Mayobridge () is a village within

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. It lies on the small river Clanrye, which divides the

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

s of Mayo and Bavan, east of

Newry Newry (; ) is a City status in Ireland, city in Northern Ireland, standing on the Newry River, Clanrye river in counties County Down, Down and County Armagh, Armagh. It is near Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, the border with the ...

. It had a population of 1,069 as at 2011. Administratively, it is within the

Newry and Mourne District Council Newry and Mourne District Council () was a local council in Northern Ireland. It merged with Down District Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. It inclu ...

area, and falls within the parish of Clonallan, and historically within the

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

Iveagh Upper, Upper Half Iveagh Upper, Upper Half is the name of a barony in County Down, Northern Ireland. It was created by 1851 with the division of the barony of Iveagh Upper into two. It lies to the west and south of the county, split in half by the Lordship of New ...

Demography

Mayobridge is classified as a small village or hamlet by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). It had a usually resident population of 1,069 according to the 2011 census.

Facilities

On 15 August 1859, Dr. Leahy, the co-adjutor bishop of the diocese, blessed the foundation stone of a new Catholic church to replace the existing, more primitive Mass house put up in 1806 (parts of which are still visible in the disused parochial hall); and a curate was appointed to live in Mayobridge. The new church, dedicated to St. Patrick, was erected on the site of a former

Mass rock A Mass rock ( Irish: ''Carraig an Aifrinn)'' was a rock used as an altar by the Catholic Church in Ireland, during the 17th and 18th centuries, as a location for secret and illegal gatherings of faithful attending the Mass offered by outlawed ...

. A Gothic-style building, reputed to be the largest 'country' church in the diocese, it could hold up to 600 worshippers in comfort, and had views over the surrounding countryside and into

County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...

. It was completed on 12 October 1862, with a dedicatory sermon by the then

Bishop of Kerry The bishop of Kerry () is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kerry, one of the suffragan dioceses of the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly in Ireland. The Episcopal see changed its name from Ardfert and Aghadoe to Kerry on 20 Decembe ...

, Dr. David Moriarty. A police barracks was moved in 1854 from the Mayo side of the village to the Bavan side, and returned in 1865. The local primary school, St. Patrick's Primary School, is located on Chapel Hill.

Sport

Mayobridge St. Patrick's is a

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

club affiliated with the Down County Board. The minutes of the Central Council of the GAA record that, on 30 April 1888, an application for affiliation was received from St Patrick's, Mayobridge. The acceptance of the application makes it the oldest registered GAA club in the county. Mayobridge won their tenth Down Senior Football Championship in 2008. The club's minor team won the Down Minor Football Championship in 2023.

Notable people

Kieran Goss Kieran Goss is a contemporary singer-songwriter. Biography Kieran Goss was born and raised in Mayobridge, County Down, Northern Ireland. Goss recorded his first album, ''Brand New Star'', in 1989. It contained the songs "Brand New Star" and " ...

(b. 1962) contemporary singer, songwriter * Tommy Sands (b. 1945) folk singer, songwriter and radio broadcaster *

Mickey Linden Michael Rory Linden is an Irish people, Irish Gaelic footballer who played for Down GAA, Down in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. He was part of the Down team that won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in All-Ireland Senior Football ...

, Gaelic footballer, winner of

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) () is the premier inter-county competition in Gaelic football. County (Gaelic games), County teams compete against each other and the winner is declared All-Ireland Champions. Organised by the ...

in 1991 and 1994 *

Tom O'Hare Tom O'Hare (born 1943 in Mayobridge, County Down) is a former Irish sportsperson. He played Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, ...

(b. 1942) Gaelic footballer, winner of All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 1968 *

Charlie Smyth Charlie Smyth (born 26 June 2001) is an Irish professional American football placekicker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He has previously played Gaelic football as a goalkeeper at senior level for the Down co ...

(b. 2001) Gaelic footballer and NFL kicker

References

{{authority control Villages in County Down

Demography

Facilities

Sport

Notable people

See also

References