Knockbridge Irish: Droichead an Chnoic
Village
Knockbridge crossroads
Knockbridge Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°58′N 6°29′W / 53.97°N 6.49°W / 53.97; -6.49
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	Louth
Elevation	42 m (138 ft)
Population  (2016)[1]	667
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference	H994037

Knockbridge (Irish: Droichead an Chnoic)^[2] is a village in County Louth, Ireland. It is located in the townland of Ballinlough (Baile an Locha) in the historical barony of Dundalk Upper.^[2] As of the 2016 census, the village had a population of 667 people.^[3] Knockbridge won a "best kept village" award in the 2008 Tidy Towns competition.^[4]

Facilities

The village is centred on a crossroads, where there is a pub and a shop. There are four housing estates, a Roman Catholic church and a large primary school in the village.

Stephenstown House, a large ruined Georgian 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. Stephenstown Pond has a conference centre and an 8,000 sq ft (740 m²) community enterprise space.^{[citation needed]}

Knockbridge Church (St Mary's) has a number of Harry Clarke designed stained-glass windows.

History

The village takes its name from "Cnoic Bhríde" - Bridget's Hill - reputed to be a site connected with local Saint Bridget. Nearby is Clochafarmore, where the legendary hero Cú Chulainn is reputed to have died.^{[citation needed]}

Sport

The village's Gaelic football team, St Bride's GFC, was founded by Séamus Quinn, the parish priest in 1927. The club plays in Páirc an Chuinnigh, which was bought as a memorial to Quinn who died in 1952. The grounds were opened on 1 May 1955. The club competes in the Louth Senior Division.

The local hurling club, Knockbridge GAA, has won the Louth Senior Hurling Championship twelve times.^[6]

Location and transport

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.