Clogherhead

See also: Clogher (disambiguation)

Clogherhead (Irish: Ceann Chlochair, meaning 'rocky headland')^[2] is a fishing village in County Louth, Ireland. Located in a natural bay on the east coast it is bordered by the villages of Annagassan to the north and Termonfeckin to the south. It has a population of 2,145 according to the 2016 census. It is located in the townlands of Clogher and Callystown, about 12 km (7 mi) northeast of Drogheda. As a seaside village, its main industries are fishing and farming, and there has been an RNLI lifeboat stationed in the village for over 100 years.^{[citation needed]}

Clogherhead Ceann Chlochair
Village
Beach at Clogherhead
Clogherhead Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°47′31″N 6°14′17″W / 53.792°N 6.238°W / 53.792; -6.238Coordinates: 53°47′31″N 6°14′17″W / 53.792°N 6.238°W / 53.792; -6.238
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	County Louth
Dáil Éireann	Louth
EU Parliament	Midlands–North-West
Population  (2016)^[1]	2,145
Irish Grid Reference	O157840

Clogherhead Beach in Autumn

Name

Historically, the village was known simply as Clogher (Clochair) or Killclogher (Cill Chlochair)^[3][4] while the headland was called Clogher Head. Today the headland remains Clogher Head, the village is called Clogherhead and the townland they are in is called Clogher.

The headland has a walking trail from the village along steep sea cliffs to the nearby harbour of Port Oriel (Port Oirialla). At low tide, it is also possible to walk the beach as far as the Boyne Estuary.^{[citation needed]} From the headland and at the harbour there are views of Ireland's east coast from the Mourne and Cooley Mountains in the north as far south as Lambay Island and the Rockabill Lighthouse.^{[citation needed]}

The headland is also the site of the Red Mans Cave, where Cromwellian soldiers are reputed to have put to death a number of Catholic Priests during the time of the Cromwellian Wars of 1649.^{[citation needed]}

Public transport

Bus Éireann route 189 serves Clogherhead, linking it to Drogheda. Most buses operate via Termonfeckin and Baltray though a few go via Grangebellew and Ballymakenny.^[5] Drogheda railway station is approximately 13 km distant.

Economy

Clogherhead is a tourist destination, and the village has a sandy Blue Flag beach^[6] which extends from near the lifeboat station and on to the Boyne estuary.

Clogherhead hosts the Seafood Rocks festival,^{[citation needed]} a successor to the former Clogherhead Prawn Festival.^[7]

Port Oriel is a fishing port with a large fleet, and also the harbour provides a platform for onshore sea fishing for anglers.^{[citation needed]}

Oriel Sea Salt and Oriel Sea Minerals are produced at Clogherhead and have protected designation of origin.

Amenities

The village has two main beaches. Port Beach in the centre of the village is a Blue Flag beach with the Neptune watersports centre which is run by the local council. The centre is the location for Celtic Adventures which provides schools and groups with a range of sports and training services including watersports, archery and climbing. In addition, it is the location for the local RNLI lifeboat station which houses a Mersey class lifeboat, the Doris Bleasdale. The other beach is on the north side of the village and is known as the 'Big Strand'. Both have bathing facilities with a lifeguard on duty at the village beach during summer months.

There are three public houses in the village, as well as a number of restaurants.^{[citation needed]}

Education

Callystown National School (a Catholic school under the trusteeship of the Archbishop of Armagh) has been in "official" existence since 1832.^{[citation needed]} It is located on the north side of the village with access through the estate of John Kirk Park.^[8] As of the 21st century, it has approximately 300 pupils and has been extended a number of times to cater for the population growth in the village and an influx of pupils from the surrounding areas.

Sport

As well as fishing and watersports, the local Gaelic Athletic Association club, Dreadnots Gaelic Football Club, have had three senior players in the Louth County team: Pádraig Rath, Anthony Williams, and James Califf. The club reached the Louth senior championship finals in 2012 and 2014 losing to St Patrick's on both occasions.^[9][10]

Links golf courses nearby include Seapoint Golf Club located at Termonfeckin, and County Louth Golf Club (which hosted the Irish Open in 2004 and again in May 2009) located at Baltray. There is also a pitch and putt course.^{[citation needed]} Walshestown clay-pigeon shooting club is near Clogherhead at Murray's Cross.^{[citation needed]}

In popular culture

Clogherhead has been used as a filming location for a number of films, including:^[11]

• Perrier's Bounty (Parallel Film Productions, 2008), with Cillian Murphy, Jim Broadbent and Brendan Gleeson^[12]
• The Devil's Own (Columbia Pictures, 1997) with Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt^[13]
• Captain Lightfoot (Universal Studios, 1955) with Rock Hudson and Barbara Rush^[14]

Songs featuring this town include "Is Clogherhead Like it Used to Be".^[15]

Notable people

• Albert Cashier (otherwise Jennie Irene Hodgers), was born in Clogherhead and was a soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War
• Saint Oliver Plunkett reputedly took refuge in a church that once stood in the townland of Killartry in the parish of Clogherhead
• Patrick Anthony Langan-Byrne, WWI flying ace
• Richard Fahey, UK-based racehorse trainer

• Port Oriel
•  

  Port sign & plaque

•  

  Pier, Port Oriel

•  

  Vessel used in the construction of the offshore Oriel Wind Farm

•  

  Coast Guard

•  

  Queen of the sea memorial to those lost at sea

• Clogher Head Lifeboat
•  

  Lifeboat - bow

•  

  Lifeboat - stern

•  

  Clogher Head shown on lifeboat positioning system

•  

  Lifeboat Station

•  

  Celebrating 100 years of the Lifeboat Station

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland
• List of RNLI stations
• Wind power in the European Union

References

1. "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Clogherhead". Census 2016. CSO. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
2. "Clogherhead". logainm.ie.
3. CLOGHER, or KILCLOGHER in Lewis Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837)
4. Placenames Database of Ireland (see archival records)
5. "Planned Revision to Route 189/189A Ashbourne-Drogheda -Clogher Head-Grangebellow service". Bus Éireann. 13 November 2013.
6. Clogherhead beach regains Blue Flag status (retrieved 5 June 2009)
7. . Archived from the original on 16 October 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
8. Historyof Callystown National School 15 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine
9. "Louth SFC final: Keenan proves the difference for Pat's". Hogan Stand. 31 October 2011.
10. Carroll, Joe (29 September 2014). "O'Connor helps St Pat's over the line". Irish Examiner.
11. Movie Locations in Ireland
12. Locals get in character
13. The Devil's Own at IMDb
14. Captain Lightfoot at the Internet Movie Database
15. http://www.callystownnationalschool.ie 23 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine and source podcast 9

External links

• Catholic Parish of Clogherhead & Walshestown
• (archived 2006)
• (archived 2006)
• (archived 2011)

 

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