| Knockbridge Droichead an Chnoic or Cnoic Bhríde
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| — Town — | |
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Knockbridge
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | Louth |
| Elevation | 42 m (138 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Urban | 427 |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | H994037 |
Knockbridge (Irish: Droichead an Chnoic) is a small village within the townland of Ballinlough (Baile an Locha) in County Louth, Ireland.
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The village is centred on a crossroads, where there is a pub and a shop. There are three housing estates, a Roman Catholic church and a large primary school in the village.
Stephenstown House, a large ruined Victorian house, once owned by a branch of the Fortescue family, stands beside the River Fane about a mile outside the village. Stephenstown Pond, about a hundred metres from the house, was redeveloped in the mid-1990s and is a public amenity. Knockbridge Church (St Mary's) has a number of Harry Clarke designed stained-glass windows. Since 2000 its parish priest has been Fr. Gerard McGinnity.
Stephenstown Pond has a conference centre and an 80,000 sq ft (7,400 m2) community enterprise space. It is a habitat for a large number of animals such as foxes, frogs, hedgehogs, stoats, mice, grey squirrels, long eared bats, house sparrows, hooded crows, swallows, barn owls and sparrowhawks. Fishing permits for the lake can be obtained in the village from McNamee's Pub or Brodigan's Shop.
The village takes its name from "Cnoic Bhríde" - Bridget's Hill - reputed to be a site connected with local saint Bridget. Nearby is Cuchulainn's Stone, which still stands, and where the legendary hero is reputed to have died. Knockbridge Church, in its present form was built in 1814 on the site of a mass house which was in use from 1692.
The village's Gaelic football team (St. Brides GFC) was founded by Seamus Quinn, the parish priest in 1927. The club plays in "Pairc an Chuinnigh", which was bought as a memorial to Quinn who died in 1952. The grounds were opened on 1 May 1955. The club currently competes in the Louth Intermediate Division.
The village is situated 6.5 km (4.0 mi) south-west of Dundalk, the county town. The village is 75 km north of Dublin Airport. Bus Éireann provides bus routes to and from Knockbridge.
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