Hotels in Waterford, Ireland

A little about Waterford...

Waterford is a city in the Republic of Ireland. It is the primary city of the South East region, and the fifth largest in the country. Founded in 914 AD, by the Vikings, it is Ireland's oldest city. Waterford is the largest city in Ireland to retain its Viking-derived name, Vedrarfjord. Reginald's Tower is the oldest urban civic building in Ireland, and the oldest monument to retain its Viking name. It is to this day Waterford's most recognisable landmark. The tower is believed to be the first building in Ireland to use mortar.

The population of the city in 2006 was 49,240; of which 45,775 lived within the city limits, and 3,465 lived in the city's suburbs in County Kilkenny.

Places of Interest:
The Quay, once termed by historian Mark Girouard 'the noblest quay in Europe', is a mile long from Grattan Quay to Adelphi Quay, though Adelphi Quay is now a residential area. It is still a major focal point for Waterford, commercially and socially, and the face that Waterford presents to those traveling into the city from the north. Near Reginald's Tower is the William Vincent Wallace Plaza, a monument and amenity built around the time of the millennium that commemorates the Waterford born composer.

The Mall is a fine Georgian thoroughfare, built by the Wide Streets Commission in order to extend the city southwards. It contains some of the city's finest Georgian architecture. The People's Park, Waterford's largest and finest park, is located nearby.

Ferrybank is Waterford city's only suburb north of the river. It contains a village centre of its own, and is often perceived as being somewhat isolated from the city, probably due to the wide expanse of the Suir, and the lack of convenient access between north and south of the river.

Events:
Spraoi
The Spraoi festival, organised by the Spraoi theatre company, is held in Waterford during the summer each year. It attracts crowds in the region of anywhere up to 80,000 people.

Waterford International Festival of Light Opera
The Waterford International Festival of Light Opera is an annual event that has been held in the Theatre Royal since 1959.

The Tall Ships
The Tall Ships festival, held in Waterford in 2005, marked the start of the Tall Ships race of that year. The Suir river provided a perfect berthing location for the numerous tall ships that lined the north and south quays, for almost a week. The festival attracted in the region of 450,000 people to the city in what was the biggest event ever held in Waterford or the south east. On the 27th of March, 2007, it was confirmed that Waterford will host the start of the Tall Ships race again in 2011.

There are 2 third level institutions in Waterford: Waterford Institute of Technology, which is currently being considered for university status and the Waterford College of Further Education.

Bus: Bus services are provided by Bus Éireann to all major Irish centres, and by JJ Kavanagh & Sons to locations such as Dublin and Carlow. The Bus Éireann station is located on the quays opposite Dooleys Hotel and J.J. Kavanagh & Sons stop at both the Bus Éireann station and on Parnell St. Bus Éireann have ten daily services to Dublin Monday to Saturday with five on a Sunday. J.J. Kavanagh & Sons have ten daily departures to Dublin Monday to Saturday and nine on a Sunday.

Rail: The main train station at Waterford City is Plunkett station. It is located across Edmund Rice bridge on the north side of the Suir. Waterford railway station opened on 26 August 1864. There are seven daily connections to Dublin, including the new early commuter departure at 06:10, implemented in 2006; 3 daily connections to Limerick Junction; and 1 daily connection to Rosslare Europort.

There are no direct lines between Waterford and Cork, although a change at Limerick Junction allows passengers to join the Dublin-Cork line. There is a direct line between Waterford and Limerick, but passengers must change at Limerick Junction on all services. There is also a direct line to Rosslare Europort.

A western rail corridor, linking Claremorris and Ennis, is included in the government's Transport 21 plan, due to complete in 2014. This corridor will make services between Waterford and Galway and Westport possible. It is also intended in the future to develop the line between Claremorris to Collooney, which will make services between Waterford and Sligo possiblle.