Castlebridge

Castlebridge Droichead an Chaisleáin
Town
Castlebridge Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°23′00″N 6°27′00″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	County Wexford
Elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Population  (2016)
• Urban	1,840
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
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 has almost tripled in 20 years, increasing from 783 in 1996 to a population of 1,840 in 2016.

History

The namesake 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, contrary to popular belief, 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.

Guinness Book of Records

Castlebridge is the founding place of the Guinness Book of World 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.

Public transport access

Ardcavan operate a bus once a day each way to/from Dublin and Dublin Airport. Wexford Bus operate an hourly service to/from Wexford since February 2019 Mondays to Saturdays inclusive. 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.

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 United States. Alongside this, opposite the Old School (now Castlebridge Community Centre), is the local soccer club, Bridge Rovers FC.

Mr. P.D. Breen, who lived in Castlebridge but was originally from Bannow in the south of the county, was the first Wexfordian to become President of the G.A.A. (Gaelic Athletic Association) from 1924 until 1926. He was one of only two Wexford-born National Presidents of the G.A.A. He also founded the Irish Handball Council and the St. Peters College (Wexford) Past Pupils Union. He is buried in Castlebridge cemetery.

Community

The village has a thriving community spirit with many community groups situated in the area, including the renowned Castlebridge Gospel Choir, which was founded in 2003. Local businesses include the Porter House, which was given the prestigious title of Pub of the Year in 2017, fast food restaurant "The Frying Irishman", MGA fast food restaurant, local supermarket Flanagan's Centra, Lowneys Furniture shop, Treasure Trove Antiques and Freddie's local shop and post office.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

Brick production in Castlebridge