July 2012 Calendar photo

The Pilots of Waterford Harbour

By the19th Century Waterford and New Ross had become busy ports with increased traffic on the rivers Suir and Barrow.  It is not clear when official pilots were introduced to guide ships up the rivers but there are records of certificated pilots from about 1840 onwards. Hobblers were those who boarded ships on entering Waterford Harbour in order to get the job of tying ships up when they reached their berths in either New Ross or Waterford. They may have also acted as unofficial pilots. Increasing numbers of these were lost when they went further out to meet ships in order to get the job of Hobbling and this may have resulted in the introduction of official pilots. Boats like the Gull (Right), and the Lilly Doreen (Top left) and the Betty Breen (Bottom left) illustrate the type of craft used in the pilot service. It became tradition for certain families to provide pilots and names like Glody, Kelly, Rogers, Walsh and Burke appear regularly in the annals of the pilot service.