Rostrevor

Name

Rostrevor was named by Sir Edward Trevor from Denbighshire, who settled in the area in the early 17th century and was succeeded by his son Marcus Trevor, who became Viscount Dungannon. While it is accepted that the trevor part of the name derives from Edward's surname, there is confusion over the first element ros. Walter Harris writing in 1744 and Samuel Lewis writing in 1838 both attest the ros element as deriving from the name of Edward Trevor's wife Rose, a daughter of Henry Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh, whom he married in 1612. Hamilton, writing in 1915, discounts both and claims that Edward Trevor adopted the word ros (from Irish: rois) meaning "wood", as it was very suitable for the area. Harold O'Sullivan states that Trevor named the area after he got married to his second wife Rose Trevor, and that the name was corrupted over time into Rostrevor. Adding to the confusion is the usage in the past of Rostrevor, Rosstrevor, and Rosetrevor to refer to the area.

Today the spelling Rostrevor is used for the village, while the spelling Rosstrevor is used for the townland the village resides in. Before Edward Trevor's renaming of the area it was formerly known as Caisleán Ruairí (English: Rory's castle).

Places of interest

Nearby Cloughmore is a 50-ton granite boulder perched on the slopes of Slieve Meen, 1,000 ft above the village of Rostrevor, and known locally as 'the big stone'. It was deposited there by retreating glaciers during the Last Glacial Maximum. However, local legend says that the stone was thrown by a giant from the Cooley Mountains, on the other side of Carlingford Lough. Walking around the stone seven times will allegedly bring good luck. On top of this the views from the stone are stunning looking out over County Louth and Armagh and, of course, Carlingford Lough.

Kilfeaghan Dolmen is situated on the main Kilkeel to Newry road about three and three-quarter miles from Rostrevor. It is a prehistoric dolmen and the site is dated between 2000 and 1000 BC. The capstone is said to be one of the biggest in Ireland and is estimated to weigh between 35 and 40 tons. Excavations at the site earlier this century unearthed various bones and pottery.

The old church, supposedly built on an original site established by St Brónach, stands in the graveyard on the Kilbroney road. It became a listed building in 1983.

In the village's Catholic church is the bell of Bronach, dating from around 900 A.D. There are many stories of how the bell used to scare locals walking past St Bronach's church on stormy nights. All they could hear was a mighty sound and did not know the source; many believed it to be a calling from God.

The village has two rivers, the Ghan and the fairy Glen so named because many fairies are suspected of living along the banks of the river.

The Troubles

For more information see The Troubles in Rostrevor, which includes a list of incidents in Rostrevor during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.

People

Education

Horse Tram

Rostrevor Tram station opened on 1 August 1877 with an horse-drawn tram service to Warrenpoint. It closed in February 1915.

2001 Census

Rostrevor is classified as an intermediate settlement by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e., population between 2,250 and 4,500). On Census day (30 April 2001) there were 2,433 people living in Rostrevor. Of these:

St. Bronagh's GAA, Rostrevor

The club have won the Down Senior Football Championship on two occasions, 1976 and 1998 with wins over Warrenpoint and Mayobridge respectively, the Down GAA Division One league title in 2005, and the Down Junior Hurling Championship on one occasion in 1994. Rostrevor GAA have also enjoyed a rich history in underage football with seven minor championship successes, including three back-to-back wins in 2003, 2004 and 2005 with further wins in 1992, 2007, 2013 and 2015. The club have also won the Ulster Minor Club Tournament at St. Paul's GAC defeating Derry club Kilrea by two points in the 2004 final. Rostrevor have also enjoyed success in Scór and Scór na nÓg with Ulster titles in Scór Ballad Group in 1978 and Scór na nÓg Novelty Act in 2004 and 2012, as well as multiple county wins. Ladies Football in the club is developing with many teams beginning to grow along with the winning of the Intermediate Championship in 2011.

Rostrevor also has two soccer clubs competing in the Newry and Mourne District Leagues, the most successful of the two being Killowen Celtic who play in the Premier Division and in 2010 were winners of the Kehoe Cars Bessbrook Cup, defeating one of the most successful teams in the area, Windmill Stars, by a winning margin of five goals to two. The other club, named after the village is Rostrevor Rovers who were founded in 2009l claiming the Premier Division in the Carnbane League in 2016. Rostrevor is also home to St Bronagh's Amateur Boxing Club.