county Waterford

County Waterford has two mountain ranges, the Knockmealdown Mountains and the Comeragh Mountains. The highest point in the county is Knockmealdown, at {{convert|794|m|abbr=on}}. It also has many rivers, including Ireland's third-longest river, the River Suir ({{convert|184|km|abbr=on}}); and Ireland's fourth-longest river, the Munster Blackwater ({{convert|168|km|abbr=on}}). There are over 30{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}} beaches along Waterford's volcanic coastline.{{Cite news|url=https://coppercoastgeopark.com/geology-copper-coast/|title=Geology of the Copper Coast – Copper Coast Geopark|work=Copper Coast Geopark|access-date=2018-01-31|language=en-US|archive-date=1 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201133728/https://coppercoastgeopark.com/geology-copper-coast/|url-status=live}} A large stretch of this coastline, known as the Copper Coast, has been designated as a UNESCO Geopark, a place of great geological importance. To the west of Dungarvan is the Déise Gaeltacht, an Irish-speaking region comprising the areas of Ring, County Waterford and Old Parish.

Waterford is the county seat; prior to the merger of the 2 Waterford authorities in June 2014 Dungarvan was the county seat{{cite web|url=http://www.waterfordcoco.ie/en/localauthorities/waterfordcountycouncil/|title=Waterford County Council website|access-date=9 April 2011|archive-date=11 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411150647/http://www.waterfordcoco.ie/en/localauthorities/waterfordcountycouncil/|url-status=live}} for Waterford County Council.

There are eight historic baronies in the county: Coshmore and Coshbride, Decies-within-Drum, Decies-without-Drum, Gaultiere, Glenahiry, Middlethird, Upperthird and Waterford City.

{{See also|List of towns and villages in County Waterford}}

{{Historical populations

|state=collapsed

|1600|14456

|1610|9887

|1653|13136

|1659|13286

|1821|76103

|1831|85217

|1841|196187

|1851|164035

|1861|134252

|1871|123310

|1881|112768

|1891|98251

|1901|87187

|1911|83966

|1926|78562

|1936|77614

|1946|76108

|1951|75061

|1956|74031

|1961|71439

|1966|73080

|1971|77315

|1979|87278

|1981|88591

|1986|91151

|1991|91624

|1996|94680

|2002|101546

|2006|107961

|2011|113795

|2016|116176

|2022|127363

||footnote={{cite web | url = http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=CTY31&Geog_Code=2AE19629149A13A3E055000000000001 | title = Census 2016 Sapmap Area: County Waterford City And County | publisher = Central Statistics Office (Ireland) | access-date = 18 November 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181118205603/http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=CTY31&Geog_Code=2AE19629149A13A3E055000000000001 | archive-date = 18 November 2018 | url-status = dead }}For 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy 14 March 1865.{{cite web |url=http://www.cso.ie/census |title=Census for post 1821 figures. |publisher=CSO|access-date=2014-08-08 |archive-date=9 March 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050309005718/http://www.cso.ie/census/ |url-status=live }}[http://www.histpop.org histpop.org] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507023856/http://www.histpop.org/ |date=7 May 2016 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/census |title=NISRA – Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (c) 2013 |publisher=Nisranew.nisra.gov.uk |date=27 September 2010 |access-date=2014-08-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217095720/http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/census |archive-date=17 February 2012 |df=dmy }}{{cite book

|last=Lee|first=J. J.| author-link =J. J. Lee (historian)|editor-last=Goldstrom|editor-first=J. M.|editor2-last=Clarkson

|editor2-first=L. A.|title=Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell

|year=1981|publisher=Clarendon Press|location=Oxford, England

|chapter=On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses}}{{Cite journal | last1 = Mokyr | first1 = Joel | author-link = Joel Mokyr | last2 = Ó Gráda | first2 = Cormac | author2-link = Cormac Ó Gráda | title = New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700–1850 | journal = The Economic History Review | volume = 37 | issue = 4 | pages = 473–488 | date = November 1984 | url = http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120035880/abstract | archive-url = https://archive.today/20121204160709/http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120035880/abstract | url-status = dead | archive-date = 4 December 2012 | doi = 10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x | hdl = 10197/1406 | hdl-access = free | access-date = 3 September 2009 }}

}}

File:County Waterford - Ballynageeragh Tomb - 20190917074738.jpg was built in the 4th millennium BC]]

County Waterford is colloquially known as "The Déise", pronounced "day-shah" or, in Irish, /dʲe:ʃʲɪ/ ({{langx|ga|Na Déise}}). Some time between the 4th and 8th centuries, an Irish tribe called the Déisi were driven from southern county Meath/north Kildare and moved into the Waterford region, conquering and settling there. The ancient principality of the Déise is today roughly coterminous with the current Roman Catholic Diocese of Waterford and Lismore thus including part of south County Tipperary.

The westernmost of the baronies are Decies-within-Drum and Decies-without-Drum, separated by the Drum-Fineen hills.{{cite book |chapter-url=http://www.waterfordcountymuseum.org/exhibit/web?task=Display&art_id=184&pagenum=2 |chapter=Early Waterford History 2. The Decies |first=P.M. |last=Egan |orig-year=1893 |date=20 November 2004 |access-date=2008-02-23 |title=History of Waterford |url=http://www.waterfordcountymuseum.org/exhibit/web/Display/category/10/5/?lang=en |archive-date=26 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526104620/http://www.waterfordcountymuseum.org/exhibit/web/Display/category/10/5/?lang=en |url-status=live }}

File:Mine workers at Knockmahon Co Waterford Ireland 1900s (6898346820).jpg, County Waterford {{circa|1906}}]]

There are many megalithic tombs and ogham stones in the county.{{cite web|url=http://www.prehistoricwaterford.com/sites-a-z/|title=Prehistoric Waterford tombs, dolmens and standing stones|publisher=Prehistoricwaterford.com|access-date=10 April 2011|archive-date=29 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111229234900/http://www.prehistoricwaterford.com/sites-a-z/|url-status=live}} The Viking influence can still be seen with Reginald's Tower, one of the first buildings to use a brick and mortar construction method in Ireland. Woodstown, a settlement dating to the 9th century, was discovered {{Convert|5.5|km|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} west of Waterford city. It was the largest settlement outside Scandinavia and the only large-scale 9th-century Viking settlement discovered to date in Western Europe. Other architectural features are products of the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland and its effects.

As of 1 June 2014, Waterford City and County Council is the local government authority for the local government area of Waterford City and County. The authority was formed following the merger of the local government areas of the county of Waterford and the city of Waterford under the Local Government Reform Act 2014, and succeeded the functions of Waterford City Council and Waterford County Council.{{Cite Irish legislation|name=Local Government Reform Act 2014|section=13|stitle=Establishment of local authorities for certain local government areas|year=2014|number=1|date=27 January 2014|access-date=10 January 2022}} The local authority is responsible for certain local services such as sanitation, planning and real-estate development, libraries, the collection of automobile taxation, local roads and social housing.

For elections to Dáil Éireann, the county is represented by the 4-seat constituency of Waterford.{{cite Irish legislation|year=2017|number=39|schedule=y|name=Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017|date=23 December 2017|access-date=10 January 2022}} For European elections, the city and county are part of the 5-seat South constituency.{{cite Irish legislation|year=2019|number=7|section=7|stitle=Substitution of Third Schedule to Principal Act|name=European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Act 2019|date=12 March 2019|access-date=10 January 2022}}

{{lang|ga|Gaeltacht na nDéise}} is a Gaeltacht area in County Waterford, consisting of the parish of {{lang|ga|An Rinn}} and {{lang|ga|An Sean Phobal}}. {{lang|ga|Gaeltacht na nDéise}} is located {{Convert|10|km|mi|abbr=off}} from the town of Dungarvan, has a population of 1,816 people (Census 2016) and encompasses a geographical area of 62 km². According to Census 2016 the percentage of daily Irish speakers in {{lang|ga|Gaeltacht na nDéise}} was 45.6%.{{cite web |url=http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=GAEL&Geog_Code=D3539A8D-40A6-497D-8BF2-1D9804FAEAC7#SAPMAP_T3_300 |title=Archived copy |website=Central Statistics Office |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728233713/http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=GAEL&Geog_Code=D3539A8D-40A6-497D-8BF2-1D9804FAEAC7#SAPMAP_T3_300 |archive-date=28 July 2020 |url-status=dead}}

• In the Willows, alternative folk band from Waterford

File:Counsellors strand - geograph.org.uk - 491497.jpg

• High Sheriff of County Waterford
• Lord Lieutenant of Waterford
• List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland (County Waterford)
• Saint Declan
• Limerick–Rosslare railway line

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category}}

{{wikivoyage}}

• {{official website|https://waterfordcouncil.ie/}}
• [http://www.visitwaterford.com/ Waterford Tourism]

{{Geographic location

|Northwest =

|North = County Tipperary 24px County Kilkenny 27px

|Northeast =

|West = County Cork 30px

|Centre = County Waterford

|East = County Wexford 30px

|Southwest =

|South = Celtic Sea

|Southeast =

}}

{{County Waterford}}

{{Ireland counties}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|52|15|N|7|30|W|region:IE_type:adm1st_source:GNS-enwiki|display=title}}

Waterford

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