- Castlebridge
Infobox Irish Place
name = Castlebridge
gaeilge = Droichead an Chaisleáin
crest
motto =
map
pin coords = left: 81px; top: 77px
north coord = 52.3833
west coord = 6.45
irish grid = T054269
area =
elevation = 3 m
province =Leinster
county =County Wexford
town pop = 1,624
rural pop =
census yr = 2006
web =
|Castlebridge (Irish place name|Droichead an Chaisleáin) is a small village on the R741
regional road inCounty Wexford , Ireland, north of Wexford Town. It is located near theRiver Slaney and just north ofWexford Harbour . Castlebridge is a rapidly expanding suburb of Wexford town, it's population increased from 783 in1996 to 1,013 in2002 , and to 1624 in the2006 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.
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 inEurope : a golden plover or agrouse ? Thus, the idea forThe 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 ofAmnesty International , recipient of theNobel Peace Prize and son ofMaud Gonne , muse ofWilliam Butler Yeats , on a visit to Castlebridge in the 1970s. Fact|date=February 2007port
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.
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