Discover Alone
“Older than my gran’s grudge.”
Hook Lighthouse. Stand here and you’re looking at eight hundred years of stubborn stone. It’s the second oldest operating lighthouse in the world, right after the Tower of Hercules in Spain. Pretty impressive for a building that looks like it’s just having a good old time. It marks the eastern entrance to Waterford Harbour, so it’s doing a serious job for the Commissioners of Irish Lights. The wind here could peel the paint off your face, so keep your eyes open. Legends say there’s a ghost or a dragon, but mostly it’s just you and the Atlantic. It’s rugged, it’s historic, and it absolutely does not care if you’re cold. That’s the spirit, lads. Don’t forget to wipe your feet.
Photo: Athena Flickr, CC BY 2.0
Then Tom went looking for the oddest places around it.
Stop 2 · Hop back in the car, 5 minutes
Houseland Castle
“Rubble with a PhD in attitude.”
Houseland Castle handles nosey neighbours by pretending to be a very serious pile of rubble with standards. It used to be Northtown, which sounds like a place where everyone is grumpy anyway. Ten minutes here and you'll have a yarn for the pub.
Located on a slight S-facing slope. References to Houseland, then called Northtown as the most northerly townland in Hook parish, date from 1471 when Andrew FitzRedmond held a messuage or house and 80 acres there (Hore 1900-11, vol. 4, 347-8). Hook parish was…
From the National Monuments Service (Archaeological Survey of Ireland) record WX049-013Photo: Sean O Briain, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Stop 3 · 10 minutes down the road
Dunmore East Harbour
“Seagull stole the keeper’s lunch.”
Dunmore East Harbour has a lighthouse that looks like it’s trying too hard to impress the sea with its Doric column flair! I heard the most dramatic thing ever happened there when a seagull stole the keeper’s dinner, causing a three-day food riot. Alexander Nimmo designed it beautifully, but honestly, it looks like it’s posing for a statue. Keep your eyes on the water and not just the light!
Freestanding single-bay three-stage granite ashlar lighthouse, built 1824, on a polygonal plan comprising tapered fluted shaft with moulded cornice having single-bay single-stage lantern over with ogee-domed capping. Ogee-domed sheet metal-lined capping to…
From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 22817063Photo: John Stephen Reid, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Stop 4 · Next door
Harbour and Park walk.
“Gossip smells like tar and regret.”
Harbour and Park walk keeps its secrets tight until after a few pints, when it starts spilling the beans about which boat captain kissed whom behind the shed. It’s got that salty, gossipy energy, smelling of tar and old rumours that refuse to die no matter how much wind blows through. Spot the oldest stone and give it a name.
Harbour and Park walk. is recorded as a walking route in County Waterford.
From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) r1102810Photo: Paul O'Farrell, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Stop 5 · Hop back in the car, 5 minutes
The White Lady
“Stone lady is on a diet.”
The White Lady gave up meat for Lent last year because she felt a bit guilty about standing on all those little bugs. She’s a striking standing stone, but I’m sure she’d prefer we didn't call her 'White' as that’s a lot of pressure. Pack a picnic and an excuse.
The White Lady is recorded as an archaeological place in County Waterford.
From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) n5531263229Photo: JackStonePGD, CC BY-SA 3.0
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The whole day on one map
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