Tramore Ireland

Tramore is another place in Ireland we will visit on our first full day - Sunday May 29th.

We have a very dear friend who owns a bait and tackle shop right on the water.  In fact we believe he is a real leprechaun.  Hopefully everyone will get to meet Bobby. 
 

 
 
This was Nick (Stacy) and his dad in Tramore in 2002.  They setup an amusement park during the summer months.
 
About Tramore:
 
Tramore (/trəˈmoʊr/; Irish: Trá Mhór, meaning "big strand/beach") is a seaside town in County Waterford on the southeast coast of Ireland. A small fishing village until the arrival of the railway in 1853, the town has continually expanded since. Initially the town flourished as a tourist destination and latterly it has developed as a seaside satellite town of Waterford City, which is 13 km to the North. Waterford Airport is located about 6 km northeast.
The town is situated on the north-western corner of Tramore Bay on a hill that slopes down to the strand, or sand spit, that divides the bay. Behind the spit lies the tidal lagoon known as the Back Strand. Tramore has an imposing Gothic Revival Catholic Church (which is dominated by an asymmetrical tower and spire), on a monumental site overlooking the town, built 1856–1871 by J. J. McCarthy.
The area within a 16 km (10 mi) radius of Tramore is an area rich in megalithic structures (e.g. Ballindud Cromlech; Ballynageeragh Cromlech; Knockeen Dolmen; Gaulstown Dolmen), signifying habitation long before Christianity.
 

Metal Man

A prominent feature of Tramore bay is the "Metal Man".^[5] It is a large cast-metal figure pointing seawards, set on top of one of three pillars located in Westown. It was erected in 1823 by Lloyd's of London to warn seafarers away from dangerous shallow waters. Two more pillars sit on the headland opposite, Brownstown Head. There are many myths and legends surrounding the Metal Man. One such myth is that if a woman could hop barefoot around the base of the Metal Man three times she would be married within the year. In 2006 the Irish broadcaster RTÉ had an item on its Seascapes radio programme on the history of the Metal Man and its state of repairs.^[6]

The Pickardstown Ambush

Main article: Pickardstown ambush

On the night of 6 June 1921, during the Irish War of Independence, fifty local IRA Volunteers attempted to ambush a party of forty British troops from Waterford City, who were coming to Tramore following an attack on the RIC barracks there. The ambush took place at Pickardstown, about a mile to the north of Tramore. The ambush failed to go according to plan, and two IRA men were killed and two wounded. The Tramore GAA field is named after one of the dead Volunteers.^[7]

Tourism

The town has long been associated with Irish tourists and offered a traditional seaside experience of ice-cream, fairground and sand. The beach front features a long promenade and an amusement park. It is a popular resort for tourists in the summer and has 5 km (3 mi) of beach and sand dunes looking out onto the Atlantic Ocean. Tramore has a reputation for surfing, and the T-Bay Surf club, which was established in 1967, has produced national and international surfing champions.

The Promenade, erected in 1914, serves as a popular tourist spot in Tramore and is the focus of the attractions of the strand during the summer. The Cliff Road was built in 1872 as a carriageway on the site of an old Coastguard path and provides access to Newtown Head and the men's swimming club.
 

Walks

The scenic landscape of Tramore, represented by the strand and cliffs, attracts many walkers. Walks in the locality include the Doneraile Walk, Cliff Road Walk, as well as the 5 km Strand walk commonly called 'down the back and up the front'. Another attraction between March and September every year is the set up of "The Amusements" a small amusement park with a selection of rides and other attractions opposite the beach. Otherwise known as "down-around" by the locals