Sights in Waterford Town
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Reginald's Tower
The oldest complete building in Ireland and the first to use mortar, 12th-century Reginald's Tower is an outstanding example of medieval defences, and was the city's key fortification. The Normans built its 3m- to 4m-thick walls on the site of a Viking wooden tower. English-appointed local officials stayed in this 'safe house', as did many royal visitors.
Over the years, the building served as an arsenal, a prison and a mint. The exhibits relating to the latter role are interesting: medieval silver coins, a wooden 'tally stick' with notches indicating the amount owed, a 12th-century piggy bank (smashed) and a coin balance used to determine weight and bullion value. Archit…
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Waterford Museum of Treasures
Waterford Museum of Treasures is one of Ireland's widest-ranging and most hi-tech museums. It's a dazzling, intriguing, provoking, and at times plain bewildering maze of metal, glass and state-of-the-art audiovisual displays. The fun begins on the 3rd floor, from where (plugged into an audioguide) you follow the exhibitions as they wend their way through history.
A highlight is the 'Viking longship', a rocking ride narrated by Waterford's Nordic forebears, who call themselves 'children of the raven' but sound more like comedic Scotsmen. You can also attend the marriage of Strongbow and local princess Aiofe, who promises to teach her Anglo-Norman lord how the Irish feast. …
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Waterford Crystal Visitor Centre
The pride of every middle-class living room, Waterford Crystal has become one of the world's most famous luxury brands. The Waterford Crystal visitor centre, complete with restaurant and tourist office, is 2km south of the centre. You can lurk in the shop, but we recommend the one-hour factory tour.
The transformation of glowing-hot balls of glass into diamond-cut crystal is near miraculous, and the guides have real insider knowledge of the factory's workings. In summer buy tickets in advance from the tourist office to avoid queues. The first Waterford glass factory was established at the western end of the riverside quays in 1783, but closed 68 years later because of pun…
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French Church
The elegant ruin of the stone French Church is announced by a statue of Luke Wadding, the Waterford-born Franciscan friar who persuaded the Pope to negotiate with Charles I on behalf of Irish Catholics. Hugh Purcell gave the church to the Franciscans in 1240, asking them in return to pray for him once a day. The church became a hospital after the dissolution of the monasteries, and was then occupied by French Huguenot refugees between 1693 and 1815. John Roberts is buried here. Ask the staff at Reginald's Tower to let you in.
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Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral is Europe's only neoclassical Georgian cathedral. Designed by local architect John Roberts, it was built on the site of an 11th-century Viking church, also the site where the 12th-century marriage of Strongbow and Aiofe took place. The highlight is the 15th-century tomb of James Rice, seven times lord mayor of Waterford: sculpted worms and frogs crawl out of the statue of his decaying body. Guided tours (adult/child €6/5) take place at 11.30am and 3.30pm. The cathedral also acts as a concert venue with wonderful acoustics – its broad program of performances features every- thing from choirs to pop quartets.
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Holy Trinity Cathedral
The sumptuous interior of this Catholic cathedral boasts a carved-oak baroque pulpit, painted pillars with Corinthian capitals and 10 Waterford Crystal chandeliers. It was built between 1792 and 1796 by John Roberts, who, unusually, also designed the Protestant Christ Church Cathedral.
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House of Waterford Crystal
The city's famed Waterford Crystal is almost an icon in name only. A symbol of Irish success during boom times in the 1980s and 1990s, the company fell on hard times after a disastrous series of ownership changes and management decisions that saw debt piled on amid unwise expansion. (The first Waterford glass factory was established at the western end of the riverside quays in 1783 but closed 68 years later because of punitive taxes imposed by the British before its revival last century. It was reconstituted in the 1940s.) In 2009 the company's operations in Waterford County were suddenly closed – as many as 3000 skilled workers had been employed just a few years before. …
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Historic Buildings
The Mall, a wide 18th-century street built on reclaimed land, was once a tidal inlet. From the river end, its stateliest buildings are John Roberts' City Hall (1788) and beautifully refurbished Theatre Royal, arguably Ireland's most intact 18th-century theatre.
Crumbling fragments of the old city wall include Beach Tower at the top of Jenkin's Lane and Half Moon Tower (both are just off Patrick St). One impossible-to-miss building in Waterford is its landmark 1860s clock tower.
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Chorister's Hall
Set to open in 2012, this new museum traces the city's rich medieval past and covers all the steamy and stinky details of local life until 1700. It's located in the renovated 12th century Undercrofts. The star attraction will be the magnificent 1372 4m-long Great Charter Roll which shows portraits of five medieval kings of England.
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Bishop's Palace
This interactive museum detailing Waterford's long history is in the newly renovated Bishop's Palace (1741). It has dazzling displays covering Waterford's history from 1700 to 1970 and includes treasures from the city's collection, such as golden Viking brooches, jewel-encrusted Norman crosses and 18th-century church silver.
reviewed
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Waterford Museum of Treasures
This is the umbrella name for three excellent museums which cover 1000 years of local history and shouldn't be missed.
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Reginald's Tower
The oldest complete building in Ireland and the first to use mortar, 12th-century Reginald's Tower is an outstanding example of medieval defences and was the city's key fortification. The Normans built its 3m- to 4m-thick walls on the site of a Viking wooden tower. Over the years, the building served as an arsenal, a prison and a mint. The exhibits relating to the latter role are interesting: medieval silver coins, a wooden 'tally stick' with notches indicating the amount owed, a 12th-century piggy bank (smashed) and a coin balance used to determine weight and bullion value. Architectural oddities include the toilet that drained halfway up the building.
Behind the tower, a…
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Edmund Rice International Heritage Centre
Edmund Ignatius Rice, founder of the Christian Brothers, established his first school at Mt Sion on Barrack St. A whiz-bang interactive museum recreates life in 18th-century Waterford. It incorporates a chapel, where Edmund Rice's tomb takes pride of place, awaiting the anticipated canonisation of its occupant.
reviewed
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Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral is Europe’s only neoclassical Georgian cathedral. Designed by local architect John Roberts, it was built on the site of an 11th-century Viking church, also the site where the 12th-century marriage of Strongbow and Aiofe took place. The highlight is the 15th-century tomb of James Rice, seven times lord mayor of Waterford: sculpted worms and frogs crawl out of the statue of his decaying body. Guided tours (adult/child €6/5) take place at 11.30am and 3.30pm. The cathedral also acts as a concert venue with wonderful acoustics – its broad program of performances features everything from choirs to pop quartets.
reviewed
