Katesbridge is a small

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

in County Down,

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. It is within the

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

of Shannaghan, just off the main route from Castlewellan to

Banbridge Banbridge ( , ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the River Bann in 1712. It is situated in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iv ...

, and 4.3 miles (7 km) north of

Rathfriland Rathfriland () is a market town in County Down, Northern Ireland. History In older documents written in English, the town's name was usually spelt ''Rathfylan'' or ''Rathfrilan''.

. The

River Bann The River Bann (from ga, An Bhanna, meaning "the goddess"; Ulster-Scots: ''Bann Wattèr'') is one of the longest rivers in Northern Ireland, its length, Upper and Lower Bann combined, being 129 km (80 mi). However, the total lengt ...

flows by the hamlet. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 135 people. It lies within the

Banbridge District Banbridge was a local government district in Northern Ireland. The district was one of 26 council areas formed on 1 October 1973, following the implementation of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972. The headquarters of the council ...

. The hamlet is named after Kate McKay, who was born in Ballyroney in 1691 and later went to live with her grandmother who is said to have owned the house where the workmen lodged when building the 18th-century bridge. It is because of Kate's kindness the workmen named the bridge after her, and the hamlet became known as Katesbridge. The novelist

Thomas Mayne Reid Thomas Mayne Reid (4 April 1818 – 22 October 1883) was an Irish-American novelist, who fought in the Mexican-American War (1846–1848). His many works on American life describe colonial policy in the American colonies, the horrors of slave ...

was born in Ballyroney in 1818.

Transport

Katesbridge railway station Katesbridge railway station was a railway station serving the small hamlet (place), hamlet of Katesbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland. It was located on the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) which ran from Banbridge to Castlewellan. History ...

, on the Great Northern Railway, was opened on 14 December 1880 and finally closed on 2 May 1955. Entering Katesbridge - geograph

Climate

Katesbridge is often noted in weather reports as the coldest location on the island of

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 ...

as well as within the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. This is due to its status as a 'frost hollow', a low-lying location relative to its surroundings which allows the colder air to settle.Stewart, Linda. "Katesbridge: The legend of Northern Ireland's ’frosty hollows.’" Belfast Telegraph. 15/01/2013. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/katesbridge-the-legend-of-northern-irelands-frosty-hollows-29014781.html

References

Villages in County Down {{NorthernIreland-geo-stub

Transport

Climate

See also

References