Comber

For the fish, see Comber (fish).

Coordinates: 54°32′38″N 5°44′06″W / 54.544°N 5.735°W / 54.544; -5.735

Comber
Irish: an Comar
Comber  Comber shown within Northern Ireland
Population	8,933 (2001 Census)
District	Ards Borough
County	County Down
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NEWTOWNARDS
Postcode district	BT23
Dialling code	028
Police	Northern Ireland
Fire	Northern Ireland
Ambulance	Northern Ireland
EU Parliament	Northern Ireland
UK Parliament	Strangford
Website	comberonline.org
List of places: UK • Northern Ireland • Down

Comber (from Irish: an Comar, meaning "the confluence")^[1] is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies 5 miles south of Newtownards, at the northern end of Strangford Lough. It had a population of 8,933 people in the 2001 Census. Comber is part of the Borough of Ards. It is also known for Comber Whiskey which was last distilled in 1953.

History

The confluence of two rivers, which gave the town its name, is that of the Glen River and the Enler River which meet here. There is believed to have been a church here since the time of St Patrick, while a Cistercian abbey was founded around 1200 on the site of the present Church of Ireland church, a site likely chosen to take advantage of the good access to Strangford Lough. After Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1541, the abbey fell into ruins and its stone has since been used in other buildings.

St. Mary's Church of Ireland

Interior of St. Mary's Church of Ireland

During the influx of Scots in the early 1600s (see Plantation of Ulster), a settlement grew up at Comber, although it was focused about a mile further south than at present, in the townland of Cattogs, and there is evidence that the settlement was a port used by traders and fishermen. By the 1700s, however, the focus of the town had moved to the area of the present main Square and Comber became established as an industrial centre with several mills.

The Andrews family made Comber a centre of both linen production and grain processing by the second half of the 1700s. Whiskey distilling was a prominent industry by the mid 1800s, the most prominent of the distillers being John Miller, uncle of William James (Lord) Pirrie and Eliza (wife of Thomas Andrews Snr.). One member of the Andrews family, Thomas, rose to fame as designer of the ill-fated RMS Titanic, although he tragically lost his life when the ship sank in 1912. By 1841 the town had 1,400 inhabitants. The 20th century saw Comber lose much of its industry but re-establish itself as a commuter town for the Belfast urban area, swelling in population from 4,000 in 1961 to 8,933 according to the 2001 Census.

The Square. The Gillespie Memorial and St. Mary's Parish Church can also be seen.

In Comber's Square, you cannot fail to see the statue of Major General Rollo Gillespie. Gillespie was a local war hero from the 19th century, famous for his heroic exploits in India. It was constructed under the oversight of John Fraser, the first County Surveyor of Down, and was unveiled on 24th June 1845 (St. John's Day). Fifty lodges of the Masonic Order were present, in what is believed to be the biggest Masonic gathering in Irish history. It was calculated that 25,000 to 30,000 people crowded into the town to witness the ceremony. The column is 55 feet high. At the foot of the column are many Masonic symbols and his famous last words "One shot more for the honour of Down".

The Enler River in Comber has also flooded many times in past years. As a result the Comber flood wall was built along the river through the town which has held the water back since.

Townlands

Like the rest of Ireland, the Comber area has long been divided into townlands, whose names mostly come from the Irish language. Over time, more rural townlands have been built upon and they have given their names to many roads and housing estates. The following is a list of townlands within Comber’s urban area, alongside their likely etymologies:^[2]

• Ballyaltikilligan (from Baile Ailt Uí Ghiollagáin meaning "townland of O'Gilligan's glen" or Baile Ailt Cille Aodháin meaning "townland of the glen of Aodan's church")
• Ballyhenry Minor (from Baile Héinrí or Baile Éinrí meaning "Henry's townland")
• Ballymagaughey (from Baile Mhig Eacháin meaning "MacGaughey's townland")
• Carnasure or Carnesure (from Ceathrú na Siúr meaning "quarterland of the sisters")
• Glassmoss

Transport

Comber railway station on the Belfast and County Down Railway, opened on 6 May 1850, but finally closed on 24 April 1950.^[3]

Comber has recently opened another section of the bypass in 2003 from newtownards which goes right around the town and links up with the existing section at st. marys primary school where agin it follows the old dis used railway line.It has eased congestion in the town at rush hour.

Education

One of the three local primary schools is Comber Primary School which operates under the headmaster, Don Halliday. There are 15 teachers at the school. Notable alumni include Northern Ireland footballer Stephen Craigan.

The other local primary school is Andrews Memorial Primary School, which is of a similar size and as part of the school buildings includes the Andrews Memorial Hall, which was built by the citizens of Comber in memory of Thomas Andrews, the shipbuilder of the RMS Titanic.

The third primary school is St. Mary's Primary School, which is much smaller in size.

Many pupils from these schools go to Nendrum College, Comber, next door to Comber Primary, and Regent House Grammar School, Newtownards.

Demographics

Comber is classified as a small town by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 4,500 and 10,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 8,933 people living in Comber. Of these:

• 19.7% were aged under 16 years and 18.0% were aged 60 and over
• 48.3% of the population were male and 51.7% were female
• 3.7% were from a Catholic background and 91.6% were from a Protestant background
• 2.8% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

People

John Miller Andrews

• Comber is most famous for being the birthplace of Thomas Andrews (born in 1873), the RMS Titanic's shipbuilder, who died in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.
• Thomas Andrews had a famous brother John Miller Andrews, who became Northern Ireland’s second Prime Minister between 1940 and 1945. He was born in 1871 and became a flax-spinner and a wealthy landowner in Comber. He died in 1956.
• Sir Robert Rollo Gillespie (1766–1814) was born in a large house on the south side of Comber's main square. The square holds a large statue of Gillespie, unveiled on the 24th June 1845 (St. John's Day). Gillespie reached the rank of Major-General and joined an Irish cavalry regiment before campaigning against the French in the West Indies. He later fought in India were he was instrumental in stopping the Vellore Mutiny and in Sumatra where he fought against the Sultan. He was killed in action storming a Gurkha fort in Nepal.
• Racing driver Jonny Kane (born 14 May 1973), was born in Comber. He was crowned British Formula Three champion in 1997 and went on to become 'rookie of the year' in the 1999 IndyLights series in the USA.

Edward de Wind Blue Plaque

• Edmund De Wind, was born in Comber and was a Canadian (also considered Irish) recipient of the Victoria Cross in World War I. He was a member of The Royal Irish Rifles, killed during the First Battle of the Somme on 21 March 1918, after repelling attack after attack until he was mortally wounded and collapsed. There is a housing estate in Comber named after him built in the 1950s. Edmund was officially remembered in Comber on Friday 14 September 2007 through the unveiling of an Ulster History Circle "Blue Plaque" in his honour. He was educated at Campbell College, Belfast.

Sport

Motor racing

From 1928 to 1936, the RAC Tourist Trophy (TT) motorcar races took place on a (closed) road circuit encompassing Newtownards, Comber and Dundonald in County Down, run in a clockwise direction. The pits were still visible up until the 1960s. Industrialist and pioneer of the modern agricultural tractor, Harry Ferguson, was instrumental in setting up the race, which was known as the Ards TT.

At the time it was Northern Ireland’s premier sporting event, regularly attracting crowds in excess of a quarter of a million people. Although it was a speed event, the entries were handicapped in order to allow cars of very different sizes and capabilities to race against each other on supposedly even terms over 30 laps (35 laps from 1933) of the 13.7 mile circuit. On September 5, 1936, in wet conditions, local driver Jack Chambers lost control of his Riley and crashed into the crowd, killing eight spectators. This tragedy brought an end to nine years of racing over the Ards road circuit.^[4]

Football

One of Comber's finest sporting moments came on Christmas morning 1991 when local amateur football team Comber Rec., managed by Mervyn Boyce, overcame favourites Brantwood to lift the Steel and Sons Cup for the first time.

Cricket

Comber is also the home of one of Ireland's oldest and most successful cricket clubs, North Down, which has played its home matches at the Green since 1857. It has won the NCU Challenge Cup a record 30 times, the NCU Senior League outright on 17 occasions and the Irish Senior Cup 3 times since its inception in 1984.

Hockey

• North Down Hockey Club

See also

• List of towns in Northern Ireland
• List of villages in Northern Ireland
• Nendrum Monastery

References

1. ^ Placenames NI
2. ^ "Northern Ireland Placenames Project". http://www.placenamesni.org/Index.html. Retrieved 2010-05-30. 
3. ^ "Comber station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-17. 
4. ^ "Memorial revives Ards TT memories". BBC. 18 August 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7567063.stm. Retrieved 2009-01-05. 

• Culture Northern Ireland

External links

• Comber website (ComberOnline.org)
• Ards TT 'on-board' lap of the circuit