen. Because this young buck has no money, he still gets the free legal aid, which the tax payer pays for, lining the solicitors pockets and in turn a sweetheart deal is struck between the judge and solicitors. Otherwise should the law start to hand out the sentences that should be handed down..this little buck would be of no use to keeping our legal eagles in the life style they have become a custom to..
@John Mc Donagh: Jaysus, quite the conspiracy theorist you are John.. FFS!
@wholetthedogsout: I can’t tell if you’re just trying to be a troll, or genuinely believe in this diatribe against the entire legal profession and Judiciary.
@Edward Natali: —I’m afraid you got that wrong —-It’s the taxpayers that are being taken advantage of!
@Edward Natali: Yup. If he has so little empathy and 36 convictions, it’s only a matter of time before he does in some human. Do we really need him in society?
The only “protected animal” was the one in court.
Absolutely disgusting sentence. Surely that can be reviewed and increased? The lad clearly has no respect for anyone or anything. Some people can’t be saved. Throw away the key.
@Nomad: 19 years of age, 36 convictions, currently serving a prison sentence for violent disorder, says a lot really, and to do something so disgusting to a tiny harmless pet, imagine what this animal would do to a human. Hope the C ** T rots.
That’s exactly how most psychopaths get started. I have no sympathy whatsoever for people who hurt defenseless animals. He got of lightly, they should make an example of him. So many convictions for someone so young, unreal.
A joke of a justice system
@Laura English: the country were living in.
Disgraceful sentance, should be a few years for that.
P.O.S. – and that’s putting it very lightly
The things I would love to say about this sorry excuse for a human, but the Journal’s toxic meter would break!!!!!!
Done a quick google to see what this absolute excuse of a human looks like. Let’s just say he has the face to match his personality. I wish nothing but bad luck for him.
@Alan Biddulph: A quick Google search also shows he almost kicked a human to death not long ago. The judiciary have a lot to answer for, allowing criminals like this back on the streets to repeat offend
@Michael Quirke: Mandatory service in the army should be required instead of soft juvenile jails with Playstations etc. See how brave they are acting up in the Curragh when literally every superior officer would beat seven shades from them. It’s a massive failing in our system that this isn’t the approach for juvenile offenders.
Teen at 19, seriously stop excusing this awful barbaric behaviour based on age, he is a grown adult who should know better, absolutely disgraceful on a poor defenseless animal
He said ‘ I didn’t really remember what happened’ What if it had been a child, with justice like that, he probably would have got a lesser sentence. I thought sentences were given out based on how dangerous a person is to society. 36 convictions obviously doesn’t qualify you for that.
Not long enough
6 months isn’t anywhere near enough for him and his excuses don’t cut it either
The justice system here is disgusting if that’s all they gave him
@James Grant: In England there are now sentences of up to 10 years for animal cruelty , however ,for some warped reason , this excludes the horrific cruelty inflicted by halal slaughter .
That judge should be ashamed of themselves. Absolutely shocking sentence
A 19yr kicks a dog to death, and has half his sentence suspended because….get this…he is behaving himself in prison where he is currently serving a 2yr sentence for one of his 36 previous convictions. What the f… ?
@Tommy Roche: again… That’s the country we’re living in.
Not nearly enough by any means!! That poor little defenseless dog..
Oh God, that poor wee dog! What an absolutely despicable thing to do.
Reading about the teenager’s upbringing, you’d wonder what chance he ever had to grow up into a stable human being? His dad was shot in front of him; mother abusing heroin and it also says in the article, “He said the presence of the injured party was a “triggering factor” and that there was “a heroin taking relationship going on”’ so – if I’m interpreting that correctly – the injured party used/uses heroin with his mother? The whole thing is just tragic but it goes some way to explain why he is the way he is. Still absolutely unforgivable though and you can only hope that, with his young age and with the right help, he can be rehabilitated but who knows?
@FrustratedASDMum: He is way beyond help.
@FrustratedASDMum: Abusing an animal like the convicted man did is a sign of serious mental illness, maybe even sociopathy. Healthy people do not murder animals like that. He can cry and say he wants to be “normal” all he wants. If someone did that to my pet, I would want more than a year of a conviction, especially given his clearly violent past.
@FrustratedASDMum: Good Point! This highlights, the disgraceful lack of concern, the whole Govt judicial system have for younger children suffering from ‘ mental health’ issues. But that is fine because the ministers don’t have to suffer the consequences of their neglect. Surely, such a large number of convictions at such an early age should send alarm bells ringing in every dept. The lack of coordination between different depts only worsens the problems.Peope like Henney should have sounded alarm bells earlier but now the cost of ‘rehabilitating’ him would probably have to be taken out of the budgets that might support 10 or more Younger kids. He has slipped through the net and in my opinion he should be locked up for a long time because of the danger he poses to ‘ society’ And that is more down to the fault of the Lack of intervention. People who need that help don’t vote, so why should a Govt minister be bothered when they can pick reasons as why the money should be put someplace else. It’s shameful
See.. This is what’s wrong with the justice system..bet the excuse of a human was gifted free legal aid, and probably the 35 previous times also…Couple that to an joke of a judge… How in the name of God is this allowed to happen…these legal boys have it all sown up… The poor poor doggie… What I wouldn’t give to come face to face with this upstanding member of society… Guarantee one thing…Karma would visit him numerous times….Size 9…..
Utter savage.
Why do our excuses for judges always accept the drivel spouted by defence counsel that the dregs with multiple previous convictions are sorry for and regret their actions, how can it be claimed that kicking a little creature that size full force twice in the underbelly was anything other than intent to kill.
It costs €80,000 a year to keep a person in prison. There’s no compulsory work and no no compulsory remedial treatment. I voted against the abolition of capital punishment. I would have had capital punishment for selling or gifting drugs.
@John Colgan: wouldn’t it be cheaper if we out sourced out prisoners to another country like Russia or China. It would be a deterent to criminals . They have no frill prisons.
@Stephen Deegan: he’ll never change. And every court case he has they’ll repeat the thing about his dad and his mam and his remorse. And he’ll get time suspended because of it. But someone that violent doesn’t ever stop and will always be a constant threat to people.
Let’s hope the chap rehabilitates and learns – glad he got some prison time. Be maybe better to have compelled him to do 2 years service working in an animal rescue facility. I wouldn’t be accountable if he did it to one of my dogs.
@john mounsey: do you seriously believe this thing should be let anywhere near an animal rescue centre
Had an unfortunate start in life, but so have a multitude more. There is no excuse for abusive treatment of animals, of any species. Humans! Yeah, we are the worse species on the planet. With lenient sentencing by the courts, what chance do defenseless animals have?
The only way these toe rags will learn is when their parents are punished. When any kid under the age of 18 causes an offence, charge the parents. They’d soon know where little Johnny is then.
@Davy Evans: his father was shot dead in Spain doubt if it was because he robbed a corneto!! His mother is on heroin!! Do you really think his mother would care!!
@nelliekel: his father was shot, but not dead. He goes by his mother’s maiden name, as his father is a gangster https://m.sundayworld.com/crime/courts/dublin-teen-19-who-kicked-dog-to-death-is-jailed-for-six-months-40986409.html
@nelliekel: I’m talking about toerags in general. Not this specific toerag.
@nelliekel: She might if the fine directly affected her. At the very least, all people found guilty of any crime should have to pay damages, most esp to those people who they have assaulted, incl contributions towards medical fees. The present system is not working so try something more radical.
Give me five minutes with him
@Martin Lynch: Does he owe you a tenner? Doubt if you will get it before he is incarcerated.
He didn’t stand a chance, but 36 previous convictions at 19 years old?
@Elaine Phelan: That’s nice, the judge wanted to give him a longer sentence but instead she suspended half of it. A dynasty of demons! I thought a judge only took previous convictions into account at sentencing but they don’t even do that.
@Barrycelona: yes, a total disgrace. I don’t see how there is any chance of rehabilitation for this POS
36 convictions. He’s 19. Doesn’t bode well.
Tarred & feathered wouldn’t be good enough for this non-human.
Oh yea, fall for the sob story about him not being able to sleep after what he done. What I’d like to know is why in the name of JAYSUS is a little pr1ck with that many convictions roaming free. Surprised his solicitor didn’t say he had started a Fás course and was doing well. What the hell is wrong with the courts in this country.
But then the go gooders would be out in force objecting to the little runts been treated like criminals
Karma…sobbs…
This man is a burden on the state and meds too be permanently removed from society. He will spend his entire life committing crime tying up Gardai, courts .social services and social welfare. He’ll leave a trail of destruction and traumatize victims.
It’s time to start throwing away the key and take their flats of them
The poor little dog.
Nature v nurture… born into a home where mum smoked heroin.. dad shot in front of him… all those convictions.. points to him growing up without proper parenting.. guidance.. love even?!? And with plenty of toxic influence to shape his behaviour… sad in a way.. some kids just don’t have a chance.. you can almost pick them out the ones who may face a similar future traveling through Dublin/ along the red line each day.. btw.. disgusting what he did and should be punished of course.. I’m just making an ol societal observation
Evil b’stard. I hope he does roaring. 36 previous convictions? Nothing compared to many scrotes out there. Ireland’s certainty a very soft touch for the gowger.
Such a sad story.
Dr Wolfe, best name to have if you’re a vet…
He deserves the same treatment he carried out , The poor defenceless little pup, 6 months is a complete joke,
There are a lot of animal lovers in prison – I doubt if he will have an easy sentence.
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