People Before Profit have called for the establishment of a Maritime Museum in Waterford. Most Port Cities in Ireland and elsewhere have long established maritime museums, as do many seaside towns.
From the time of the settlement of Portláirge, and the establishment of the fortified town of Vedarfjordr by the Vikings, the City has had a strong connection with sea-faring; with international trade; with shipbuilding, especially in the Nineteenth Century; with Atlantic fishing; and with communities in Newfoundland. The Three Ships Crest, a symbol of Waterford’s importance in the maritime world, has been in use from the time of the first City Charter in the Fourteenth Century.
Down the years people Before Profit has called for a mile long Linear Park along the South Quays, from Grattan Quay/Rice Bridge to Adelphi Quay. Our vision includes boardwalks, performance areas, trees, sculptures, seating, play areas an outdoor gym and a suitable venue to display the artifacts and stories of the sea-faring heritage of Waterford. We ask the Waterford City and County Council to consider the site behind the former Clyde shipping office on the Quay as a suitable site for a Maritime Museum.
When the Tall Ships Festival came to Waterford in 2005 and again in 2011, the Labour movement, represented by the Waterford Council of Trade Unions, organised events which remembered and drew lessons from the workers’ contribution to Waterford’s maritime history. It continues to keep that memory alive through its annual involvement in the Imagine Festival, and its Booze, Blaas and Banter events.
The significance and value to the community of Waterford’s maritime heritage could and should, says PBP, be recognised and remembered in a local maritime history museum.
