Ardee

Template:Infobox Irish Place Ardee (Irish: Baile Átha Fhirdhia, meaning 'Ford of Ferdia')53°85′N 6°53′W
is a town 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 12 miles (20 Kilometres) from Dundalk, Drogheda, Slane and Carrickmacross. It currently has a population of about 4,318.

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 4 days of battle and is buried on the southern banks of the river alongside the Riverside Walk. Ardee is a town of great historical interest, Ardee Castle (St. Leger's) is the largest fortified medieval tower house in Ireland and perhaps in Europe.

A 5 mile/8km railway line once linked the town to the main Dublin - Belfast line. The station opened on 1 August 1896, passenger services ended on 3 June 1934, and the line survived as a freight service until final closure on 3 November 1976, serving the local fertiliser factory 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.

Another item of interest worth visiting is the "Jumping Church" which is located about 3 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.

Recent Developments

An October day on Market Street, Ardee

Ardee has grown much in the last ten years, mainly as a result of easy access to new roads including the M1 motorway which links Dublin to Belfast. The development of the town has resulted in a dramatic rise in house prices in the area. 2007 has been set by the NRA for work to begin on the Ardee by-pass which will run to the west of the town taking in the N52 and joining up with the N2 north of Ardee.

The Norman castle in Ardee has been recently refurbished and houses the disctrict courthouse.

Sports and Social Facilities

Ardee Ardee Golf Club has an 18-hole golf course whose clubhouse has been improved. The course is an Eddie Hackett design with improvements by Declan Branigan in the mid 1990s.

Recently developed at Townparks, just outside Ardee are the new home grounds of Ardee Celtic Football Club. The ground features 2 full size sand-based pitches and a 7-aside underage pitch, dressing rooms and covered spectator area. The club has 18 underage teams and 3 senior sides. The land for which was provided by a local businessman.

Ardee is home to St. Marys GAA club. The club competes in the senior level of Louth GAA competition.It is one of the most successful clubs in Louth over the past 50 years. It was established in 1928.

Clubs such as Hunterstown Rovers and John Mitchells are also in very close proximity to Ardee. Hunterstown Rovers has 2 adult and several juvenile teams.The senior team competes in the Intermediate Championship.Hunterstown's floodlit Pitch is located just south of Ardee on on the N2.

Ardee & District Athletic Club currently has 70 members both male and female ,all ages are represented from U-7 up to several Veteran athletes.Athletes compete in the various athletic disciplines (Track & Field ,Cross Country, Indoors and Road Racing) at local ,national and international levels.

The Ardee Concert Band is the oldest organistation in the town with a history spanning some 147 years. See Ardee Concert Band[1]

Ardee Tennis Club located in the grounds of the community school has over 200 members. Catering for ages 6 and up, there are 4 floodlit artificial grass tennis courts. New members are welcome.[2]

See also

• List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
• Ardee (constituency)

External links

• The Ruxtons of Ardee
• Ardee on the 'From Ireland' genealogy website
• www.ardeeanddistrictac.com 'Ardee & District Athletic Club'
• www.stmarysgfc.com 'Ardee St.Mary's G.A.A website'
• www.ardeeconcertband.com 'Ardee Concert Band official website'