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Archive Community Stories

The Shared Stories of North Pembrokeshire and North County Wexford

Stories

The Shared Stories of North Pembrokeshire and North County Wexford

Shared Stories Introduction

This document aims to highlight some of the wealth of historical stories, archaeology and folklore that connects the north-west Pembrokeshire coast in Wales, with north Co. Wexford in Ireland, with a particular focus on the communities of St Davids, Fishguard, Goodwick, Ferns, Enniscorthy and Gorey. Even on the surface, these communities have much in common, being largely historically focused on the coast for their living, whether from trade or fishing, but the connections go much deeper and much further back in time.

We will discover the shared stories of north Co. Wexford and north-west Pembrokeshire and how the two regions have influenced each other through the movement of people, ideas, technology, culture, religion, and occasionally, conflict. We will examine these connections from the time of hunter-gatherers in the Mesolithic Period, passing on to the time of the first farmers in the Neolithic, the transformative arrival of metalworking in the Bronze and Iron Ages, to the time of St David and his Irish pupil St Aidan. From those early days of Christianity, we travel on to the time of castles and conquests with the Normans and their role in Pembrokeshire and Co. Wexford. We will look at later trade and commerce and explore some of the folk tales and traditions in the two regions.

These stories reveal that the Irish Sea has never been a barrier; it has always been a highway.

Categories
Archive Opportunity

Ancient Connections – Tourism Ambassadors & Welcomers

Opportunity

Tourism Ambassadors
& Welcomers

It is vitally important that local stories, history and heritage remain alive within their communities and serve the local economy too.  Our Tourism Ambassadors are tasked with learning about their local history and developing skills to share their knowledge with their communities, with visitors and the tourism industry.

 

We’ll be offering Ambassador training in 2021 over 2-3 days for Ambassadors – those in the front line of our tourism industry as well as local volunteers with time to dedicate to sharing their passion for their place. In addition, we’ll be offering a shorter, half day training programme called Welcomers for those who play an important role in promoting their place, e.g. taxi drivers, shopkeepers, restaurateurs, leisure providers etc.

It’s all about an informed, warm welcome that supports visitors and the local tourism economy. Importantly it helps keep knowledge, history and stories alive too.

Contractor Delivering Programme:
Become a Tourism Ambassador
Share local knowledge with visitors.
To apply to become a Tourism Ambassador & Welcomer please complete the form below and a member of our team will be in contact with you.
Where are you based?
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Thanks for the interest, a member of our team will be in touch as soon as possible.

Date: May 2021

Funded by: Ancient Connections

In Partnership with: Ancient Connections

Project Outputs:
Ambassador Packs
Ambassador Training Modules
Welcomer Training Modules
Ambassador / Welcomer Recognition Collateral e.g. Badges, High-vis Jackets Certificates
Press releases and articles
Social media

Learn More at: www.ancientconnections.net/ambassadors

Categories
Archive Stories

The Tinnaberna Fishermen

Folklore

The Tinnaberna Fishermen

The tragedy of the Tinnaberna Fishermen took place in the 1810s. Tinnaberna was a small fishing village on the north Wexford coast near Kilmuckridge. Two fishing cots set out to sea on the feast of St. Martin’s, November 11th. Both were blown out far into the Irish Sea by a storm. One was lost, but the second made land on the coast of Wales. The crew were given food and shelter by a farmer, but could not communicate with him as he only spoke Welsh. The men eventually made their way to Ballycotton, County Cork and walked back to Wexford to be greeted by relatives who thought they had been lost forever. The story of the tragedy became the subject of a ballad which is still sung locally.

Sources:
The Schools Collection, Vol. 0886, pp.24-5 

Available Online at: 
www.duchas.ie
Accessed November 21st 2019
Gaul, L. “Songs, Ships and High Seas” in The Past, No. 31, 2011-’12, pp.95-102