- Ardee
Infobox Irish Place
name = Ardee
gaeilge = Baile Átha Fhirdhia
crest
|Copyright Louth County Council
motto = Na Bris Sith, Na Bris Cairdis
Don't Break Peace, Don't Break Friendship
map
pin coords = left: 49px; top: 71px
north coord = 53.855362
west coord = 6.537895
irish grid = N958906
area =
province =Leinster
county =County Louth
town pop = 4,318 [ [http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/2006PreliminaryReport.pdf Microsoft Word - Preliminary 2006 text_final.doc ] ]
rural pop = 2,599 [ [http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/2006PreliminaryReport.pdf Microsoft Word - Preliminary 2006 text_final.doc ] ]
census yr = 2006
web =
|Ardee (Irish place name|Baile Átha Fhirdhia|Ford of Ferdia)coord|53.85|N|6.53|W|display=title 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 20 km (12 mi) fromDundalk ,Drogheda ,Slane andCarrickmacross . 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 andFerdia , 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.An 8 km/5 miles railway line once linked the town to the main
Dublin -Belfast line. The station opened on1 August 1896 , passenger services ended on3 June 1934 , and the line survived as a freight service until final closure on3 November 1976 , [cite web | title= Ardee station| work=Railscot - Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | accessdate=2007-09-08] 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 5 km (3 mi) 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
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 district courthouse.
ports and Social Facilities
Ardee [http://www.ardeegolfclub.com 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.
Ardee is home to [http://www.stmarysgfc.com 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 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 [http://www.ardeeconcertband.com]
[http://www.ardeetennis.com Ardee Tennis Club] is located on 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. [http://www.ardeetennis.com]
Ardee Rugby Club is located in Townspark,Ardee, and was founded in 1980.
It now boasts a full male and female squad,including a youth team. The recent redevelopment has included a gym and a sauna.
External links
* [http://www.ardeeonline.ie Ardee Online]
* [http://www.dhs.kyutech.ac.jp/~ruxton/ruxtons_of_ardee.html The Ruxtons of Ardee]
* [http://www.from-ireland.net/lewis/l/ardee.htm Ardee] on the 'From Ireland' genealogy website
* [http://www.ardeeanddistrictac.com www.ardeeanddistrictac.com] 'Ardee & District Athletic Club'
* [http://www.stmarysgfc.com www.stmarysgfc.com] 'Ardee St.Mary's G.A.A website'
* [http://www.ardeeconcertband.com www.ardeeconcertband.com] 'Ardee Concert Band official website'
* [http://www.ardeetennis.com www.ardeetennis.com] 'Ardee Tennis Club website'References
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