Blackwater (Irish: An Abhainn Dubh, meaning 'the black river')[3] is a rural village in County Wexford, Ireland. It lies mostly within the townland of Ballynaglogh (Irish: Baile na gCloch, meaning 'the town of the stones') on the R742 regional road 16 km (9.9 mi) north of Wexford town.
Blackwater
An Abhainn Dubh | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 The R742 passes through Blackwater | |
  Blackwater Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 52°26′42″N 6°21′00″W / 52.445°N 6.35°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Wexford |
| Elevation | 48 m (157 ft) |
| Population (2016) | 339 |
| (The environs of Blackwater village are labelled 'Castle Ellis' in census reports)[1][2] | |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-1 (IST (WEST)) |
| Irish Grid Reference | T121342 |
Transport
editMichael Gray operates a route linking the village with Wexford Mondays to Fridays inclusive [4] Bus Éireann route 379 serves the village on Mondays and Saturdays only linking it to Wexford, Gorey and intermediate locations such as Courtown Harbour.[5]
Amenities
editThe village has three pubs, Corrigan's, the Blackwater Lodge (which is also a hotel), and Whelan's. It also has a video arcade, a number of supermarkets, a large second-hand furniture store, and a clothes alterations shop.[citation needed]
In the 10 years between the 2006 and 2016 census, the population of the village increased from 173 to 339 people.[1][2] Blackwater has competed in "category B" (places with populations of between 201 and 1000 people) in the national Tidy Towns competition.[6][7]
Blackwater is close to Ballyconnigar beach, a site with one of the highest levels of erosion in the area, due to tidal forces.[citation needed] The stretch of beach from Ballyconnigar to Ballynaclash is used for bathing, walking and fishing. Species of fish encountered around this area include bullhuss, smoothhound, tope, bass, ray, codling, eels, and flounder.[citation needed] Other nearby beaches include Curracloe strand and Ballinesker beach, where the opening scene of the film "Saving Private Ryan" was filmed.
Blackwater also has a mobile-home holiday park called 'Abhainn Dubh Mobile home and Leisure Park' which has been open since 1993.[8]
Sports
editThe local GAA team is St. Brigid's Blackwater, established in 1885. The hurling team play in the Wexford Intermediate Hurling Championship. The Gaelic football team won the 2009 Wexford Junior Championship.[citation needed]
Blackwater has a par 3 golf course which is located outside of the village between Blackwater and Kilmuckridge. The golf course itself was opened in July 1993 although Blackwater Golf Society had its first outing in 1991.[citation needed] Blackwater Golf Course also has a FootGolf course.[citation needed]
In popular culture
editBlackwater served as a setting of Mary Kay Tuberty's 2015 novel Keeper of Coin.[9]
Notable people
edit- Michael Cash, stonemason
- Colm Tóibín, writer, holidayed here as a child and has a holiday home nearby.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Castle Ellis". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Castle Ellis (Ireland) Census Town". City Population. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ "An Abhainn Dubh / Blackwater". Irish Placenames Commission. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ http://www.journeyplanner.transportforireland.ie/nta/TTB/EFA03__00005866_TP.pdf[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Timetable - Route 379" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 April 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ "Rosslare, Ballycanew, Blackwater tops in tidy awards". wexfordtoday.com. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ "Tidy Towns: The full list of winners for 2019". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ "Abhainn Dubh, Mobile Homes Wexford, Blackwater County Wexford". abhainndubh.ie. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ Tuberty, Mary Kay (31 August 2015). Keeper of Coin (The Carty Sisters Series). ISBN 0-9961734-5-5.
- ^ Max, D. T. (20 September 2021). "How Colm Tóibín Burrowed Inside Thomas Mann's Head". The New Yorker.