Knockbridge
{{short description|Village in County Louth, Ireland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name = Knockbridge
|native_name = {{Irish place name|Droichead an Chnoic}}
|native_name_lang = ga
|settlement_type = Village
|image_skyline = Knockbridge crossroads.jpg
|image_caption = Knockbridge crossroads
|pushpin_map = Ireland
|pushpin_label_position = right
|pushpin_map_caption = Location in Ireland
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = Ireland
|subdivision_type1 = Province
|subdivision_name1 = Leinster
|subdivision_type3 = County
|subdivision_name3 = Louth
|established_title =
|established_date =
|unit_pref = Metric
|area_footnotes =
|area_total_km2 =
|population_as_of = 2022
|population_footnotes = {{cite web|url=https://visual.cso.ie/?body=entity/ima/cop/2022&boundary=C04160V04929&guid=23fe2838-925d-4b8e-a64a-5939c1910186 |title=SAPMAP Area - Settlement - Knockbridge |publisher=Central Statistics Office |work = Census 2022 |date = April 2022 | accessdate = 8 May 2024 }}
|population = 759
|population_density_km2 = auto
|timezone1 = WET
|utc_offset1 = +0
|utc_offset1_DST = -1
|coordinates = {{coord|53.97|-6.49|dim:100000_region:IE|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes =
|elevation_m = 42
|blank_name = Irish Grid Reference
|blank_info = {{iem4ibx|H994037}}
|website =
|footnotes =
}}
Knockbridge ({{Irish place name|Droichead an Chnoic}}){{cite web|url = https://www.logainm.ie/126032.aspx | publisher = Irish Placenames Commission | website = logainm.ie | title = Droichead an Chnoic / Knockbridge | accessdate = 9 February 2020 }} is a village in County Louth, Ireland. 7 km south-west of Dundalk, it is in the townland of Ballinlough (Baile an Locha) in the historical barony of Dundalk Upper. As of the 2022 census, the village had a population of 759 people.{{cite web|url = https://visual.cso.ie/?body=entity/ima/cop/2022&boundary=C04160V04929&guid=23fe2838-925d-4b8e-a64a-5939c1910186 | website = CSO Census Mapping | title = Knockbridge (Ireland) Census Town | accessdate = 8 May 2024 }} Knockbridge won a "best kept village" award in the 2008 Tidy Towns competition.{{cite web|url = http://knockbridgetidytown.com/index.html | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131009143415/http://knockbridgetidytown.com/index.html | archivedate = 9 October 2013 | title = Knockbridge Tidy Towns - Best Kept Village Award 2008 | website = knockbridgetidytown.com }}
Facilities
The village is centred on a crossroads, where there is a pub and a shop. There are four housing estates, a Roman Catholic church and a large primary school 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 community enterprise space.{{cite web |title=Stephenstown Pond website |url=https://stephenstownpond.com/ | website = stephenstownpond.com }}
Knockbridge Church (St Mary's) has a number of Harry Clarke designed stained-glass windows.
History
File:Stephenstown House, Knockbridge, Co. Louth - geograph.org.uk - 1065175.jpg
{{Historical populations|state=collapsed
|1986|309
|1991|292
|1996|274
|2002|335
|2006|427
|2011|583
|2016|667
|2022|759
|footnote={{cite web|url=https://visual.cso.ie/?body=entity/ima/cop/2022&boundary=C04160V04929&guid=23fe2838-925d-4b8e-a64a-5939c1910186 |title=SAPMAP Area - Settlement - Knockbridge |publisher=Central Statistics Office |work = Census 2022 |date = April 2022 | accessdate = 8 May 2024 }}}}
The village may take its name from "Cnoic Bhríde" - Bridget's Hill - reputed to be a site connected with local Saint Bridget. It may also take its name from "Droichead an Chnoic" - Bridge of the hill - after a bridge over the nearby River Fane.{{cite web |last1=Knockbridge entry on Logainm |title=Logainm site |url=https://www.logainm.ie/ga/126032 |website=Logainm (DCU) |publisher=DCU |access-date=24 May 2024}}
Clochafarmore, where the legendary hero Cú Chulainn is reputed to have died, is also nearby.
Sport
The village's Gaelic football team, St Bride's GFC, was founded by Séamus 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 club, Knockbridge GAA, has won the Louth Senior Hurling Championship twelve times.{{cite web |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-40059158.html|title=Louth SHC: Title number 12 for impressive Knockbridge|accessdate=5 October 2020 |work=Irish Examiner |publisher= |date=3 October 2020}}
Location and transport
The village is situated {{convert|6.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} south-west of Dundalk, the county town. The village is 75 km north of Dublin Airport. Bus Éireann provides bus routes to and from Knockbridge.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://knockbridgens.com/ Knockbridge National School, County Louth]
- [http://www.knockbridgevintageclub.com/ Knockbridge Vintage Club]
- [http://stbridesgfc.com/ St. Brides GFC, Knockbridge]
{{County Louth}}