Waterford revival: the reinvention of Ireland’s oldest city

From Viking history, to its wild coastline and even its ‘damp’ weather, Waterford has taken its natural assets and run with them

It was a pretty long interregnum, about 1,000 years, but Waterford is once again a hot travel destination.

The Vikings were the first to popularise this corner of south-east Ireland, liking it so much they settled, built a town and called it Vadrarfjordr, Norse for “winter port”, around AD914. There was no better refuge for weary raiders to rest and recuperate.