Forthcoming Lecture

Matthew Butler, Historian of Gaultier

Matthew Butler's History of the Barony of Gaultier was
published in 1913.  The Society will mark this important
date with a number of events. To start with, we are pleased to
 have the renowned historian and broadcaster Julian Walton
to give the Society's last talk of the current season on the life
and  work of Matthew Butler.

Venue;  Azzurro Restaurant, Dunmore East
Time;  Thursday April 26, 8 pm.

All welcome, Admission €5.

By Cliff and Shore

Michael Fewer was the speaker for our February 2012 talk.   His subject was ‘By Cliff and Shore Revisited’.  Twenty years ago Michael published one of the first of his many books – By Cliff and Shore.   It was a most evocative description of a coastal walk  from Youghal Bridge to Cheekpoint.   Michael’s talk was brilliantly illustrated with photographs comparing some 1992 scenes with the same locations twenty years  on.  His talk reminded us of how rich in history and natural history our beautiful coastline is and once again the Society’s talks programme proved to be an incentive to get out and explore our part of the world.   A particularly arresting part of the talk was an insight into the many changes along the coast – some areas and specific sites  that were neglected or un-accessible  in 1992 were no longer neglected in 2012 while others had disappeared though erosion or development.    A warm thank you to Michael for a most interesting and pleasant evening.

Forthcoming lecture

By Cliff and Shore

Walking the Waterford Coast  Revisited

Talk and Slide Show

with

 Michael Fewer

Presented by the Barony of Gaultier Historical Society

Wednesday February 29, 2012,  7.30 pm  Ocean Hotel, Dunmore East

The Society steps off to a bright start for its Spring Season of talks  with  distinguished author,  walker and photographer Michael Fewer who will take us along the spectacular Waterford Coast and tell us about the changes he has seen along the way since he first walked it 20 years ago.

All Welcome.  Admission for the general public  €5.

The Dunmore Herring Fishery - John Molloy

The Dunmore Herring Fishery – Growth and Decline

The History of the Dunmore Herring Fishery especially during its peak in the 1960s was the subject of the November  25  talk for the Barony of Gaultier Historical Society.    John Molloy was the speaker.  John was  the government  Fisheries Scientist for many years ,  and stationed at Dunmore East  was an eyewitness to the tremendous growth of the fishery and the  events, issues, characters , politics and stories that made the period so  dynamic and historically significant.

Mr Molloy outlined the biology of the herring, especially the seasonal migration and this proved to be a fascinating part of this talk.  He then went on to describe the evolution in herring harvest technology and the different kinds of boats used in the fishery.   He navigated his way with sensitivity and due regard for the facts through the story of The Battle of Baginbun , which was a confrontation on land and sea between boats from N.Ireland and boats from the Republic  that resulted from the political decision to give boats from Northern Ireland access to the shoals of herring within Irish territorial waters.  He also spoke of  his participation in the negotiations in Europe regarding fish quotas and management strategies.  He did all of this with a lightness of tone and sense of humour which went down very well with his large audience of over 70 people.  We were aware throughout his talk of his concern about the future of the stocks and the need to bridge the gap between scientist and fisherman.  On behalf of everyone present we wish to express our heartfelt appreciation to John for such an informative and entertaining talk.

Calendar 2012

Our calendar for the coming year is now available priced €6. It features another selection of photographs from times past and present illustrating  many aspects of life in the barony then and now. Included is a photo submitted in a competition organised through  schools in the area. Available in local shops

The lifeboat Henry Dodd

This is the Henry Dodd  a RNLI lifeboat launched in 1884. The lifeboat was a legacy of Henry Dodd of Sussex. In 1893 a crewman Philip Boucher tragically died when the vessel capsized as it returned to port.

Forthcoming lectures

Next talk is on Dunmore fishing industry

On November 24th, John Molloy, former fisheries officer at Dunmore will introduce the recent documentary  'The Dunmore Fishery of the 1960s' and give a talk based on his own extensive research and experiences of the Irish Fishery.