Waterford

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This article is about the city in Ireland. For other uses of the name, see Waterford (disambiguation).

Template:Infobox Irish Place Waterford (Irish: Port Lairge) is, historically, the capital of County Waterford in Ireland, though today the city is administered separately from the county, the latter having its seat in Dungarvan.

Waterford was Ireland's first city, founded by the vikings in 914 AD. Today Waterford is the fifth largest city in the Republic of Ireland.

In April 2003 an important site combining a 5th century Iron Age and 9th century Viking settlement was discovered at Woodstown near the city.

1 History
2 Sister cities
3 Today
4 See also
5 External links

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History

Main article - History of Waterford

Viking raiders first established a settlement at Waterford in 853. Waterford and all the other longphorts were vacated in 902, the Vikings having being driven out by the native Irish. The Vikings re-established themselves in Ireland at Waterford in 914 and built what would be Ireland's first city.

In 1137, Diarmuid MacMorrough, king of Leinster, failed in an attempt to take Waterford. He returned in 1170 with Norman mercenaries under Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (Strongbow); together they besieged and took Waterford after a desperate defence. This was the introduction of the Anglo-Normans into Ireland. In 1171, Henry II of England landed at Waterford. Waterford and Dublin were declared royal cities, Dublin was declared capital of Ireland.

Throughout the medieval period, Waterford was Ireland's second city after Dublin. In the 15th century Waterford repelled two pretenders to the English throne: Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck. As a result, King Henry VII gave the city its motto: Urbs Intacta Manet Waterfordia (Waterford remains the untaken city). Image:Waterfordcathedral.jpg After the Protestant Reformation, Waterford remained a Catholic city and participated in the confederation of Kilkenny-an independent Catholic government from 1642-49. This was ended abruptly by Oliver Cromwell, who brought the country back firmly under British rule; his nephew Henry Ireton finally took Waterford in 1650 after a major siege.

The 18th century was a period of huge prosperity for Waterford. Most of the city's best architecture appeared during this time. In the 19th century, great industries such as glass making and ship building thrived in the city.

In July 1922, Waterford was the scene of hard fighting between Irish Free State and Irish Republican troops during the Irish Civil War.

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Sister cities

Image:Flag of Canada.svg St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Image:Flag of the United States.svg Rochester, New York, USA

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Today

Image:Waterfordquay.jpg Statistics from the Central Statistics Office Census 2002 show that the population within the city is 44,594, whilst the greater urban population is 46,736. Waterford's effective population is much larger than this, with many people living in the towns and villages surrounding the city: the largest of these is Tramore (pop. 8,305) and the city borders County Kilkenny and County Waterford which have 11,459 and 18,353 respectively near the city boundaries.

Waterford is also an important education and industrial centre, and like other coastal cities this has had an impact in the economy and society. The most famous product of the city is Waterford Crystal which originated when a glassmaking factory was opened in the city in 1783. Waterford Institute of Technology is a modern college located in the city and was founded in 1970, it is renowned for its gaelic games capabilities and its school of business. The city is also the location of several other noted colleges and schools.

The city is an important transport centre, the Iarnród Éireann railway system has lines to Dublin, Limerick and Wexford. Several important roads in Ireland meet at Waterford, the N9 road is the main road to Dublin (via the N7 road) and also passes Kilkenny, Carlow, and Kildare, among others.

Waterford Airport and the Port of Waterford are two important infrastructural sites in presenting the city as a regional city and centre.

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