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Tramore
About Tramore
The popular seaside town of Tramore has seen huge growth over the last ten years, becoming a satellite town for Waterford city. The town is well connected to the city by bus, a 10 minute drive to the centre of the city.
The town has long been associated with traditional seaside holidays – a 5 kilometre sandy beach is framed by a long promenade on one end and wild sand dunes at the other. The Amusement Park lies opposite and is a bustling tourist attraction each summer.
Tramore has a vibrant surfing scene and regularly hosts sporting events, including kitesurfing and triathlons. The popular Newtown Cove and Guillamene is a hotspot for swimmers, from around the area and beyond. The scenic landscape is attractive to walkers who gather at the cafes at the end of the promenade to enjoy a coffee overlooking the sea.
Tramore Racecourse hosts the popular horse-racing festival every August. Now in its 200th year, the course has enjoyed investment and development in recent years to become and is regularly used as a venue for music events.
Tramore’s retail offering has grown to meet its expanding population. The major supermarkets sit alongside stylish boutiques, artisan bakeries, florists and furniture stores.
The housing stock is a mixture of mature and new build. Tramore has seen a significant increase in new housing over the last number of years with Cluain Larach and Mount Field proving popular across all segments of the market.
History and Culture
Tramore has been a popular holiday destination now for 200 years, built on steep hills rising up from the beach. To the left of the town is the Metalman, significant feature of Tramore bay since 1823. The metal figure, which points seawards, was erected by Lloyd’s of London to warn ships away from shallow waters. An old story says that if a woman hopped barefoot around the base of the monument three times, she would be married within the year.
On 30 January 1816, the transport ship Sea Horse sank in Tramore Bay with the loss of 292 men and 71 women and children. A monument to the incident is located on Doneraile Walk and an obelisk marks a burial plot on Church Road.
The town’s connection to the tragedy led to the image of a seahorse being adopted as a symbol of the town of Tramore and later adopted as the logo for Waterford Crystal in 1955.
Education
There are a number of primary and a secondary schools in the town.
Holy Cross and Glor na Mara primaries are both co-ed.
Tramore Educate Together National School is a non-denominational, co-educational facility.
Fenor National School lies just outside the town and is co-educational.
Ard Scoil na Mara is the largest co-ed secondary school in County Waterford and is an amalgamation (2014) of the CBS and Stella Maris secondary schools in the town.
Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), recently voted the top IT in Ireland, is 20-minute drive from Tramore.
Dine and Drink
Tramore has a good selection of cafes, pubs and restaurants that cater to all tastes, including four hotels.
Within walking distance of the popular promenade is the Majestic Hotel, The Sands Hotel and the Hibernia Hotel. As well as offering accommodation, each offers a bar and restaurant menu of hearty pub grub. The Majestic Hotel boasts sea views and is an increasingly popular wedding venue.
One the Waterfront is a contemporary bar and restaurant with a spacious terrace overlooking the beach. It is also a popular live music venue in the summer months.
Directly off the promenade lies the heart of Tramore’s café culture. A bustling row of cafes and restaurants, including Brooklyn, Moe’s Cafe and McCarthy’s line the street, along with the busy skate park and access to the link road to Waterford city.
