Castletown, historically called Ballycaslane (), is a small village in northeast
County Wexford
County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
Castletown is in the parish of Kilgorman which is one of the earliest Christian settlements in Ireland. It was founded by St Gorman, possibly the same Gorman for whom Loch Garman (
Wexford
Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...
) is named and after whom St German's Cathedral on St Patrick's Isle off the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
is also named.
Location
Castletown is located between the towns of
Gorey
Gorey () is a market town in north County Wexford, Ireland. It is beside the main M11 Dublin to Wexford road. The town is also connected to the railway network along the same route. Local newspapers include the ''Gorey Guardian''.
As a growi ...
and
Arklow. It lies on the Wicklow/Wexford border and is situated at the foot of
Tara Hill, County Wexford
Tara Hill (''Torrchoill'' in Irish) is an isolated hill and associated village near the Irish Sea coast in north County Wexford, Ireland. Though only high, it dominates the landscape of northeast Wexford. It provides extensive views of the Wexf ...
. Castletown has a small primary school and a church.
Tourism
Castletown is within a tourist area, and there are several caravan parks and guesthouses in the area. Castletown is close to several beaches (Saleen, Clone, Kilpatrick and Kilmichael) and the pub called the "Golden Anchor".
History
![Liam Mellows Commemoration 2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Liam_Mellows_Commemoration_2011.jpg)
Castletown was the Wexford Headquarters of the Irish Republican Army. Its origins date back to the early days of the
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...
, when IRA fighting columns who had been training near by went for drinks in the Golden Anchor pub. Each year a commemorative rally is held in village to honour those who drank in the Golden Anchor. The Flag bearers lead proceedings from Golden Anchor to Castletown Cemetery. Afterwards they head back to the Anchor for refreshments. The meeting was first held in 1970 and only failed to commence on two occasions in 1984 and 2010 when snow halted processions.
Sports
GAA
Castletown GAA club is between Castletown and the village of Tarahill. Castletown was a football only club up until the 1960s when the decision was made to form a hurling club as Wexford had just won an All Ireland title. Records show that football was played around the area since 1887 when a team from Castletown went to play a football match in a field near the Kish. The club was then known as "Castletown" GAA club but is now known as "
Castletown Liam Mellows" GAA club as the hurling club was established. The new club was called Liam Mellows in honour of the executed Irish Republican,
Liam Mellows
William Joseph Mellows ( ga, Liam Ó Maoilíosa, 25 May 1892 – 8 December 1922) was an Irish republican and Sinn Féin politician. Born in England to an English father and Irish mother, he grew up in Ashton-under-Lyne before moving to Ireland ...
. The club played their first game in Gorey against Craanford. The club first won the district title in 1963 but were beaten in the County Semi-Final by St. Martins. In 1964, after again winning the Gorey District, Liam Mellows went on to overcome Na Fianna from Wexford town to win the Junior Championship.
Camogie and LGFA
Castletown also has both Ladies football and camogie clubs. Both clubs play in the "junior A" division.
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
{{County Wexford
Towns and villages in County Wexford