Catherine Drea: Welcome to Vedrafjord

Welcome to Vedrafjord, the cleanest city in Ireland in one of the five safest countries in the world! 

As the tourist season ramps up, it’s time to appreciate once again how lucky we are to live here. 

Of course, we are not the first people to relish our beautiful landscape and people. Neolithic tribes, Vikings, Normans and of course the Sasanachs, have been coming here for thousands of years. The latest excavations in Woodstown demonstrate yet again that the Norwegians had a hankering for Waterford too.

While chatting to the team of Irish and Norwegian archaeologists from Stavanger University at the Woodstown site, I was never more conscious of the journey made by the Vikings visiting our shores. How in the name of who knows what did they manage to pack up everything into their long boats and find their way here to Waterford over a thousand years ago? I could only marvel at their seafaring expertise and their ability to build and sustain a community in a strange land.

Their ancient settlement at Woodstown, which has recently been partially excavated, is a fine example of Viking skills and their ambition. Last week I signed up for a guided tour of the site and was treated to a very sunny, exciting, and informative outing there. Walking down an ancient Viking street we were told of the extent of this community, its long house, and up to 64 houses. I know that you are now imagining yours truly meandering through ruins in a kind of Waterford Pompeii. I wish. This Viking street through their small village is entirely imaginary as the whole settlement is completely buried under farmland.

The site was discovered by accident in 2003 when the N25 was supposed to plough through there. Thankfully when they were excavating for the new road these Viking remains were identified and thanks to protests, the road was moved further inland. If nothing else, we now have an open river vista and a magnificent Greenway all along the side of the River Suir. So, this discovery also delivered a beautiful amenity much better than having a major road built there.

I think we should thank our lucky stars that the land was saved and procured by Waterford City and County Council. I understand that a full excavation is very unlikely to happen, but it would be wonderful to see some further excavations as already the archaeologists are finding such interesting artifacts.

Amongst the finds, shared with us on the tour, were pieces from pots, a small and perfectly formed hammerhead, a small piece of metal probably manufactured from some stolen precious objects, and a game piece perfectly formed into a circle, possibly made from glass. These fragments from so long ago are fascinating to see up close, even though they are raw and muddy.

By the way it amused us no end that the Norwegian archaeologists also apologized for the mad rampaging of the Vikings who stole so many of our precious religious objects! This plundering and pillaging probably led to the amount of silverware and precious artifacts that have been found buried near monasteries or in farmland over the years. The natives were so demented by invaders that in the end they tried to hide what they had left.

So, what will we do with this wonderful Viking settlement site? One of my fellow travellers on that tour of the site came up with a great suggestion. Perhaps as the site is so close to SETU, an archaeology degree could be developed allowing students access to one of the most significant Viking sites to be found in Ireland. As part of the proposed course, and with Woodstown so close by, there would be at least a hundred years of excavation to be undertaken by students. Wouldn't that be a fantastic opportunity for both students and Waterford Council to further excavate and learn about our earliest Viking visitors.

I like to imagine that those Vikings and all the other invaders before and since were utterly charmed by the beauty of our landscape here in Waterford. My two new German friends certainly were. After the spectacular tour of Woodstown, I was able to bring them to the Lafcadio Hearn Gardens in Tramore to see the new Kokoro Cafe. What a beautiful building it is with amazing views of Tramore Bay from the terrace. There is also a meeting room, which can accommodate a hundred people. What a wonderful project.

The icing on the cake was a magical performance by the Dúnaill Folk Group, followed by a walk around the stunning gardens. Their harmonies are so beautiful, and my German friend hugged me tight saying thank you for this, it was so special!

Walking and sharing these gems with my tourist friends they remarked how relaxed they felt, how liberated by the sea air and the relaxed people of Ireland. Where would we go next? Well, there are so many options that all they could say was that they are coming back next year and bringing another friend too.

To be honest, this is the usual reaction I get when I share my favourite places and people with friends who are visiting. So, I have no doubt that this is why a few stray Vikings wheedled their way into the community and like so many other wanderers just became one of us.