Ardee
| Ardee Baile Átha Fhirdhia
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| — Town — | |||
 from the battlements of Ardee Castle |
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| Motto: Na Bris Sith, Na Bris Cairdis Don't Break Peace, Don't Break Friendship |
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Ardee
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| Coordinates: 53°51′19″N 6°32′16″W / 53.855362°N 6.537895°WCoordinates: 53°51′19″N 6°32′16″W / 53.855362°N 6.537895°W | |||
| Country | Ireland | ||
| Province | Leinster | ||
| County | County Louth | ||
| Population (2011)[1] | |||
| • Urban | 4,541 | ||
| • Rural | 2,877 | ||
| Irish Grid Reference | N958906 | ||
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1821 | 3,588 | — |
| 1831 | 3,975 | +10.8% |
| 1841 | 3,679 | −7.4% |
| 1851 | 2,752 | −25.2% |
| 1861 | 2,580 | −6.3% |
| 1871 | 2,972 | +15.2% |
| 1881 | 2,622 | −11.8% |
| 1891 | 2,067 | −21.2% |
| 1901 | 1,883 | −8.9% |
| 1911 | 1,773 | −5.8% |
| 1926 | 1,729 | −2.5% |
| 1936 | 2,383 | +37.8% |
| 1946 | 2,346 | −1.6% |
| 1951 | 2,489 | +6.1% |
| 1956 | 2,719 | +9.2% |
| 1961 | 2,710 | −0.3% |
| 1966 | 2,919 | +7.7% |
| 1971 | 3,183 | +9.0% |
| 1981 | 3,252 | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 3,559 | +9.4% |
| 1991 | 3,604 | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 3,791 | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 3,948 | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 4,694 | +18.9% |
| [1][2][3][4][5] | ||
Ardee (Irish: Baile Átha Fhirdhia, meaning "townland of Ferdia's ford") is a town and townland in County Louth, Ireland. It is located at the intersection of the N2, N52, and N33 roads. Ardee is on the banks of the River Dee and is approximately 20 km (12 mi) from Dundalk, Drogheda, Slane and Carrickmacross. It currently has a population of about 5000.
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[edit] History
Originally called Atherdee, its name is derived from the Irish Áth Fhirdia (the Ford of Ferdia), from the mythological four day battle between Cúchulainn and Ferdia, for the defence of Ulster from Queen Maeve of Connacht. Ferdia fell after four days of battle and is buried on the southern banks of the river alongside the Riverside Walk. Ardee Castle in the town (St. Leger's) is the largest fortified medieval tower house in Ireland.[citation needed]
An eight km (five miles) railway line once linked the town to the main Dublin - Belfast line. The station opened on 1 August, 1896 and passenger services ended on 3 June, 1934. The line continued as a freight service until finally closed on 3 November, 1976,[6] serving the local fertiliser factory, sugar beet, and livestock transport. The trackbed was lifted in the late 1980s, and much of the short route is now a designated walkway.
The river Dee was the northern border of The Pale in medieval times.
Also of note is "Jumping Church" which is located about five km (three miles) outside the town. Legend has it that a non-Christian was buried inside the Church walls and that later that night, the Church jumped so as to leave his remains outside of the sacred ground.[citation needed]
[edit] Recent developments
Ardee has grown much in the last ten years,[when?] mainly as a result of easy access to new roads including the M1 motorway which links Dublin to Belfast.[citation needed] The development of the town resulted in a dramatic rise in house prices in the area.[citation needed]
The Norman castle in Ardee has been recently[when?] refurbished and used to house the district courthouse, which is now housed in the new Civic Offices Complex at the Fairgreen.
A festival for Ardee was launched in 2009 titled the "The Turfman Festival". It is held on the August bank holiday weekend with numerous of events happening on the street from singing to face painting.
Now the town of Ardee is twinned with the town of Nettuno, Italy. The twinning agreement was signed in 2010 by their respective mayors Jim Tenanty and Alessio Chiavetta.
[edit] Sports and social facilities
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2011) |
Golf: Ardee has an 18-hole golf course with a recently[when?] improved clubhouse.[citation needed]
GAA: "St. Marys GAA club" competes in the senior level of Louth GAA competition. It was established in 1928. Other Clubs such as Hunterstown Rovers, John Mitchells and Sean McDermott's are in very close proximity to Ardee. Hunterstown Rovers has two adult and several juvenile teams. The senior team competes in the Intermediate Championship. Hunterstown's floodlit Pitch is located just south of Ardee on the N2.
Soccer: Recently[when?] developed at Townparks, just outside Ardee are the new home grounds of Ardee Celtic. The ground features two full size sand-based pitches and a seven-a-side underage pitch, dressing rooms and covered spectator area. The club has 18 underage teams and three senior sides. Other teams include Square United and Newtown United. They play in the Meath & District League
Athletics: Ardee & District Athletic Club caters for male and female members from the age of six up to Veterans. Athletes compete in the various athletic disciplines (Track & Field, Cross Country, Indoors and Road Racing) at local, national and international level.
Tennis: is located on the grounds of the community school has over 200 members. The club caters for ages six and up and has four floodlit artificial grass courts.
Rugby: Ardee Rugby Club is located in Townspark, Ardee, and was founded in 1980. It has male, female and youth squads. A recent redevelopment has added a gym and a sauna.[when?]
Chess The Ardee chess team team won the National Chess Championship (NCC) 3 times in a row from 1972 to 1974 and is still active.
Concert Band: The Ardee Concert Band is the oldest organisation in the town with a history spanning some 150 years.[citation needed]
Annual Music Festival: The Ardee Baroque Festival celebrated its sixth annual season in 2009. Run by Louth County Council's Arts Office, the festival receives grants from the Arts Council and commercial sponsorship to bring national and international musicians to Ardee.
[edit] See also
[edit] External link
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ Census for post 1821 figures.
- ^ http://www.histpop.org
- ^ Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency - Census Home Page
- ^ Lee, JJ (1981). "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses". In Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A.. Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
- ^ Mokyr, Joel; O Grada, Cormac (November 1984). "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850". The Economic History Review 37 (4): 473–488. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120035880/abstract
- ^ "Ardee station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
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