WATERFORD MAY 2016
I ended up at this location by accident and for various reasons I quickly moved on with the intention of returning at a later date in order to explore the area in greater detail
Just outside the city walls is Ballybricken, one of the many inner-city villages in Waterford. The centre of the village has been converted into a public green area with a bandstand and many benches. It is known locally for having some of the finest produce and butcher shops in the city.
Penrose Lane was known locally as Dennys Lane and it was the scene of the 1896-67 Pig strike. Pig traders/buyers based in the Ballybricken area had a local monopoly on buying from farmers in order to supply local bacon producers but the factories began to buy direct from the producers.
By the middle of the 19th Century, around 75% of the Irish pork products imported into London were coming from Waterford. The City and its surrounds were at that point huge manufacturers of sausages and bacon, largely due to the Denny’s factory, a family business passed from generation to generation. Denny’s still exists today but the factory in Waterford shut in March 1972.
Until I visited again in 2018 and discovered the Bull Post in Ballybricken I had been unaware that the cruel practice of Bull-Baiting had ever taken place in Ireland. I will discuss this in detail at a later date.
