WATERFORD - NEW ROSS -
JFK PARK - DUNBRODY ABBEY-
THE HOOK - WATERFORD

We have a panorama available of the Lighthouse at Hook Head. Click the picture below to view it.

WATERFORD TO NEW ROSS

Leave Waterford via the quay cross the bridge and turn right for New Ross N25

NEW ROSS TO JOHN F. KENNEDY PARK & ARBORETUM

Leave New Ross on the (N25) main Wexford road and follow the signs for John F. Kennedy Park and Arboretum. Dunganstown, signposted (right) oft this road, is the site of the Kennedy homestead, where John Kennedy's great-grandfather lived before emigrating to the US in the 19th century.

Ballinteskin par-3 golf is signposted right, 3 km further on. Tel: 051 422779.

The John F. Kennedy Park and Arboretum was opened in 1968 to commemorate the assassinated President of the United States. Over 4,500 species and varieties of trees and shrubs from all over the world are featured in the arboretum. During the summer months tours of the 252 ha park by pony and trap will add to the enjoyment of this wonderfully sculptured park, a perfect place to spend a few tranquil hours. Don't miss the spectacular viewing point on the slopes of Sliabh Coillte, the scenic walking trails and picnic facilities. There is a visitor center, audiovisual display and a coffee shop. Open all year. Tel: 051 388171.

JOHN F. KENNEDY PARK TO HOOK HEAD

Turn left when leaving the park and follow the Hook Head sign. Then follow the Arthurstown/Dungannon signs. Continue south, and where the main road swings sharply left, Kilmokea Gardens is signposted right. If arrangements have been made to visit the gardens, detour here. Turn left at the first T junction and continue until the entrance to the gardens appears, right. The mixture of formal and woodland gardens is fashioned around a late Georgian rectory and includes an early stone dovecote, a rock garden, Italian garden, loggia and pool, a Chilean fire bush and many more horticultural features. Open all year by appointment (groups only). Admission charge. Tel: 051 388109.

The tour continues to follow the Arthurstown/Duncannon signs to Dunbrody Abbey (National Monument), right, overlooking the estuary. It was founded in 1175 by Hervey de Montemarisco (or de Montmorency), the Marshall of Henry 11 and uncle of Strongbow, who became the first abbot. The church is one of the longest Cistercian churches in Ireland and has a nave, choir and transepts. The tower was added in the 15th century. A book store, chapter room, refectory and kitchen also survive in ruin.

The keyholder is signposted at the gate.

Across the road from the abbey, left, is the ruin of Dunbrody Castle, where a visitor center has been developed. This accommodates a small museum including a family doll's house, which is a scale replica of the castle. A full- size hedge maze, one of only two in Ireland, is a fascinating feature at the center. Other amenities include Dunbrody Craft Gallery, specialising in local art and hand crafts, a tearoom, a small pitch and putt course and a car park. The abbey and surrounding lands have been the property of the Marquis of Donegal since the 18th century. Dunbrody Park, the seat of the Templemores, is the private home of the Marquis whose son, Patrick, is associated with the visitor center. Open April to September. Admission charge to abbey and maze. Tel: 051 388603.

Continue to Arthurstown and Ballyhack, twin fishing villages at the neck of Waterford Harbour. The latter has a 15th or 16th century castle built on the site of a former Knights Hospitallers building. Two floors have been restored and accommodate a heritage information center as well as a facility for history lectures, which take place during the summer months. A prisoner's cell can also be seen and it is hoped to eventually have all five floors accessible to the public. There is an admission charge and the castle is open from April to September.

Tel: 051 389468.

Sli Charman, the Wexford Coastal Path, extends for 221km from here to Kilmichael Point in the north-cast corner of the county.

The car ferry from Ballyhack to Passage East in Waterford shortens the road to Waterford City and the south-west. Sailings run throughout the day from dawn to dusk, winter and summer. First sailing are at 07.20 weekdays and 09.30 on Sundays. Last sailing 22.00 summer, and 20.00 in the winter. Sailing time is 10 minutes.

Duncannon, the next port of call, is a most colourful and charming resort and fishing port. The name derives from an Iron Age fortification which occupied the site of the present fort - Dun means fort and Conain was the chieftain who built it. His contribution to history is uncertain and his fort was added to and subtracted from by Normans, English and latterly, by the Irish Army. The current structure owes much to the extensive reinforcements carried out in the 16th century, when the Spanish Armada threatened England, and to the crude ministrations of the Irish Army when the fort was used as a training base during the Second World War.

Although restoration work is in progress, there is good access to large parts of the fort and guided tours are conducted daily from June to August. There is an admission charge. Tel: 051 389454 or 051 389188.

The fort is also the assembly point for guided walking tours of the area from June to September. Walks outside this period can be arranged at the fort, or by calling Tel: 051 425028.

The village streets are full of character, the long, golden beach is a regular EC Blue Flag recipient, and the lighthouse has sent out its warning signals since 1744. Duncannon hosts its own summer festival each year, usually in the first week of July. A 9-hole par 3 golf course lies on the outskirts of the town. Tel: 051 389188.

The Hook Head Drive signs are now followed to Temple town, passing the lovely coves at Boles Strand and Dollar Bay on the way. If the day is fine, take advantage of the setting, the sand and the sea to enjoy a few hours of bliss on the glorious beaches.

Temple town medieval church has an interesting 13th century cross with an Agonies Die (lamb) symbol at the base. This lies to the left of the church and is thought to have associations with the Knights Templar who received much land around here from Henry 11 in 1172. When the Templar's were disbanded in 1307, their lands were given to the rival Knights Hospitallers who built the fortified church at Templetown. There is a memorial in the grounds to unknown sailors who were drowned off the coast during World War 1.

The imposing Loftus Hall (private) can be seen, right, as the tour continues. The first hall built on the site was for the Redmond family in the 13th century. After the political upheavals in the 17th century, the estate was granted to the Loftus family. The present building dates from 1872.

Continue towards Hook Head, first taking a short detour left to Slade, signposted at T junction. The castle (National Monument) overlooks a very picturesque fishing harbour where stands the remains of a salt house with a corbelled roof. The castle tower was probably built by the Laffans, a Gaelic family, in the late 15th or early 16th century while the attached house was built somewhat later. The castle passed into the hands of the Loftus estate after the Cromwellian wars. Above the harbour is a pleasant walk along the fretted shore.

Return to the drive and continue towards Hook Head. Hook Church, right, is a medieval parish church ruin believed to have been built on the site of St. Saviour's of Rinndeaun Monastery, founded in the 5th century by Dubhan, a Welsh missionary. Dubhan (Duan in Irish), means fish hook, and it was from the missionary that the Head got its name. A little further south is the remains of a 7th century limekiln.

A shipping beacon was probably maintained on Hook Head by the monks of Dubhan's monastery from very early times. The magnificent lighthouse tower dates from the late 12th or early 13th century when William, Earl Marshall, wanted to guide ships safely to his newly established port at New Ross. A lighthouse tops the tower, while the observation center and electronic equipment is, obviously, very modern. The lighthouse ceased to be manned on March 29, 1996 and is now automated. It is proposed to open it to the public in due course.

The limestone and sandstone promontory which is Hook Head harbours an abundance of fossils. Rocks on the peninsula have been dated back over two thousand million years and the division between the sandstone of the Devonian period and the Carboniferous limestone can be clearly identified.

The sea is rarely calm around Hook Head. The restless movement of the waves over ancient rocks, the fresh, salty, intoxicating air and the cry of the gulls and guillemots supported on the ever-present wind, add to the pure joy of standing at land's end. The clarity of the water attracts diving clubs who use the head as a training center. Naomh Seosamh Hotel in Fethard-on-Sea has an air compressor to facilitate divers. Tel: 051 397129.

In the spring and autumn the peninsula is an excellent observation point for ornithologists when migrating birds use it as a landfall.

Return to Ballyhack and take the ferry to Passage East. Passage East is an ancient port and is closely linked with pivotal times in Irish history. It was here Strongbow came ashore in 1170 to consolidate the Anglo- Norman foothold, tentatively made at Bannow Strand in Wexford the year before. He arrived with 200 knights and 1,000 men in preparation for his attack on Waterford. Henry 11 landed with 4,000 men in 1171 and Cromwell's son in law took the fort in 1649. Shore anglers can bottom fish for bass and flatfish at high tide. Spinning from the bank south of the pier will produce bass at low tide and in the first two hours of the flood.

Passage East serves Ballyhack, and the Hook Peninsula by car ferry. Sailings all year- April to September from 7.20-22.00 weekdays and 9.30-22.00 Sundays; October to March from 7.20-20.00 weekdays and 9.30-20.00 Sundays. No reservations necessary. Fare payable on ferry. Tel.: 051 382480 or 051 382488.

Return to Waterford City via Passage East village, following the signposts.