Ringville: Crystal Craft, Culture and Coastline

Crystal craft, Irish culture and coastal scenery give Ringville a multifaceted character. In An Rinn, things to see and do range from a studio showroom and a gallery to coastal paths and living traditions.

Crystal Craft in An Rinn

The Criostal na Rinne studio showroom offers full-lead crystal gifts and bespoke one-off pieces. Both crystal gifts and custom-made items are therefore at the heart of its offering. A personal tour with Eamonn Terry offers a different perspective: Terry has more than 45 years of experience in specialist glass cutting. A free studio demonstration of how hand-cut crystal is made rounds out the offering.

The tour and demonstration offer different ways to explore the subject: the tour focuses on personal guidance, while the demonstration highlights the making of hand-cut crystal. If you plan to take part in either experience, check the latest visitor information in advance.

Art and Living Traditions

The Joan Clancy Gallery in An Rinn showcases contemporary Irish art, with a strong focus on artists from West Waterford. This adds another cultural perspective alongside glass art: the gallery puts contemporary works centre stage, while An Rinn’s traditions offer a distinct connection to the area’s history.

An Rinn is an Irish-speaking area with its own history and culture. Traditional music and set dancing are kept alive there. Those interested in the area’s cultural character can explore both contemporary art and musical and dance traditions as distinct themes.

Coastal Scenery and The Cunnigar

An Rinn’s coastal Gaeltacht overlooks Dungarvan Harbour and Muggort’s Bay, with the Comeragh Mountains in the background. The coast and mountains together shape the landscape. The Cunnigar, an area for spotting rare wading birds, is also near An Rinn. These include the ringed plover and American golden plover.

A moderate 6.5-kilometre loop trail on The Cunnigar crosses beaches and dunes. The estimated walking time is two hours, and the southern trailhead is less than 1.5 kilometres from An Rinn. This makes the route distinct from simply taking in the scenery: it is a named circular trail with a specified difficulty, distance and walking time.

More Routes in the Wider Waterford Destination

Other separate routes run through the wider Waterford destination. The Waterford Greenway is a 46-kilometre traffic-free walking and cycling trail from Waterford City to Dungarvan. It follows the former Great Southern and Western Railway line and crosses eleven bridges and three viaducts, as well as passing through a 400-metre tunnel. The Copper Coast Drive runs from Tramore to Dungarvan. This lets you distinguish between the loop trail on The Cunnigar, a longer walking and cycling trail, and a scenic drive in the wider Waterford destination.

Discover more destinations: Harrylock, Tramore, Dungarvan, Cappoquin, Waterford, Lismore, Ballymacarbry, Dunmore East

Back to the wider travel overview: Waterford.