WATERFORD’S hosting of the Tall Ships Races 2011 has been overwhelmingly praised for its success, which saw up to 500,000 spectators in the city over the four-day festival ending on Sunday.

MORE than half a million people are expected to flock to Waterford over the next four days for the Tall Ships Race 2011, which kicks off today.

WATERFORD is to be presented with an Irish hand-crafted mosaic of a ship which will remain as part of the cultural heritage of the Tall Ships Race 2011 visit.

TOLL charges will not be suspended during Waterford’s hosting of the Tall Ships Races in three weeks’ time.

QUEUES are expected this Saturday in Waterford’s city centre for the release of more tickets for free concerts taking place during the Tall Ships festival.

A NEW live music trail which will serve up free concerts during the forthcoming Tall Ships Race was launched last night in Waterford.

CIVIC and business leaders in the south-east have called for “fair pricing” during Waterford’s hosting of the Tall Ships this summer.

BUDDING artists and young creative writers are being given the chance to become a lasting part of this year’s Tall Ships Festival in Waterford.

ORGANISERS of this summer’s Tall Ships Races in Waterford have confirmed veteran pop artist Bryan Ferry as the headline act for the opening night.

CROKE Park director Peter McKenna has dismissed a report suggesting Superbowl finalists the Pittsburgh Steelers could play a regular NFL season game at Croke Park later this year — but confirmed the GAA have asked for the Government’s assistance in attracting such a fixture to headquarters.

THE host city for this year’s Tall Ships Races has issued a global invitation to the event by sending out 150,000 postcards to be posted around the world.

TWELVE class A vessels have registered for next year’s international Tall Ships Races, which are expected to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the south-east.

Belfast was gearing up today for a week of celebrations today as the Tall Ships arrive.

TRANSPORT Minister Martin Cullen gave €375,000 of taxpayers' money to his home constituency of Waterford city last week for the provision of free park and ride buses during the Tall Ships Race.

Eoin English

WHILE others have been burning the midnight oil throughout the Tall Ships event, one man in particular won’t rest easy until the last of 86 vessel has disappeared from the horizon late on Saturday evening, sometime around 2pm.

THOUSANDS of revellers wandered along the pedestrianised quays in Waterford from early yesterday as the Tall Ships festival got underway.

A major transport and security plan kicks into action today as thousands of people pour into Waterford for the start of the world-renowned Tall Ships festival.

Scallop fishermen in the south east have said they're not ruling out the possibility of causing disruption to the Tall Ships Race in protest at EU fishing restrictions.

A REDEVELOPMENT project in the heart of Waterford city centre is running weeks behind, leaving traders in the midst of a building site just days before the Tall Ships Race.

PUBLICANS in Waterford have been criticised by the organisers of the Tall Ships Race and accused of penny-pinching ahead of the €20 million event.

WATERFORD’S residents and visitors will all be ship-shape this weekend as they are given a flavour of what is to come later this summer.

WATERFORD City Council has announced it will be investing €1.9 million in the hosting of this year’s Tall Ships Race.

Dublin's top tourism chief says a new National Stadium will definitely be announced soon for the capital.