Castlebridge
| Castlebridge Droichead an Chaisleáin | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
  Castlebridge Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 52°23′00″N 6°27′00″W / 52.3833°N 6.45°WCoordinates: 52°23′00″N 6°27′00″W / 52.3833°N 6.45°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Wexford |
| Elevation | 3 m (10 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Urban | 1,726 |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | T054269 |
Castlebridge (Irish: Droichead an Chaisleáin) is a large village on the R741 regional road in County Wexford, Ireland, north of Wexford Town. It is located near the River Slaney and just north of Wexford Harbour. Castlebridge is a rapidly expanding suburb of Wexford town, its population increased from 783 in 1996 to 1,013 in 2002, and to 1624 in the 2006 census, and 1726 in 2011.
The Castle that originally stood in the village was dismantled to build buildings such as the Church of Ireland Church, which is one of the oldest buildings in Castlebridge.
The river that flows through Castlebridge is actually a canal that replaced the original river. It was dug out by hand to allow sailing cots that loaded up in the various docks of Castlebridge to get to Wexford Town more quickly.
Public transport access
Ardcavan operate a bus once a day each way to/from Dublin and Dublin Airport.[1] Wexford Bus operate a route to/from Wexford with three journeys each way Mondays to Saturdays inclusive.[2] Bus Éireann route 379 (Wexford - Gorey via Kilmuckridge and Courtown) serves Castlebridge on Mondays and Saturdays whereas route 380 (Wexford-Crossabeg-Wexford) serves Castlebridge on Fridays.[3]
Sport
The centre of the village contains a 60x30 foot handball alley. The handball club has produced many county and Irish champions and members have competed at world championships in the US.
Mr. P.D. Breen, who lived in Castlebridge but was originally from Bannow in the south of the county, was the first Wexford man to be President of the G.A.A. (Gaelic Athletic Association) from 1924-1926. He was one of only two Wexford-born National President’s of the G.A.A.[4] He also founded the Irish Handball Council and the St. Peters College (Wexford) Past Pupils Union. He is buried in Castlebridge cemetery.
The village has a thriving community spirit with many community groups situated in the area. The well renowned Castlebridge Gospel Choir were founded in the village in 2003.
Castlebridge is the founding place of the Guinness World Book of Records. On 10 November 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver, then the managing director of the Guinness Breweries, went on a shooting party in the North Slob, by the River Slaney in County Wexford, Ireland. He became involved in an argument over which was the fastest game bird in Europe, the Golden Plover or the grouse (the former being correct). That evening at Castlebridge House, he realised that it was impossible to confirm in reference books whether or not the golden plover was Europe's fastest game bird. Beaver knew that there must be numerous other questions debated nightly in pubs throughout Ireland, but there was no book in the world with which to settle arguments about records. He realised then that a book supplying the answers to this sort of question might prove popular. There is a sign in the park in Castlebridge explaining the above.
See also
References
External links
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