Ringaskiddy
| Ringaskiddy Rinn an Scidígh | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
|
A former Swansea–Ringaskiddy ferry in Ringaskiddy Harbour | |
  Ringaskiddy Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 51°49′49″N 8°19′09″W / 51.8302°N 8.3191°WCoordinates: 51°49′49″N 8°19′09″W / 51.8302°N 8.3191°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | Cork |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | W774642 |
Ringaskiddy (Irish: Rinn an Scidígh, meaning "Skiddy's Headland")[1] is a village in County Cork, Ireland. It is located on the western side of Cork Harbour, south of Cobh, and is 15 kilometres from Cork city, to which it is connected by the N28 road. The village is a port with passenger ferry services to France. A ferry service to Swansea in Wales closed in 2012.[2][3]
Ringaskiddy has seen huge development in recent years, being transformed from a quiet fishing village into a transport and industrial centre. It is now one of the largest employment hubs in the Cork area. The village is close to Cork Airport, as well as picturesque areas such as Crosshaven and Monkstown.
Places of interest
A Martello Tower exists on the hilltop at Ringaskiddy, with other forts and towers in the harbour. This tower can be reached from the Lough Beg road and offers panoramic views of Cork Harbour.
Industry
Ringaskiddy is an important industrial centre, particularly for pharmaceutical companies such as Centocor, GlaxoSmithKline, Hovione, Novartis, Pfizer, and Recordati. Most of the world's supply of the erection-treatment drug Viagra is manufactured there.[4] Ringaskiddy port handles much of the vehicle imports for the southern part of Ireland.
Incinerator rejection
An application to locate a domestic waste incinerator in Ringaskiddy was rejected by An Bord Pleanála in 2011.[5] The incinerator's proponents, Indaver Ireland, claimed the facility would have relieved pressure on the country's landfill programme. However, locals and environmentalists feared the incinerator would have had a grave impact on health and the environment in the harbour area. They also expressed concerns over the proposed site's location in an area prone to flooding. Indaver Ireland have said that they have not abandoned their plans.[6]
Naval training
The National Maritime College of Ireland was officially opened in Ringaskiddy on 30 March 2006, and has drawn a student population to the village. The college provides the only training in Ireland of Merchant Navy personnel, and the Irish Naval Service also carry out their non-military training there. The Irish Naval Service base at Haulbowline is 3 kilometres from Ringaskiddy on the L2545 local road.
See also
List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
- ↑ Ringaskiddy Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved: 2013-06-25.
- ↑ Ferry prepares for Irish Sea link BBC News, 2010-02-02
- ↑ Swansea-Cork ferry: Fastnet Line to close service with loss of 78 jobs BBC News, 2012-02-02
- ↑ The rise and rise of Generation Viagra Irish Independent, 2013-06-22.
- ↑ Permission refused for Cork incinerator RTÉ News, 2011-06-10.
- ↑ Ringaskiddy set to get waste incinerator RTÉ News, 2010-01-22.