Waterford County Museum

22/10/2026

𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞

Waterford County Museum will be closed, due to essential maintenance work from Monday 2nd November 2026 and will reopen on Monday 9th November 2026. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

22/10/2026

𝐔𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐭. 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲’𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡, 𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧
𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝/𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭.

St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Mitchell Street, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford will celebrate its 200th Anniversary in 2028. Over the past 200 years there have been significant changes to the interior of the Church and its surrounds. Over the past 100 years some of these changes may have been captured in the form of written documents, photographs, video recordings, or in statues/artifacts that were removed from the Church.

St. Mary’s Parish Pastoral Council, in conjunction with Waterford County Museum, Dungarvan are seeking the public’s assistance in relation to obtaining information, photographs and/or artifacts of historical interest relating to the Church building and its surrounds.

Should you be able to provide any of the above, it would be greatly appreciated if you could contact Waterford County Museum, or St. Mary’s Parish Church at the contact details below.

Waterford County Museum,
St. Augustine Street,
Dungarvan,
Co. Waterford
X35 NW63
Tel: 058-45960
[email protected]

St. Mary’s Parish Church,
Mitchell St.,
Dungarvan,
Co. Waterford
X35 KD56
Tel: 058-42374
Email: [email protected]

22/10/2026

𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐦 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔/𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕
𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

Last Tuesday night , October 20th, despite the very inclement weather, we had a good attendance at the museum’s first evening lecture, given by Waterford City and County archivist Joanne Rothwell. Joanne gave very insightful, humorous and entertaining talk about Burying Our Dead – 19th Century Bureaucracy and Burial Grounds in Waterford.

22/10/2026

𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲, 𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟔
Mocollup Castle
An engraving of Mocollop Castle. Originally built c.1220, Mocollop Castle was rebuilt by the Fitzgeralds in c.15th century. Macollop House built c.19th century, burned in 1984.
Original engraving. Dublin Penny Journal 26th April 1834. Artist: Edward Hayden.

16/10/2026

𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐦.
This week we welcomed two Australian visitors to the County Waterford Museum, to meet with local, historian Eddie Cantwell and the museum’s curator Willie Fraher. These were Jesse Stubbs and his wife Lucinda Stubbs, Jesse is the first of his family to visit Ireland and Waterford and is the fourth great grandson of an Ellen Looney from Cappoquin, County Waterford. Here are some brief details about Ellen:

Ellen Looney from Cappoquin was the daughter of John Looney and Honora O’Connor. Ellen was sixteen when she was shipped out from Dungarvan workhouse. After settling at Purdeet (Squatter Run) with sponsored employment for one year, Ellen married Robert Downey of Spring Creek, Victoria, in the Penshurst district on 20th July 1850, at the St Patrick's Roman Catholic School House in Belfast (Port Fairy), Victoria. Robert Downey was a bullock dray carrier and was accidentally killed in 1870, after falling off his dray. His young son Robert was with him when the accident occurred. He was survived by eleven children. The family resided at Hawkesdale, Victoria. Ellen Downey (Looney) remarried Timothy Ahearn in 1875 and had one other child named Catherine Ahearn commonly known in the Penshurst district as ‘Kitty.’ Catherine Ahearn married John Timothy McLeod. Ellen Ahearn née Looney from out of Cappoquin died on 25 May 1919, at Penshurst, Victoria, Australia, and was buried with her second husband Timothy Ahearn at the Boram Boram Cemetery just outside Penshurst Victoria.

In the photo from left to right are Lucinda Stubbs, Jesse Stubbs, Eddie Cantwell and Museum Curator Willie Fraher

15/10/2026

𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐦 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔/𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕

𝐀𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫, 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐮𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡.
𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐭, 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐔𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐞.
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝟎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔

𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐞, 𝐒𝐭 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭, 𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧.

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: 𝟕.𝟑𝟎𝐩𝐦

𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 – 𝐉𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥

𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝 – 𝟏𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝.
𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: ‘𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝!’ 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.
𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 €𝟓

15/10/2026

𝐔𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐭. 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲’𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡, 𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧
𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝/𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭

St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Mitchell Street, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford will celebrate its 200th Anniversary in 2028. Over the past 200 years there have been significant changes to the interior of the Church and its surrounds. Over the past 100 years some of these changes may have been captured in the form of written documents, photographs, video recordings, or in statues/artifacts that were removed from the Church.

St. Mary’s Parish Pastoral Council, in conjunction with Waterford County Museum, Dungarvan are seeking the public’s assistance in relation to obtaining information, photographs and/or artifacts of historical interest relating to the Church building and its surrounds.

Should you be able to provide any of the above, it would be greatly appreciated if you could contact Waterford County Museum, or St. Mary’s Parish Church at the contact details below.

Waterford County Museum,
St. Augustine Street,
Dungarvan,
Co. Waterford
X35 NW63
Tel: 058-45960
[email protected]

St. Mary’s Parish Church,
Mitchell St.,
Dungarvan,
Co. Waterford
X35 KD56
Tel: 058-42374
Email: [email protected]

15/10/2026

15/10/2026

𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲, 𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟓

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞

An engraving of Strancally Castle with a ship and boats on the River Blackwater.
Original engraving by F. G. Bruce. Artist: George Heyden. Dublin Penny Journal Vol. 3, Issue No. 105, 5th July 1834.

Strancally castle on the west bank of the River blackwater, County Waterford.
The original medieval stronghold on the grounds, which dates back to the Desmond Normans, and the 19th-century estate have a fascinating—and slightly sinister—local history, including infamous legends of a secret "murdering hole" trapdoor above the river. The neo-Gothic castle was built around 1830 by the renowned architects George and James Pain for John Keily, a prominent MP and High Sheriff of Waterford. In 1856.