Greenore
Encyclopedia
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
, townland
Townland
A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
and deep water port on Carlingford Lough
Carlingford Lough
Carlingford Lough is a glacial fjord or sea inlet that forms part of the border between Northern Ireland to the north and the Republic of Ireland to the south. On its northern shore is County Down and on its southern shore is County Louth...
in County Louth
County Louth
County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The population of Greenore and the surrounding rural area (electoral area) was 898 in the 2002 Irish census.
Greenore has the only privately owned port in Ireland. It has three berths and can handle vessels of up to 39,999 gross tons. In 1964 the port was used to fit out the ships used for the pirate radio
Pirate radio
Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
stations Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline is an English radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly...
and Radio Atlanta
Radio Atlanta
Radio Atlanta named after Atlanta, Texas, was an offshore commercial station that operated briefly from 12 May 1964 to 2 July 1964 from a ship anchored in the North Sea, three and a half miles off Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England...
(later Radio Caroline South). In the 1970s there was regular freight shipping from the port to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. In 2005 Greenore was Irelands's 10th largest port in terms of tonnage handled with 649,000 tonnes of goods handled.
Economy
Greenore is also a brand of whiskey produced by the nearby Cooley Distillery.Transport
- A lighthouse was built on Greenore Point in the early 19th century.
- The Dundalk and Greenore Railway Act of 1863 authorised the construction of the port and railway. The port was constructed in 1867 to provide links to HeyshamHeyshamHeysham is a large coastal village near Lancaster in the county of Lancashire, England. Overlooking Morecambe Bay, it is a ferry port with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland. Heysham is the site of two nuclear power stations which are landmarks visible from hills in the surrounding area...
and FleetwoodFleetwoodFleetwood is a town within the Wyre district of Lancashire, England, lying at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 26,840 people at the 2001 Census. It forms part of the Greater Blackpool conurbation. The town was the first planned community of the Victorian era...
. The village was constructed to provide homes for the dock and railway workers of the Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway. - From 1873 to 1951 there was a ferryFerryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service between Greenore and HolyheadHolyheadHolyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
. The London and North Western RailwayLondon and North Western RailwayThe London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
constructed a substantial hotel and railway station to serve passengers using the ferry. The original railway line ran from DundalkDundalkDundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
to Greenore and the first service was 1 May 1873 when the station opened. In 1876 the railway line was extended to NewryNewryNewry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
. In the 19th century there was a ferry from Greencastle to Greenore. The railway and the station closed on 1 January 1952 and was replaced by bus services to Dundalk and Newry.
Sport
In 1896 the Greenore Golf Club was founded. As of 2009 it is a 6,647 yard course, with a par of 71.Notable residents
- Archbishop Michael Desmond Hynes OMD PhD
- Jimmy MageeJimmy MageeJimmy Magee is a longstanding Irish sports broadcaster. Known as 'the Memory Man', he has spent over half a century in sports broadcasting...
, sports commentator
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
External links
- Radio Caroline - The Early Years.
- Dáil Éireann, Committee on Finance, Debate on 21 February, 1952. Includes discussion of Greenore Port and Hotel.
- DUNDALK, NEWRY AND GREENORE RAILWAY (ABANDONMENT) WARRANT, 1953. 22 Dec 1953. http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZSI397Y1953.html
- Dundalk and Greenore Railway Act, in Acts of the Parliaments of the United Kingdom Part 53 (1863) https://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/chron-tables/local/chron053.htm
- Greenore Golf Course http://www.eastcoastmidlands.ie/individual_results.asp?sID=278
- Photograph of Greenore school in 1881, from the National Railway Museum in UK. This is now the local pub (public house). http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10445821
- The Chester and Holyhead Railway Co, & London and North Western Railway Co Rail & Shipping History http://www.anglesey.info/London_and_North_Western_Railways_Shipping_History.htm. Describes services from Greenore.
- The Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway. http://www.irishrailwayana.com/pa002.htm
- Dundalk 2000 and Beyond - a vision for economic development, Dundalk Chamber of Commerce. http://www.dundalk.ie/cms/uploads/dundalk2000beyond.doc
- A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, Samuel Lewis, 1837. http://www.libraryireland.com/topog/c.php
- Statistics of Port Traffic, Central Statistics Office / An Phriomh-Oiig Staidrimh, 29 June 2006 http://www.pos.ie/releasespublications/documents/transport/current/spt.pdf
- Census 2002, Volume 1 Population Classified by Area. Central Statistics Office, Dublin, July 2003. ISBN 0-7557-1507-1