r S c é a l
u r S t o r
Meitheal Mara
u r C o m m n i t y a n d h e S e a
Sólás na Mara is a family-run business based in, and shaped by, its setting on Ireland’s eastern coastline.
As you drive from Dungarvan out onto the peninsula of An Rinn (literally, the Irish phrase name for a peninsula), you’ll see signs for Cé Heilbhic, and glimpses of the sea as the road guides you towards the peninsula’s tip.
Only as you turn down towards our Helvick bathhouse do breath-taking views open out across Dungarvan Bay to the Comeragh mountains beyond.
The harbour isn’t just a dramatic backdrop for your seaweed bath at Sólás na Mara: its traditions and history shape the way we work.
Ár scéal
The story of our Helvick bathhouse
Our seaweed bathhouse began life as a busy fisherman’s cooperative building [link out to Helvick evergreen] in the 1980s. Fishing boats still come into the harbour each evening, and Waterford Oysters are harvested further out in Dungarvan Bay, before they’re shipped as far as France. But, as the fishing industry changed, the routes to market shifted too, and so this building fell quiet.
It stayed that way until 2013 when Sólás na Mara opened on the quayside as a seaweed bathhouse and wellness centre.
An saol sa Ghaeltacht
Life in the Waterford Gaeltacht
Part of the vision for this place was to bring the bustle of people, locals and visitors, back to Helvick Harbour. And we were keen to keep the spirit of meitheal at the core of our project.
Meitheal is an Irish word which means both ‘workers’ and community’. More than that, meitheal is a living Irish tradition that involves working with your neighbours so all can prosper. The term Meitheal Mara (community of the sea) was part of the name of the fisherman’s co-op, and we’ve kept it at the heart of what we do at Sólás na Mara today.
An chlann
A family business
Cian and David operate the bathhouse and café together, bringing visitors to the peninsula year-round. With David’s wife, Éimhín, they create a welcoming place to meet and relax for our local community. Cian also runs his physiotherapy practice as part of the wellness centre.
Cian has been practising in the area for almost 20 years, and he also has a background in treating the county’s sports and GAA teams. He brings to An Rinn his rich experience of supporting general wellness as well as physical fitness and recovery.
His therapeutic range of physical treatments have made Helvick a popular port of call for people from across the region as well as visitors exploring the Waterford coast.
A new meitheal
Under the roof of Solás na Mara we work, like the fishermen did, together. In our bathhouse and treatment rooms, we are all helping our visitors towards wellness. And we still use the bounty of the sea, though we harness that in a different way than the fisherman did!
At Sólás na Mara, we make sustainable use of seaweed – a resource that continually renews itself – and the plentiful salt water outside our door.
By harnessing those natural strengths, we are able to proudly contribute to the sustainability of our local community here on An Rinn peninsula. And we help draw visitors in to spend time in our coastal Gaeltacht and along the Copper Coast.
Around our café, you’ll find local gifts, and Irish-made seaweed products, from skincare to oils, all of which support local, regional, and Irish businesses. So, whether you’re tasting seaweed treats or pampering yourself with our seaweed products at home, or you’re savouring home-made cakes in our harbourside café, you’ll be doing your bit to support those businesses too.
We look forward, with our neighbours, to offering you the best of Gaeltacht welcomes when you visit An Rinn.
