Dungarvan

History

Dungarvan was incorporated in the 15th century, was represented by two members in the Irish Parliament until the Act of Union in 1801, and returned one member to the Westminster Parliament until 1885. Unlike nearby Waterford and Duncannon, Dungarvan surrendered without a siege in the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649–53).

The 1921 Burgery ambush, an incident in the Irish War of Independence, took place near the town.

Irish Language

Just over 3% of the town's population, or 242 persons are daily Irish speakers, outside of the education system. (Census 2011). Education through the medium of Irish is available at pre-school and primary level in the town in the local Gaelscoil, Scoil Garbhán. The Irish Language Officer of Waterford City and County Council is based in Dungarvan.

There are a range of activities and projects undertaken to strengthen the Irish language in the town. An Irish in Business award was established in 2009 to recognise businesses in Dungarvan and West Waterford who work to promote the Irish language.

The town is home to an office of Glór na nGael, a national body that promotes the Irish language in three areas, the language in the family, in Business and enterprise, and community development. The Dungarvan office is responsible for Glór na nGael’s work across South Leinster and most of Munster.

There is also significant contact between the town and the nearby Gaeltacht area of An Rinn and An Sean Phobal which make up Gaeltacht na nDéise. Dungarvan has been identified as a potential Gaeltacht Service Town under the Gaeltacht Act 2012. Under the Gaeltacht Act 2012, Gaeltacht Service Towns are defined as those towns situated in or adjacent to Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas and which have a significant role in providing public services, recreational, social and commercial facilities for those areas. Under the act, a language plan for the town will be developed. The aim of the language plan will be to enhance the use of the Irish language in the town.

Geography

Dungarvan is situated at the mouth of the Colligan River. Dungarvan Harbour as such is formed by The Quay (on the town side) and The Causeway. A single-span bridge was built in the late 18th century by Lord Devonshire to link Dungarvan with Abbeyside and indeed Waterford via said causeway. Outside the harbour, a 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) sandbar, "The Cunnigar" (Irish An Coinigéar) defines the western limit of the 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) wide Dungarvan Bay. The Cunnigar encloses the estuary of the River Brickey which flows out to sea at Abbeyside without actually joining the Colligan. The two estuaries are separated by "The Point".

Road

It is positioned on the N25 national primary road and the R672 and R675 regional roads.

Maritime

The town is separated from the open ocean by a shallow, eastward-facing bay. At its mouth, the bay is about two miles wide, with Dungarvan lying about four miles from the mouth. A meandering navigation channel marked by red/green buoys leads into Dungarvan from the ocean. For most vessels (except small dinghies) this channel is not navigable at low tide. Even at high tide, cruising yachts and larger vessels must be careful to remain in the buoyed channel. There is a well-maintained concrete slipway in Dungarvan town, suitable for launching vessels up to eight metres in length. However, larger vessels should only use it up to three hours either side of high tide. Moorings are usually made available to visiting yachts by Dungarvan Harbour Sailing Club, often free of charge.

Air

The nearest airport with scheduled services is Cork Airport, which is 80 km away.

Bus

Dungarvan is served by several routes. The main bus stop is located at Davitt's Quay. Other stops can be found at the shopping centre, Sexton Street and The Spring.

The Cork to London Eurolines coach provides a daily overnight cross channel service each way whereas Bus Éireann Expressway route 40 runs hourly in each direction providing a link to Cork, Waterford and Rosslare Europort. The company's route 362 provides a commuter link to Waterford. Several Local Link (formerly known as Déise Link) bus services terminate in the town. The main route is that to Tallow via Lismore with four services a day each way Mondays to Saturdays inclusive. Connections for Fermoy can be made at Tallow.

Dublin Coach serve the town on its M9 Cork to Dublin route via Waterford.

Rail

Until 1967 Dungarvan had a railway station on the now dismantled Mallow to Waterford line and was served by the Rosslare to Cork boat train. A greenway is being developed along the former line to Waterford.

Industry

One of the few major manufacturing facilities for GlaxoSmithKline consumer products is located in Dungarvan, employing more than 700 people. The town is also the home of Radley Engineering, the company responsible for manufacturing the Spire of Dublin. In days now gone, Dungarvan had a thriving tannery, a distillery, a gasworks, and a fishing fleet. In the latter 20th century, a major source of trade and employment was Dungarvan Cooperative(Creamery), which firmly bonded the town of Dungarvan with its agricultural hinterland.

Twin towns – Sister cities

In March 2007, the town became a sister city of Erie, Pennsylvania in the United States. Mercyhurst College, located in Erie, hosts the Global Intelligence Forum held annually in Dungarvan.

Literature

The British Poet Laureate, Sir John Betjeman (who lived in Ireland from 1941 to 1943) mentions Dungarvan in his poem, "The Irish Unionist's Farewell to Greta Hellstrom". Each stanza closes with the line, "Dungarvan in the rain".

Also mentioned in the collection of short stories "Labyrinths" by Jorge Luis Borges: "He was Irish, from Dungarvan. Having said this, he stopped short, as if he had revealed a secret"

Poet Mai O'Higgins was born on St. Mary St. in the town centre.

Dungarvan is also mentioned in the 2002 novel The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor.

People