Ferrybank () is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

Waterford City Waterford ( ) is a city in County Waterford in the south-east of Ireland. It is located within the province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford Harbour. It is the oldest Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. Much of Ferrybank, or "the village" as it is referred to locally, is under the political jurisdiction of

Waterford City and County Council Waterford City and County Council () is the local authority of the City of Waterford and County Waterford in Ireland. It came into operation on 1 June 2014 after the 2014 local elections. It is a merger of Waterford City Council and Waterfor ...

and thus an area of administration for Waterford City, on the northern bank of the

River Suir The River Suir ( ; or ''Abhainn na Siúire'' ) is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean through Waterford after a distance of . The catchment area of the Suir is 3,610 km2.

, extending into

County Waterford County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...

. However, some parts of Ferrybank extend into County Kilkenny and are administered by

Kilkenny County Council Kilkenny County Council () is the local authority of County Kilkenny, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning ...

. There has been a long-lasting boundary dispute between both jurisdictions, with debates and proposals ongoing for many decades.

Sport

Ferrybank hurling club won the

Waterford Senior Hurling Championship The Waterford Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the JJ Kavanagh & Sons Senior Hurling Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Waterford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 18 ...

in 1915, 1916 and 1919. Locky Byrne is an inter-county hurler who was from the area, and played for both the

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

and

Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

teams in the 1930s and 1940s. Athletic events have been held in Ferrybank since 1869. Members of Ferrybank Athletic Club (Ferrybank AC) to have represented Ireland include Brendan Quinn at the 1988 Olympics and Kelly Proper at the 2010 European Championships. Ferrybank AFC, the local

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

club, was founded in 1948. Notable players at the club have included

John O'Shea John Francis O'Shea (; born 30 April 1981) is an Irish professional football coach and former player who is currently assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland men's national team. He was known for his versatility in playing several defensi ...

, of

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

and the Republic of Ireland national team, who played underage football with the club. Romeo Akachukwu, who later joined

Southampton F.C. Southampton Football Club is a professional football club based in Southampton, Hampshire, England. The club competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Their home ground since 2001 has been St Mary's Stadium, befor ...

, also played with Ferrybank AFC.

Ghost shopping centres

The Ross Abbey Town Centre Shopping Complex was built in 2008 at a cost of €7 million and was sold in 2013 for €225k. It remained empty for several years after it was constructed. In 2017 (nearly 10 years after the complex was completed) the discount retailer "Mr Price" opened a unit within the development. Other businesses subsequently opened there, including a barbers, café, beautician, gym and a Tesco Express outlet. The Ferrybank Shopping Centre on the south Kilkenny/Waterford border was completed in 2008 at a cost of €100m. It never opened, due to the failure of Dunnes Stores to take up its planned anchor tenancy, and (as of late 2023) remained closed. While containing no retail outlets, part of the development has housed a local library and county council office.

People

* Donal Foley, a writer and editor at ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'', grew up in Ferrybank. *

, former international footballer, lived and went to school in the area. *

Craig Breen Craig Breen (2 February 1990 – 13 April 2023) was an Irish rally driver who last competed part time for the Hyundai team in the World Rally Championship (WRC). He won the 2012 Super 2000 WRC, scoring class wins in the Monte Carlo Rally, Wale ...

, rally driver who competed in the World Rally Championship, attended school in Ferrybank.

References

{{Waterford Geography of Waterford (city) Towns and villages in County Kilkenny