In the early 1600s, Waterford was considered the second city for trade to Dublin and hence a centre of trade and commerce in an increasingly interconnected Ireland. [viii] Some trade occurred with English towns like Bristol but “by far the greater part of its commercial intercourse seems to have been with the Netherlands, with Southern and Western France, and particularly with Spain and Portugal”.
[ix] A timely reminder that Ireland’s high integration with the European continent is not just a recent development as a result of being part of the European Union, but something that we can see throughout history. The Port here in Waterford Harbour was critical to this trade.