Knockbridge () is a village in

County Louth County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, M ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. It is located in 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 Ballinlough (''Baile an Locha'') in the historical barony of Dundalk Upper. As of the 2016 census, the village had a population of 667 people. Knockbridge won a "best kept village" award in the 2008 Tidy Towns competition.

Facilities

The village is centred on a crossroads, where there is a pub and a shop. There are four

housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throughout the United States ...

s, a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

church and a large

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

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 community enterprise space. Knockbridge Church (St Mary's) has a number of

Harry Clarke Henry Patrick Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) was an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement. His work was influenced by both the Art Nouveau an ...

designed stained-glass windows.

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 Clochafarmore is a menhir (standing stone) and National Monument in County Louth, Ireland. Location Clochafarmore is located east-northeast of Knockbridge, Dundalk on the left bank of the River Fane. History and legend The standing stone ...

, where the legendary hero

Cú Chulainn Cú Chulainn ( ), called the Hound of Ulster ( Irish: ''Cú Uladh''), is a warrior hero and demigod in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore. He is believed to be an incarnation of the Irish god Lugh ...

is reputed to have died.

Sport

The village's

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by ki ...

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 competes in the Louth Senior Division. The local

hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...

club,

Knockbridge GAA Knockbridge GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Knockbridge, County Louth, Ireland. Founded in 1999, the club is solely concerned with the game of hurling. The club has won 12 Louth Senior Hurling Championship titles. History ...

, has won the

Louth Senior Hurling Championship The Louth Senior Hurling Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association competition organised by Louth GAA among the top hurling clubs in County Louth, Ireland. The winner qualifies to represent the county in the Leinster Junior Club ...

twelve times.

Location and transport

The village is situated south-west of

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

, the county town. The village is 75 km north of

Dublin Airport Dublin Airport ( Irish: ''Aerfort Bhaile Átha Cliath'') is an international airport serving Dublin, Ireland. It is operated by DAA (formerly Dublin Airport Authority). The airport is located in Collinstown, north of Dublin, and south o ...

Bus Éireann Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Ireland, with the exception of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidi ...

provides bus routes to and from Knockbridge.

References

External links