Waterford Harbour: Tides and Tales

The Irish have an old phrase for the passing along of local culture and lore: 'O Ghluin go Gluin', or from knee to knee. In short, that stories told to children on the knee of their elders are in turn passed along to the next generation by the same process. But in the fishing community of Waterford, these tales or yarns were told to the author while drifting for salmon, in the company of fishermen. His father and other sailors had a bit of a reputation when it came to exaggeration, but over the years he has found more than a grain of truth in many of the stories.

The harbour has centuries of tradition based on its extensive fishery and maritime trade. In these tales we relive the fear of the dreaded press gangs who raided the communities for crew, join in search of buried gold when pirates seized the sailing ship 'Earl of Sandwich' and witness the horror visited on the community in WWII when a German airplane bombed the rural idyll. On every page we learn something of this community, steeped in traditions, customs and an enviable spirit.