Dungarvan

Dungarvan is 15 minutes drive from Newtown Farm Bed & Breakfast, a small port and market town 30 miles west of Waterford city. The administrative centre of the county, it is situated at Dungarvan Harbour where the River Colligan enters the sea. The name comes from the foundation of a monastery by St. Garvan in the seventh century. The Norman Prince John came to the town in 1185 and as a result a castle was built, (King John's Castle is now open to the public during the summer months). The town itself owes its foundations to the Anglo-Normans in the 12th century, but was substantially reconstructed by the Duke of Devonshire in the 19th century. At The Lookout, there is a plaque to lifeboatmen who were involved with the Moresby rescue when the ship foundered with great loss of life on Christmas Eve, 1895. There is a published Town Walking Trail which encompasses the many fascinating points of interest in Dungarvan. Be sure and visit the award winning Waterford County Museum on St. Augustine street in the heart of the town.

Dungarvan is an excellent fishing town. Deep Sea Angling Boats are available for charter from Dungarvan Charter Boats. Deep-sea and in-shore angling are particularly good in this area. Other sporting facilities include three excellent 18-hole Golf Courses and for the more active, yachting and windsurfing are also available. As you travel into the town from the west, you will pass an impressive monument beside the road. This commemorates the champion greyhound 'Master McGrath'. This talented dog won the Waterloo Cup three times in the 1860s.

Seven miles south of Dungarvan is an area called Ring or, in Irish, An Rinn. It is the second most easterly Irish-speaking area in the country. This is an excellent opportunity to sample traditional Irish life, where regular Irish music sessions are held in the local pubs to entertain everybody. The Seanchaí pub on the Youghal road is one such example. The annual Féile Na nDéise festival celebrates traditional Irish culture each May bank holiday weekend.

Travelling to and from Dungarvan is easy with regular express bus services to Cork, Waterford and Dublin. For the wine-lovers amongst you, you may be interested in taking a short journey to nearby Cappoquin. The Vineyard is a family run business open daily where you can sample some of the pure Irish grape wine produced from their 2000 vines.

More information on Dungarvan can be found on the Dungarvan Tourism web site.