Ringaskiddy

Ringaskiddy
Rinn an Scidígh
Village
A former Swansea–Ringaskiddy ferry in Ringaskiddy Harbour
Ringaskiddy
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 51°49′49″N 8°19′09″W / 51.8302°N 8.3191°W / 51.8302; -8.3191Coordinates: 51°49′49″N 8°19′09″W / 51.8302°N 8.3191°W / 51.8302; -8.3191
Country Ireland
Province Munster
County Cork
Population (2016)[1]
 • Total 580
Time zone UTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference W774642

Ringaskiddy (Irish: Rinn an Scidígh, meaning "Skiddy's Headland")[2] is a village in County Cork, Ireland. It is located on the western side of Cork Harbour, south of Cobh, and is 15 kilometres from Cork city, to which it is connected by the N28 road. The village is a port with passenger ferry services to France. A ferry service to Swansea in Wales closed in 2012.[3][4]

During the 20th century, Ringaskiddy changed from a fishing village to a centre of transport and industrial activity. It is now one of the largest employment hubs in County Cork. The village is close to a number of tourist areas, including Crosshaven, Currabinny and Monkstown.

Places of interest

A Martello Tower exists on the hilltop at Ringaskiddy, with other forts and towers in the harbour. This tower can be reached from the Loughbeg road and overlooks Cork Harbour.

Economy

Industry

Ringaskiddy is an important industrial centre, particularly for pharmaceutical companies such as Centocor, GlaxoSmithKline, Hovione, Novartis, Pfizer, and Recordati. Most of the world's supply of the erection-treatment drug Viagra is manufactured there.[5] Ringaskiddy port handles much of the vehicle imports for the southern part of Ireland.

Incinerator plans

An application to locate a domestic waste incinerator in Ringaskiddy was rejected by An Bord Pleanála in 2011.[6] The incinerator's proponents, Indaver Ireland, claimed the facility would have relieved pressure on the country's landfill programme. However, locals and environmentalists feared the incinerator would have had a grave impact on health and the environment in the harbour area. They also expressed concerns over the proposed site's location in an area prone to flooding. Indaver Ireland have said that they have not abandoned their plans.[7]

The National Maritime College of Ireland was officially opened in Ringaskiddy on 30 March 2006, and has drawn a student population to the village. The college provides the only training in Ireland of Merchant Navy personnel, and the Irish Naval Service also carry out their non-military training there. The Irish Naval Service base at Haulbowline is 3 kilometres from Ringaskiddy on the L2545 local road.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Census 2016 - Small Area Population Statistics (SAPMAP Area) - Settlements - Ringaskiddy". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office.
  2. ↑ Ringaskiddy Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved: 2013-06-25.
  3. ↑ Ferry prepares for Irish Sea link BBC News, 2010-02-02
  4. ↑ Swansea-Cork ferry: Fastnet Line to close service with loss of 78 jobs BBC News, 2012-02-02
  5. ↑ The rise and rise of Generation Viagra Irish Independent, 2013-06-22.
  6. ↑ Permission refused for Cork incinerator RTÉ News, 2011-06-10.
  7. ↑ Ringaskiddy set to get waste incinerator RTÉ News, 2010-01-22.
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