Castlebridge is a small town on the R741regional road in County Wexford, Ireland, north of Wexford Town. It is located near the River Slaney and just north of Wexford Harbour. Castlebridge is a rapidly expanding suburb of Wexford Town; its population has almost tripled in 20 years, increasing from 783 in 1996 to a population of 1,840 in 2016.
History
The namesake castle, that originally stood in the town, was dismantled to build buildings such as the Church of Ireland church, which is one of the oldest buildings in Castlebridge. The river that flows through Castlebridge is, contrary to popular belief, actually a canal that replaced the original river. It was dug out by hand to allow sailing cots that loaded up in the various docks of Castlebridge to get to Wexford Town more quickly.
''Guinness Book of Records''
Castlebridge is the founding place of the GuinnessBook of World Records. On 10 November 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver, then the managing director of the Guinness Breweries, went on a shooting party in the North Slob, by the River Slaney in County Wexford, Ireland. He became involved in an argument over which was the fastest game bird in Europe, the golden plover or the red grouse. That evening at Castlebridge House, he realised that it was impossible to confirm in reference books whether or not the golden plover was Europe's fastest game bird. Beaver knew that there must be numerous other questions debated nightly in pubs throughout Ireland, but there was no book in the world with which to settle arguments about records. He realised then that a book supplying the answers to this sort of question might prove popular. In 2019, Diageo and the Pattison Group, who own the rights to the Guinness Book of Records, were described as being "really taken" with Castlebridge House, which has been left derelict, with feasibility studies now in operation by Wexford County Council amid interest by Diageo and the Pattison Group to assess the damage and plan for its eventual restoration, which, in collaboration with Diageo and the Pattison Group, is hoped to become a tourist attraction for the home of the Guinness Book of Records. This was further emphasised by the commencement of the first annual Castlebridge Record Makers Family Fun Festival in 2019, with exhibits on the history of the book and its importance to Castlebridge.
Public transport
Wexford Bus operate an hourly service, route 877 "The Bridge Loop", to/from Wexford since February 2019 Mondays to Saturdays inclusive. Bus Éireannroute 379 serves Castlebridge on Mondays and Saturdays whereas route 380 serves Castlebridge on Fridays.
Community groups situated in the area include the Castlebridge Gospel Choir, which was founded in 2003. Local businesses include the Porter House, which was named 'Pub of the Year' in 2017, several fast food restaurants, a local Centra supermarket, a furniture shop, antiques store and post office.
