Press Releases

March 2005

21th Mar 2005 - Professor Howard Clarke of UCD lecture "Was Woodstown a Town?"
14th Mar 2005 - Action Group Welcome Minister Roche's Commitmant to Excavate Woodstown
1st Mar 2005 - SVWAG look at Options for Excavations at Woodstown

21st March

Professor Howard Clarke to Speak at Save Viking Waterford Lecture

The Save Viking Waterford Action Group are pleased to announce that on Thursday 31st March at 8pm, Professor Howard Clarke of UCD will be giving a lecture on Viking Woodstown in the Tower Hotel, in Waterford. The title of the lecture will be "Was Woodstown a Town?"

Professor Clarke is Ireland’s foremost historian on the origins of Irish cities with 4 volumes of his own on the history of Dublin. He has also been editor or joint-editor of a further 15 books on a variety of Irish cities and towns including Athlone, Kilkenny, Maynooth, Downpatrick and Fethard and, as joint-editor of the Irish Historic Towns Atlas, he is involved in the forthcoming Royal Irish Academy volume on the history of Waterford.

In addition to his interest in urban history, Professor Clarke has also published extensively on Viking history and
warfare, both within and without Ireland and was joint editor of the volume, Ireland and Scandinavia in the Early
Viking Age (Dublin, 1998). Other interests include the economic and cultural history of medieval Europe;
Anglo-Saxon charters; monastic cartularies; the English west midlands and late medieval Provence.

Professor Clarke was a founding member of the Friends of Medieval Dublin and was heavily involved in the campaign to save Wood Quay in Dublin in the late 1970s. He is also a Director of the Medieval Trust which runs the independent interpretative centre of Dublinia as well as the Honorary Director of the Research Lodge which is based in the centre. Dublinia, located in the former Synod Hall of the Church of Ireland, beside Christchurch Cathedral, is now an integral part of the tourist infrastructure of Dublin. It was developed for education and research purposes and is based primarily on the late Viking and Anglo-Norman material excavated at Wood Quay. The range of their visitors is such that they provide information in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish while detailed teacher’s packs, together with lists of recommended reading, and student worksheets are also provided.

The chair of the Save Viking Waterford Action Group, Dr Catherine Swift pointed out: "Dublinia is a successful and research-based interpretative centre. It is in within walking distance of the early Viking exhibition in Kildare Street and this proximity strengthens rather than weakens its attraction for visitors. The two separate museums allow one to see not only the Vikings as they were when they first arrived but how they contributed to the development, history and culture of a great Irish city".

14th March 2005

Action Group Welcome Minister Roche's Commitmant to Excavate Woodstown

The save Viking Waterford Action Group have welcomed the written commitment of Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche to a full excavation of Woodstown. The Minister in a written response to a question concerning the future of Woodstown wrote: "I have recently visited the Viking site at Woodstown and indicated that I am minded, subject to the statutory procedures, to direct its preservation pending the development of proposals for future archaeological investigation."

Dr Catherine Swift, chair of the Save Viking Waterford Action Group welcomed the Minister’s statement of intent. "This is wonderful news. It seems clear from the Minister’s words that there is no intention to abandon the site without further investigation. Waterford City Council will not be left in possession of land which can only be used for rough grazing. Instead, we can look forward to an on-going programme of research on and about the site. It is time now for the Minister to follow through on this commitment and provide funds for the excavation".

"In a week when we are celebrating St Patrick’s day, we have to remember that work in 2004 at Woodstown uncovered evidence for fortification of the settlement site dating back to Patrick’s own day. That is unique in Ireland and indeed in Wales where the Déise were setting up colonies at the time our patron saint came to Ireland. Woodstown is going to provide us with really interesting new evidence about the culture of this part of Ireland and about our relations with Roman Wales just at the time when the Romans were abandoning Britain and the Dark Ages were beginning".

"That’s not to minimize the importance of the Viking settlement either. There was a very important conference on the archaeological excavations at Wexford over the weekend. Over and over again, senior figures from the Department of the Environment, the National Museum as well as local historians and archaeologists stressed the importance of the Woodstown".

"Soon after Woodstown first hit the headlines in May 2004, Minister Cullen told the Dáil committee – "It is a magnificent find" and in reply to a point put by Deputy Gilmore, he said: "Does the Deputy not think that, as a Waterford man, I have a sense of enjoyment in this? Is he suggesting that somebody born and reared in Waterford is not absolutely delighted that something of such significance has been found? Either he does not know me at all, or people are painting me into some corner. I am absolutely delighted. It will be great."

"In a week when Minister Roche is announcing an ongoing programme of investigation at Woodstown, it gives SVWAG enormous pleasure to quote such whole-hearted endorsement of the site’s importance for Waterford’s future".

01 March 2005

Action Group Look at Options For Woodstown Excavation

Following the announcement by Minister Dick Roche that he intends to submit to the advice of the National Raids Authority by re-routing the Waterford bypass to preserve the Woodstown Viking Site; the Save Viking Waterford Action Group has begun to look at options for the eventual excavation of the site.

Dr Catherine Swift, chairperson of the Save Viking Waterford Action Group (SVWAG) stated: "Assuming the road is re-routed, although the Minister has yet to consult with the Director of the National Museum as required under the National Monuments Act 2004, it is now up to the people of Waterford to decide what they want for the future of Woodstown. We are no longer at the mercy of the road-builders schedule; we can take the time to discuss all our options and work out what is the best way forward for the development of this magnificent resource. A large portion of the site is in public ownership, under the jurisdiction of Waterford City Council; in a very real sense, therefore, the citizens of the south-east are now in charge of their own heritage."

A debate at a SVWAG organised public meeting with Professor Donnchadh Ó Corráin in the Tower Hotel on Thursday last saw the discussion of possible models of development for the site. Representatives of the trade union movement, political parties and archaeologists and historians working in the south-east attended the public lecture. The debate concluded with an agreement that the campaign should explore the possibilities of a long-term excavation, which would roll over from year to year and which would be directed and carried out by a Waterford-based group of experts.

Dr Swift pointed out: "Before they decided they’d prefer to avoid the expense, the NRA was talking of a huge dig which would be run at top speed, parachuting in hundreds of diggers and creating enormous strains for Ireland’s conservation labs. Going for that approach almost invariably causes costs to spiral and makes it very difficult to produce publications. Diggers disappear to the next job and the director has been so busy running his enormous team he has very little idea of what’s been going on. The result is that you pay huge amounts of money and you get less information as a result."

"It makes much more sense to have a year by year plan where you open a small area each season and record your findings during the winter. If you approach it that way, you can profit from the expertise that already exists in Waterford, but also utilise training and education programmes. In addition, it’s good for tourism with the possibility that school groups and visitors can come and see the excavation from year to year."

"For the moment, that’s the vision for the future the SVWAG will be working towards, but we welcome all comments from interested parties to 086-0679708 or to save@vikingwaterford.com. Woodstown belongs to all of us; any proposals for its future must be based on consensus and co-operation."