Aonach na nDéise - Woodstown Viking Heritage Festival

Aonach na nDéise, the Woodstown Viking Heritage Festival, runs on Saturday, 15 and Sunday, 16 August 2026 at the Woodstown Viking site on the Waterford Greenway, as the flagship Waterford event of National Heritage Week 2026. The free festival marks Woodstown’s history as a major ninth and tenth-century Viking settlement and trading site, uncovered along the route of the old railway line that is now the Greenway, with living history, demonstrations and family activities on site over the weekend.

What to expect

The festival takes its name from the Déise, the historic name for the people of this part of County Waterford, and centres on the archaeology and Viking-age history of the Woodstown site itself, one of the more significant Viking settlement discoveries in Ireland. Saturday runs from midday to 4pm, and Sunday from 10am to 5pm, with the extra hours giving more room for the weekend’s full programme of heritage demonstrations, talks and hands-on activities aimed at visitors of all ages. It is organised by Waterford City and County Council as part of National Heritage Week, which runs nationally from 15 to 23 August 2026, with a full programme of free heritage events across the county alongside this one.

Getting there

Woodstown sits directly on the Waterford Greenway, so the site can be reached on foot or by bike along the traffic-free trail, as well as by car. There is no train station at Woodstown itself; the nearest Greenway access points are at Kilmeaden and Dunmore East.

While you’re in Woodstown

Woodstown sits on the Waterford Greenway between Dunmore East and Passage East, an easy stretch of the trail to fold into a day at the festival. There is more to see and do across Co. Waterford.

Good to know

• Dates: Saturday, 15 August (12pm-4pm) and Sunday, 16 August 2026 (10am-5pm)
• Venue: Woodstown Viking Site, Waterford Greenway
• Price: free
• Context: flagship Waterford event of National Heritage Week, 15-23 August 2026