Knockbridge

Knockbridge
Droichead an Chnoic or Cnoic Bhríde
Village
Knockbridge

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 53°58′N 6°29′W / 53.97°N 6.49°W / 53.97; -6.49Coordinates: 53°58′N 6°29′W / 53.97°N 6.49°W / 53.97; -6.49
Country Ireland
Province Leinster
County Louth
Elevation 42 m (138 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Urban 583
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference H994037

Knockbridge (Irish: Droichead an Chnoic) is a small village within the townland of Ballinlough (Baile an Locha) in County Louth, Ireland.

Facilities

The village is centred on a crossroads, where there is a pub and a shop. There are four housing estates, a Roman Catholic church and a large primary school in the village.

Stephenstown House, a large ruined Georgian house, once owned by a branch of the Fortescue family, stands beside the River Fane about a mile outside the village. Stephenstown Pond, about a hundred metres from the house, was redeveloped in the mid-1990s and is a public amenity. Stephenstown Pond has a conference centre and an 8,000 sq ft (740 m2) community enterprise space. It is a habitat for a large number of animals. Fishing permits for the pond can be obtained in the village from McNamee's Pub or Brodigan's Shop.

Knockbridge Church (St Mary's) has a number of Harry Clarke designed stained-glass windows. Since 1999 its parish priest has been Fr. Gerard McGinnity.

History

The village takes its name from "Cnoic Bhríde" - Bridget's Hill - reputed to be a site connected with local saint Bridget. Nearby is Clochafarmore, where the legendary hero Cú Chulainn is reputed to have died.

Sport

The village's Gaelic football team (St. Brides GFC) was founded by Seamus Quinn, the parish priest in 1927. The club plays in "Páirc an Chuinnigh", which was bought as a memorial to Quinn who died in 1952. The grounds were opened on 1 May 1955. The club currently competes in the Louth Intermediate Division.

Location and transport

The village is situated 6.5 km (4.0 mi) south-west of Dundalk, the county town. The village is 75 km north of Dublin Airport. Bus Éireann provides bus routes to and from Knockbridge.

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.