Ireland – Co Waterford

County Waterford, Ireland

Rural Ireland at its best! Travel through the green fields and hills of County Waterford. Visit the Knockmealdown Mountains (avoiding the wandering sheep on the roads!). Drive through the “The Vee” mountain pass. Visit one of Ireland’s grandest Stately Homes with its historical links to the UK. Stop off at Ardmore on the coast with its wide sandy beach and cliff top viewpoints and embrace the solemnity of an old, isolated working Abbey. 

This post is dedicated to Michael McGrath, a friend of 35 years and a staunch Irishman.

He is mentioned in my two Ireland posts, as I always visited him when exploring that wonderful country. He sadly passed away in 2020, but I hope his memory lingers on in this post.  He introduced me to the fantastic scenery portrayed here and warmth of the Irish people.

I went to see and stay with an old friend, Michael, that I have known for years who lives in an area called Tubrid in County Tipperary, just across the borderline from County Waterford. Between catching up with friends there and generally relaxing and drinking lots of the “black stuff” (Guinness for those who don’t know that term!), we did a couple of day trips out to see/revisit the surrounding sights of County Waterford. Check out my other visit to Co Cork here

A few of the many sights in County Waterford.

On one day trip our journey took us from the house, along country roads and up into the Knockmealdown Mountains, towards a local viewpoint known as The Vee. At the side of the road R688, there is a stopping point for cars and we did just that to look down over the huge landscape ahead of us.

Knockmealdown Mountains.

Cahir is visible on the horizon but the vastness of the fields, hills, woods and heights is beautiful. I have done this trip several times and no matter what time of the year, there were always people stopping here for the view.

Further along, the black-coloured Bay Lough (lake) comes into view. It sits like a water-filled top of a sunken volcano and is in a wonderful setting with the slopes around it.

You can’t drive down to the lake but there is a car park at the top of the hill and you can trek down and back for an energetic 20 mins stroll each way.

I have never done the walk down but maybe on my next visit back here, as I usually come back every two years or so to see my friends here, I will set myself that challenge.

From here, it is a short 15 mins drive to our next port of call – Mount Melleray Abbey in County Waterford. The drive takes you through scenic mountain/hill country with hundreds of sheep grazing the hills ….. and walking into the road, so watch any that are nearby !

Several mini Catholic roadside shrines and statues are along the way also and there are stopping points if you want to get out and take in the views and fresh air.

You are actually now officially in County Waterford as the border is at the Bay Lough car park.

The Abbey was named after its motherhouse in France and was gradually expanded over the years up to 1940.

The buildings are quite Gothic in style and typical of a Victorian architectural style and the inside is plain but with high vaulted ceilings. There is an auspicious feeling of being in a sacred place when you walk inside. The peace and quietness was quite a surprise, such that we whispered to each other – why I don’t know, its just a conditioned reflex I suppose !

There are gardens around the Abbey with a rustic fountain/pond in front of the main public buildings of a Café (open lunchtimes only), bookshop and Heritage Centre. Views over the surrounding hills and vales of County Waterford lay out ahead from this high vantage point.

Lismore Town, County Waterford.

The town of Lismore would be our next call on the way, but first the Cathedral, before we look at the main event – the castle !

There are actually two Cathedrals in Lismore – a Catholic, one and an Anglican one. Both are called Lismore Cathedral, which they are depending on your faith, which can be confusing. We stopped off at the Anglican, St Carthage’s Cathedral, which is just across the road from Lismore castle on North Mall.

It is rather plain inside, but has a few well known items of historic value. Look for the wall tombs, some of which are several hundred years old and the floor standing McGrath Tomb of 1543 (one of the finest carved tombs in Ireland).

Lismore Castle, County Waterford.

Lismore castle is probably the biggest and most famous building around here (maybe after Cahir Castle) and it too has a long history. It has seen change upon change in its structure. A castle was built here by King John of England in 1185, on top of a 7th Century monastery.

Through history it passed ownership many times from the Earls of Desmond, Sir Walter Raleigh, and the Earls of Cork . It came into the possession of the present owners in 1753, by marriage to the Duke of Devonshire. He also happens to own another huge palace in England called Chatsworth !

It was totally remodelled in 1850 and what we see today is mostly of that time. The present Duke’s son now lives here but the castle is not open to the public, as it is still a private residence.

You can however go into the lovely Lismore Gardens, (click for info here), which has a modern layout with artistic statues, a walled garden, lawns, and a parkland area. Just to stroll trough on a warm day, is delightful. There is a small art gallery inside one of the buildings too.

I got some good shots of the exterior by driving over the bridge over the Blackwater River to the road on the other side. I then used  a zoom after carefully parking the car on the side of the busy road to get a couple of exterior shots of the castle. Another great place to get pics of the Castle is from the actual bridge over the River, but go on foot, as there is no parking on the bridge.

My second trip to Ireland took me again from my friend’s house. That time we went much further south, as we explored County Cork, (see blog here). The trip conveniently ended in Cork city, where I was to fly back from Cork airport to Bristol in the UK.

County Waterford

March 2016.