Cappoquin

Cappoquin, also spelt Cappaquin or Capaquin (Irish: Ceapach Choinn, meaning "tillage-plot of Conn"),[2] is a town in west County Waterford, Ireland. It is on the Blackwater river at the junction of the N72 national secondary road and the R669 regional road. It is positioned on a sharp 90-degree bend in the river and nestles at the foot of the Knockmealdown Mountains. The town is a few miles from Mount Melleray and Lismore, County Waterford.

Cappoquin Ceapach Choinn
Town
Main Street Cappoquin
Cappoquin Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°09′N 7°51′W
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	Waterford
Population  (2016)[1]	699
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))

History

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1821	1,826	—
1831	2,289	+25.4%
1841	2,341	+2.3%
1851	2,144	−8.4%
1861	1,774	−17.3%
1871	1,526	−14.0%
1881	1,555	+1.9%
1891	1,366	−12.2%
1901	1,214	−11.1%
1911	1,069	−11.9%
1926	1,012	−5.3%
1936	1,038	+2.6%
1946	912	−12.1%
1951	826	−9.4%
1956	758	−8.2%
1961	806	+6.3%
1966	785	−2.6%
1971	872	+11.1%
1981	950	+8.9%
1986	920	−3.2%
1991	829	−9.9%
1996	780	−5.9%
2002	756	−3.1%
2006	740	−2.1%
2011	759	+2.6%
2016	699	−7.9%
<[3][4][5][6][7]

In the 1980s at Lefanta, just south of the town, 7,000-year-old artifacts were discovered, which evidence some of Ireland's earliest inhabitants.

Cappoquin is the birthplace of the poet Thomas McCarthy. It is also the birthplace of Michael Cavanagh,[8] a poet, writer, historian and Fenian who was involved in the attack on the constabulary barracks in Cappoquin. Soon after this, he went to America with fellow rebels, where he often wrote and spoke of Cappoquin and its inhabitants.

Dromana House gate lodge

Notable buildings in the town include Cappoquin Market House, built c.1775, which is a three bay building, now used as a shop.[9] Cappoquin House, also built in the 1770s, overlooks the town and has formal gardens and landscaped grounds which are open to the public.[10] The 18th century Dromana House, and its elaborate gate lodge, are also located near Cappoquin.[11]

Economy

Within the town's centre, employers include a number of shops and businesses, including Kelleher's SuperValu, Feerick's pharmacy, the post office and the Cappoquin credit union.

Some of the largest individual local employers are located on the Cappoquin industrial estate, located a half mile into adjoining Lefanta. Businesses located here include Pat Denn feeds, Calmark Ireland, FBA laboratories Ltd, Glenside woodside design and Paul Flynn hardware. Being surrounded by fertile fields on all sides, farming and agriculture plays an important role in the town, providing employment on farms and orchards scattered around the area. Near Cappoquin is West Waterford Vineyards, an Irish wine producer.

The town has suffered with the decline in the local economy and the loss of both Cappoquin pork and bacon as well as Cappoquin chickens as well as local shops and secondary school.

Sport

Affane Cappoquin GAA is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club. Formed in 1969, with the merging of Affane GAA and Cappoquin GAA, the team won its only Waterford Senior Football Championship title in 1974. Affane went on to represent Waterford in the Munster Senior Club Football Championship, losing to Austin Stacks of Kerry.

Cappoquin Rowing Club is the town's oldest sporting and social organisation, and was founded in 1862 by James M. Moore and John Stanley. They were assisted by Sir John H. Keane who became the first president of the rowing club, and who had previously captained the Trinity Boat at Cambridge and rowed for Cambridge in 1936 when they defeated Oxford.[12] In the 1880s Cappoquin joined with other rowing clubs nationwide to establish the Irish Amateur Rowing Association.

Railway Athletic FC was founded in 1980 and is situated at Danes Field, Cappoquin.

Transport

Bus services

Since December 2015 there have been improvements to the frequency of the Local Link (formerly known as Déise Link) bus service. There are now four services a day each way Mondays to Saturdays inclusive to Dungarvan including a commuter service. Connections to Waterford and Rosslare Europort can be made at Dungarvan. In the other direction there are four services to and from Tallow via Lismore. Connections for Fermoy can be made at Tallow.[13] On Saturdays, a local bus company operate a service to Cork. On Sundays Bus Éireann route 366 provides one service to Dungarvan and Waterford. This route only operates on Sundays and comprises a single journey in one direction (no return service on any day of the week).[14]

Rail

Cappoquin railway station opened on 12 August 1878, but closed on 27 March 1967.[15] It was located on the now dismantled Waterford to Mallow line and served by the Cork to Rosslare boat train.

The construction of the railway bridge below the river bend was to result in tall-masted schooners being no longer able to pass under what was now known as the 'red bridge'. As compensation for this, a new "steamers' quay" was constructed just down river.

The station is still extant.[16]

View of Cappoquin and the Blackwater River

Twinning

Cappoquin is twinned with Chanat-la-Mouteyre in France.

See also

• List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
• Market Houses in the Republic of Ireland

Further reading

• Cappoquin 'a window on the past' published by Cappoquin Heritage Group in 2007, printed by Modern Printers, Kilkenny 056-7721739

References

1. "Census 2016 - Sapmap Area - Settlements - Cappoquin". 2016 Census. Central Statistics Office. 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
2. "Ceapach Choinn / Cappoquin". logainm.ie. Irish Placenames Database. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
3. "Server Error 404 - CSO - Central Statistics Office". www.cso.ie.
4. "HISTPOP.ORG - Home". www.histpop.org. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016.
5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2014-02-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
6. Lee, JJ (1981). "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses". In Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A. (eds.). Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
7. Mokyr, Joel; O Grada, Cormac (November 1984). "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850". The Economic History Review. 37 (4): 473–488. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x. hdl:10197/1406. Archived from the original on 2012-12-04.
8. "Cavanagh, Michael (1822-1900) - Young Irelander, Fenian, United States Army Veteran & Poet". waterfordmuseum.ie. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
9. "Cappoquin Market House (Old), Cook Street, Main Street, Cappoquin". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
10. "Cappoquin House, Cappoquin, County Waterford". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
11. "Building of the Month - June 2010 - Dromana Gate, County Waterford". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 9 August 2019. Dromana Gate on the periphery of the Dromana Forest, [is] near Cappoquin, County Waterford
12. "Cappoquin Rowing Club". www.askaboutireland.ie.
13. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-26. Retrieved 2016-01-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
14. "Bus Éireann - View Ireland Bus and Coach Timetables & Buy Tickets". www.buseireann.ie.
15. "Cappoquin station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
16. "Cappoquin".