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Town in County Waterford, Ireland
Photo: David Barrie, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Dungarvan is a coastal town in County Waterford in Ireland, with a population in 2022 of 10,000. It has a Norman castle and other sights, and is a good base for exploring the west of the county.
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This is a polygonal 12th-century "shell keep" founded by Prince (later King) John in 1185. It replaced a motte-and-bailey and represents an early phase of Norman military architecture. When they replaced the previous timber palisade with masonry, they didn't trust the foundations to support the sort of massive curtain walls that later became the Norman style; so a high but lightweight shell of a wall was built with timber supports within. (England's Windsor Castle is of similar design.) There's also a corner tower and gate tower. In the 18th century a barracks was built within. This was burned down by the IRA in 1922 but rebuilt and acted as a police base until 1987; it now houses an exhibition on the castle history.
Housed in the Old Town Hall, this has a permanent display of the county's history plus changing exhibitions.
Highly rated modern Irish cuisine. They also run the chic Townhouse B&B round the corner.
Popular steak and seafood place, with veggie and GF options. They also have accommodation.
Friendly informal cafe and restaurant on the quay.
All the standard Indian dishes plus a few European options. If it's sunny you can dine outside on the quay.
Straightforward bar food but it earns consistently good reviews. They also have B&B and self-catering accommodation.
Service sometimes erratic but good food especially for breakfast. They also have three self-accommodation suites.
Gastro pub with traditional selection (including Irish tapas), gets good reviews.
Simple modern hotel, friendly service but some rooms are small and drab. With restaurant and bar.
Stylish comfy place by the County Museum.
Comfy & central.
Well-run mid-range place just west of the river bridge.
Charming B&B north edge of town.
Pleasant welcoming guest house. No pets.
Clean efficient family-friendly hotel and golf resort. They also have self-catering lodges.
Well equipped site for tourers and camping.
By road from Dublin follow M9 to Waterford then N25 west. For a scenic alternative you could take M8 to Cahir then over the hills via Lismore.
Read in the guideThe town is compact, and the "Gold Coast" and Clonea Beach are within an hour's walk along the Greenway. You need wheels to reach the Ring Peninsula.
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Cork · International · ORK
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