Tides & Tales launch brand new website
Andrew Doherty, founder and website curator Tides and Tales.
Tides & Tales Maritime Community Project CLG has officially launched their new and improved website.
The site is a veritable treasure trove of Déise maritime history, easily accessible to all. The project preserves the rich history of Waterford Harbour and the three sister rivers; the Barrow, Nore and Suir.
Creator and curator Andrew Doherty was there to welcome attendees at the official launch at Central Library and to show off the new portal.
He explained how the site has a cleaner, sleeker look, enhanced Search Engine Optimization (SEO), better search options, site options, retail facilities and donations to offset running costs.
Andrew said: "The site has stories from the present to Celtic times, accounts of fishermen, sailors, ships, trades, shipwrecks, rescues, heroes and villains and the stories of ordinary people leading extraordinary lives.
"The changes to the site mean that these are now more searchable and readable and it’s reassuring to know that as we now approach 500 stories, freely available, that the content is secure for the foreseeable future."
Chair of the voluntary board Breda Murphy was also there to welcome the guests and to go over the development of the project.
Breda said: "It quickly expanded to include the neighbouring fishing communities of Passage and Dunmore and across to the Wexford side.
"Now the catchment area includes Waterford, the Harbour and the Three Sisters Rivers (Barrow, Nore and Suir).
"The project has evolved in other ways too; guided walks, history talks, radio and TV appearances, publications, demonstrations and dealing with an every growing flood of queries from across the world."
She continued: "In 2023 the Tides and Tales committee was formed and in 2024 we registered as a CLG. The committee recognises the need to put this project on a sustainable footing and ensure its continuation into the future.
"It is built on a solid foundation of 10 years of community engagement. It is a bottom-up development, one that evolved organically from the community.
"Tides and Tales works in partnership with other community and statutory groups."
