Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
But the Irish made them fight to hang on to it. Like medieval Fort Apaches, Norman-
fortified tower house castles dot the landscape in this area more so than in most other parts
of Ireland. And throughout your travels here, you'll see evidence of the region's Norman
(French) roots in its high concentration of family names with old Norman prefixes: De
Berg, De Lacy, Devereux, Fitzgilbert, Fitzsimmons, Fitzgerald, and so on.
The oldest city in Ireland, Waterford was once more important than Dublin. Its three fine
history museums reflect this. But today, while tourists associate the town's name with its
famous crystal, the 45,000 residents are quick to remind you that the crystal is named after
the town, not vice versa (come for the crystal, stay for the history). That said, Waterford
is a plain, gray, workaday town. Pubs outnumber cafés, and freighters offload cargo at the
dock. It's a dose of gritty Ireland, with fewer leprechauns per capita than other Irish des-
