Banbridge

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Banbridge


The Cut in Banbridge
Banbridge (Northern Ireland)
Banbridge

Banbridge shown within Northern Ireland
Population 14,744 (2001 Census)
District Banbridge District
County County Down
Constituent country Northern Ireland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BANBRIDGE
Postcode district BT32
Dialling code 028
Police Northern Ireland
Fire Northern Ireland
Ambulance Northern Ireland
European Parliament Northern Ireland
UK Parliament Upper Bann
List of places: UK • Northern Ireland • Down

Coordinates: 54°20′35″N 6°15′36″W / 54.343, -6.26

Banbridge (from the Irish: Droichead na Banna meaning "the Bridge on the Ban (river)") is a market town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road. It grew as a coaching stop and from Irish linen manufacturing. Its population was 14,744 people in the 2001 Census. The town is the headquarters for Banbridge District Council. The town was named after the first bridge built over the Upper Bann in 1712.

The main street is very unusual, and rises to a steep hill. Banbridge used to be an important stop on the Belfast to Dublin stagecoach route and the town's best known feature is the underpass constructed in 1834 by William Dargan known colloquially as The Cut. The official name is 'Downshire Bridge'. It is thought that this was the first underpass ever built. Its construction was due to pressure from the Post Office, which was concerned that its horses could not pass through the centre of the town without fainting before they reached the top of the hill.

Nearby towns and villages include: Rathfriland, Corbet, Annaclone, Magherally, Seapatrick, Donaghcloney, Blackskull, Lawrencetown, Loughbrickland, Dromore and Gilford.

Contents

[edit] History

Banbridge, home to the Star of the County Down, is, relatively speaking, quite a young town. The town grew up around the site where the main road from Belfast to Dublin crossed the River Bann over an Old Bridge which was situated where the present bridge now stands. The town owed its success to flax and the linen industry, becoming by 1772 the principal linen producing district in Ireland with a total of 26 bleachgreens along the Bann. This industry has now greatly diminished in prominence, but Banbridge still has two of the major producers in Ulster Weavers Ltd, and Thomas Ferguson & Co Ltd., the last remaining Irish linen damask weaver. Recently Banbridge has been twinned with Ruelle in France.

[edit] The Troubles

Banbridge has also been the victim to numerous bomb attacks by Republican groups throughout the Troubles. The most recent of which was a Real IRA car bomb explosion in 1998, injuring 33 people.

[edit] Demographics

Banbridge is classified as a Medium Town by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 10,000 and 18,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 14,744 people living in Banbridge. Of these:

  • 24.4% were aged under 16 years and 16.1% were aged 60 and over
  • 49.5% of the population were male and 50.5% were female
  • 33.7% were from a Catholic background and 63.7% were from a Protestant background
  • 3.3% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

[edit] Places of interest

[edit] BuskFest

Since 2004, Banbridge has staged an annual BuskFest busking competition and music festival. Performers have travelled from as far as Australia to participate in the competition and the evening concert has presented artists including Juliet Turner, Bap Kennedy and The Proclaimers. BuskFest 2007 was headlined by The Undertones.

[edit] Transport

[edit] People

[edit] Education

[edit] Primary

[edit] Post-primary

[edit] Sport

  • One of the Banbridge sporting highlights probably was the 1920 - Ireland v. Scotland International Hockey Match played at Banbridge.
  • The Banbridge Hockey Club wins in 1985 as the second team from Ireland, after Cookstown HC in 1981, the EuroHockey Club Champions Trophy.

Current sports clubs include:

[edit] Song

The Star of the County Down, a well known song associated with Banbridge.

[edit] Pop culture

  • in the film The Day After Tomorrow a fictitious Sky News broadcast shows a depiction of Banbridge in the midst of its apocalyptic blizzard with the reporter stating that citizens of Belfast are being evacuated to Banbridge. Sharp eyed viewers of the film will notice that the caption that appears on the television incorrectly spells the name of the town as Bambridge. No filming actually took place in the town.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Banbridge station. Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved on 2007-09-11.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Major towns in Northern Ireland
Towns