Castlebridge
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| Castlebridge Droichead an Chaisleáin |
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| Location | ||
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WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates:
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| Irish grid reference T054269 |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Leinster | |
| County: | County Wexford | |
| Elevation: | 3 m | |
| Population (2006) | 1,624 | |
Castlebridge (Irish: Droichead an Chaisleáin) is a small village on the R741 regional road in County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, north of Wexford Town. It is located near the River Slaney and just north of Wexford Harbour. Castlebridge is a rapidly expanding suburb of Wexford town, it's population increased from 783 in 1996 to 1,013 in 2002, and to 1624 in the 2006 census.
The Castle that originally stood in the village was dismantled to build buildings such as the Church of Ireland Church, which is one of the oldest buildings in Castlebridge.
The river that flows trough Castlebridge is actually a canal that replaced the original river. It was dug out by hand to allow sailing cots that loaded up in the various docks of Castlebridge to get to Wexford Town more quickly.
[edit] Trivia
In 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver, the managing director of the Guinness Brewery, was on a hunting expedition on the nearby North Slob. A debate arose over which was the fastest game bird in Europe: a golden plover or a grouse? Thus, the idea for The Guinness Book of World Records was born that night in the heart of Castlebridge in the Nunns residence, across from the Catholic church.
In the small park, there is a tree which was planted by Seán MacBride, a founding member of Amnesty International, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and son of Maud Gonne, muse of William Butler Yeats, on a visit to Castlebridge in the 1970s.[citation needed]
[edit] Sport
The centre of the village contains a 60x30 foot handball alley. The handball club has produced many county and Irish champions and members have competed at world championships in the US.
Mr. P.D. Breen, who lived in Castlebridge but was originally from Bannow in the south of the county, was the first Wexford man to be President of the G.A.A. (Gaelic Athletic Association) from 1924-1926. He also founded the Irish Handball Council and the St. Peters College (Wexford) Past Pupils Union. He is buried in Castlebridge cemetery.
