Waterford (Irish: Contae Phort Láirge , the English name comes from the Old Norse Vedrafjörður ) is a municipality in Ireland. It is part of the South East region and is also of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Waterford, which derives from the Old Norse name Veðrafjǫrðr orVedrarfjord . There is an Irish-speaking area, Gaeltacht na nDéise in the southwestern part of the county. Waterford City and County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county at large, including the city, is 113,795 according to the census of 2011.

Geography and political subdivisions

County Waterford has two mountain ranges, the Knockmealdown mountains and the Comeragh Mountains. The highest point in the county Knockmealdown, at 794. It also has many rivers, including Ireland’s third longest river Suir (184 km); and Ireland’s fourth longest river, the Blackwater River (168 km). There are over 30 [ citation needed ] beaches along Water volcanic [citation needed ] coastline. A large stretch of the coast, known as the Copper Coast has been designated UNESCO Geopark, a place of great geological importance. The area around the Ring (An Rinn) is a Gaeltacht, an Irish-speaking area.

Waterford City is the county seat, before the merger of the two Waterford authorities in June 2014 Dungarvan was the county seat [1] of Waterford County Council.

baronies

There are eight historic baronies in the county: Coshmore and Coshbride, Decies-in-Drum, Decies-without-Drum, Gaultiere, Glenahiry, middle third, Upper Third and Waterford City.

Towns and Villages

  • Abbey Side Affane, Aglish, Anne Town, a Rinn, Ardmore
  • Ballinacourty, Ballinameela, Ballinamult, Ballinroad, Ballybeg, Ballybricken, Bally Lower, Upper Bally, Ballydurn, Bally Gunner, Ballylaneen, Ballymacarbry, Ballymacart, Ballynaneashagh, Ballysaggart, Ballytruckle, Bilberry, Bunmahon, Butlerstown
  • Cappoquin, Carrickbeg, Carriglea, Cheekpoint, Clash More, Clonea-Power, Clonea Strand, Colligan, Coolnasmear, Crooke
  • Dungarvan, Dunhill, Dunmore East
  • dunhill
  • Faha, Faithlegg, Fins, Ferry Bank, Fews, Four Mile Water
  • Glencairn, Grange
  • Helvick Head
  • Kilbrien, Kilgobinet, Guy, Killea, Kilmacthomas, Kilmanahan, Kilmeaden, Kilrossanty, Kilwatermoy, Kinsalebeg, Knockanore
  • Lemybrien, Lisduggan, Lismore
  • Mahon Bridge, Minehead, Modeligo, Mothel, Mount Congreve, Mount Mellaray
  • New city
  • Old Parish
  • Passage East, Portlaw
  • Rathgormack
  • Sliabh gCua, Stradbally
  • Tallow, Tramore, Touraneena, Tourin, Tycor
  • Waterford, Whitechurch, Whiting Bay, Woods
  • Villiers Town

History

Waterford is colloquially called “The Deise” pronounced “day-sha” (Irish: An Deise ). Sometime between the 4th and 8th centuries, a tribe of native Gaelic people called Deisi have run from the southern county Meath / Kildare North, conquer and settled there. The ancient principality on the Deise today is roughly coincides with the current Catholic Diocese of Waterford and Lismore.

The westernmost of baronies are “Decies Drum” and “Decies without Drum”, separated by drum Fineen hills. [8]

There are many megalithic tombs and ogham stones [9] in the county. The Viking influence can still be seen by Reginald Tower, one of the first buildings to use a brick-and-mortar construction method in Ireland. Woods was a settlement dating back to the 9th century discovered 5.5 kilometers west of Waterford city. It was the largest settlement outside of Scandinavia and the only large-scale 9th century Viking settlement discovered so far in Western Europe. Other architectural features are the product of the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland and its effects.

Local governments and politics

1 June 2014 Waterford City and County Council is the local authority for Waterford. The authority was formed after the merger of Waterford City Council and Waterford County Council. The merger occurred as a result of municipal Reform Act 2014. Each municipality is ranked as the first level local administrative units NUTS 3 southeastern region of Eurostat purposes.There are 31 LAU 1 units in Ireland. The local authority is responsible for some local services such as sanitation, planning and development, libraries, collection of motor taxation, local roads and social housing.

The county is part of the South constituency for the application of the EU elections. For elections to Dáil Éireann, the county is part of the two constituencies: Waterford and Tipperary South. Together back seven deputies (TDs) to the Dáil. The Electoral (Amendment) Act 2009 defines Waterford constituency as “county of Waterford, except the part thereof, incorporated in constituency Tipperary South ,. And the city of Waterford “[10]

Gaeltacht

Gaeltacht na nDéise is a Gaeltacht area of Co. Waterford consists of the parish of An Rinn and a Sean Phobal . Gaeltacht na nDéise is 10 km from the town of Dungarvan, has a population of 1,784 people (2011 census) and covers a geographical area of 62 km 2 . According to the comprehensive linguistic study of the use of Irish in the Gaeltacht (revised), the proportion of daily Irish speakers in Gaeltacht na nDéise was 46.04% (2014). [11]

See also

  • High Sheriff of County Waterford
  • Lord Lieutenant of Waterford
  • List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Waterford)
  • Saint Declan

References

  1. Jump up ^ “Waterford County Council website.”
  2. Jump up ^ For the 1653 and 1659 figures from the Civil Survey Census of those years, the paper Mr. Hardinge Royal Irish Academy March 14, 1865.
  3. Jump up ^ “Census of record 1821 figures.”. Cso.ie. Pulled 08/08/2014.
  4. Jump up ^ histpop.org
  5. Jump up ^ “NISRA – Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (c) 2013 ‘. Nisranew.nisra.gov.uk. 2010-09-27. Pulled 08/08/2014.
  6. Jump up ^ Lee, JJ (1981). “On the accuracy of pre-famine Irish censuses”. In the Gold Strom, JM; Clarkson, LA Irish population, economy and society: Essays in Honour of the late KH Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
  7. Jump up ^ Mokyr, Joel, O Grada, Cormac (November 1984). “New Developments in the Irish population history, 1700-1850”. The Economic History Review. 37 (4) :. 473-488 doi: 10.1111 / j.1468 -0289.1984.tb00344.x.
  8. Jump up ^ Egan, PM (20 November 2004) [1893]. “Early Waterford History 2. Decies”. History of Waterford. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
  9. Jump up ^ “Prehistoric Waterford graves, dolmens and standing stones”. Prehistoricwaterford.com.
  10. Jump up ^ “Electoral (Amendment) Act 2009: Schedule”. Irish Statute Book database. Retrieved 29 September of 2010.
  11. Jump up ^http://www.udaras.ie/media/pdf/002910_Udaras_Nuashonr%C3%BA_FULL_report_A4_FA.pdf