The Medieval Past of Ports
Tour Description
A collection of stories detailing the medieval ports of Ireland and Wales and their crossings.
Locations for Tour
Dublin as a Medieval Riverside Port
At the time of the takeover of Dublin by Anglo-Normans in 1170, what is now Essex Street West may still have been serving as a place for loading and unloading ocean-going trading vessels. Before then, the archaeology of Wood Quay revealed flood banks…
The Black Pool of Dublin
The original settlement called Dubhlinn took the form of a Gaelic monastery due south of the pool in what is now the Aungier Street district. This was a typical enclosure site, still partly preserved in the pattern of streets focused on medieval St…
Ramón de Perellós passes through Holyhead | Ramón de Perellós yn teithio drwy Gaergybi
On September 8th, 1397, the Catalan nobleman Viscount Ramón de Perellós set forth from Avignon with the blessing of Antipope Benedict XIII on a journey that would take him across the English Channel, the Kingdom of England, into Wales and then across…
St Cybi in Holyhead – and in Ireland | Cybi Sant yng Nghaergybi – ac yn Iwerddon
Most Welsh place-names that incorporate the names of saints occur in the form of llan with the name of the saint, and places named Llangybi (the enclosure, church or parish of Cybi) can be found elsewhere in Wales on the Llŷn Peninsula, in Ceredigion…
The Chapel of St Ffraid at Trearddur Bay, Holy Island | Capel y Santes Ffraid ym Mae Trearddur, Ynys Gybi
The shrine of St Cybi at the church in Holyhead was probably the most important saint’s cult on Holy Island in the Middle Ages, but other saints were also venerated on Holy Island, the largest island off the coast of Anglesey.
The church at…
Gerald of Wales looks West | Gerallt Gymro yn troi ei olygon i'r Gorllewin
Medievalist Daryl Hendley Rooney from Trinity College Dublin talks about the famous churchman, scholar and historian Gerald of Wales (c.1146–1223) and his upbringing at Manorbier Castle in Pembrokeshire. He discusses Gerald's mixed Norman and Welsh…
St Aidan in Ireland and Wales | Sant Aidan yng Nghymru ac Iwerddon
One of the disciples of St David in the Latin Life of St David is named sanctus Aidanus. According to text, written late in the eleventh century by Rhygyfarch ap Sulien at his scriptorium in Llanbadarn Fawr, Aidan left David’s monastery and travelled…
Paterchurch Tower and St Patrick | Tŵr Paterchurch a Sant Padrig
The oldest building in Pembroke Dock is the tower that stands behind the dockyard wall on Fort Road. Although the Anglican church in Pembroke Dock, dedicated to St John the Evangelist, appears to have a tall tower that is similar to other distinctive…
Lost Souls in the Sand | Eneidiau Coll yn y Tywod
Whitesands Bay (Porthmawr in Welsh) with its long sandy beach, rolling waves and stunning views, is a world-famous surfing destination, as well as a popular holiday beach. Two miles west of St David’s, it has a long history as a place of arrival and…