‘I'm nearly over it!’ - Waterford councillor bemoans Norman ‘colonisation’ after 850 years
Cllr Thomas Phelan made the comments at the May plenary meeting of Waterford City and County Council
A Waterford councillor has bemoaned the Norman “colonisation” of his family’s land, around 850 years after it occurred.
Labour councillor Thomas Phelan made the comments at the May plenary meeting of Waterford City and County Council.
Cllr Phelan said: “I have seen in the Management Report a reference to 2027 being the European Year of the Normans.
“I might not be their biggest fan seeing as they dispossessed the Ó Faoláins of their lands and we’ve never fully recovered since.”
“But time is the great healer and after 850 years, I’m nearly over it,” he joked.
He went on to call on the council to take action ahead of the European Year of the Normans next year.
“But on a serious note, it’s a historically significant anniversary which provides opportunities for academic discussion.
“Is the executive considering setting aside funding to support historical events by the council or by outside organisations, Waterford or European, for the Normans.”
In response to Cllr Phelan, Director of Services Ivan Grimes said it is something that the council is exploring.
Mr Grimes said: “I’m glad that you’ve got over your animosity towards the Normans.
“We have been in discussions with national authorities and with authorities in Normandy in France about putting together events and we are looking at funding for them.”
He concluded by saying that the council hopes to make funding available to local organisations to mark the European Year of the Normans.
The European Year of the Normans is an international cultural initiative scheduled for 2027 to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the birth of William the Conqueror.
Led by the Normandy Regional Council in France, the year-long commemoration spans multiple European countries connected by Norman history.
The Irish Walled Towns Network (IWTN) recently awarded €16,600 for a joint application from Waterford City, Kilkenny and New Ross for a project which relates to the anniversary.
It aims to undertake research for the development for a cross‐county cultural programme that unlocks the shared Norman heritage of the three counties.
Centred on the Three Sisters rivers - the Barrow, Nore and Suir - the project will highlight the waterways that shaped Norman settlement and trade using them as an accessible, unifying narrative that connects communities across the region.
The initiative will aim to enhance public understanding of how Norman influence shaped Ireland’s natural environment, introduced new practices and species, and laid the foundations for towns, fortifications, religious centres and maritime traditions that define the landscape today.
By foregrounding castles, abbeys, town walls, place names, oral traditions and traditional practices, the programme will look to strengthen the visibility and value of built, cultural and natural heritage assets.