Ferrybank, Waterford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ferrybank Irish: Port an Chalaidh
Suburb
Overlooking Fountain Street in Ferrybank
Ferrybank Location in Ireland
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Waterford, County Kilkenny
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish grid reference	S614131

Ferrybank (Irish: Port an Chalaidh) is a suburb of Waterford City in Ireland. Many local people call it "the village". Most of Ferrybank is part of Waterford City and County Council. This means it is managed by Waterford City. It sits on the northern bank of the River Suir and reaches into County Waterford.

However, some parts of Ferrybank are in County Kilkenny. These areas are managed by Kilkenny County Council. For many years, there has been a long-standing argument about where the exact border is between the two counties in Ferrybank.

Sports in Ferrybank

Ferrybank has a rich history in different sports. Many local clubs and athletes have achieved great things.

Hurling Success

The Ferrybank hurling club has been very successful. They won the Waterford Senior Hurling Championship three times. These wins happened in 1915, 1916, and 1919. A famous hurler named Locky Byrne was from Ferrybank. He played for both the Waterford and Kilkenny teams. This was during the 1930s and 1940s.

Athletic Achievements

Athletic events have taken place in Ferrybank since 1869. The local club is called Ferrybank Athletic Club (Ferrybank AC). Some of its members have even represented Ireland. For example, Brendan Quinn competed at the 1988 Olympics. Kelly Proper also competed at the 2010 European Championships in 2010.

Football Stars

Ferrybank AFC is the local association football (soccer) club. It was started in 1948. Many talented players have come from this club. One famous player is John O'Shea. He played for Manchester United and the Republic of Ireland national team. John played football with Ferrybank AFC when he was younger. Another player, Romeo Akachukwu, also played for Ferrybank AFC before joining Southampton F.C..

Unused Shopping Centres

Ferrybank has two large shopping centres that were built but stayed empty for a long time. People sometimes call them "ghost shopping centres."

Ross Abbey Town Centre

The Ross Abbey Town Centre Shopping Complex was built in 2008. It cost about €7 million to build. However, it remained empty for several years. In 2013, it was sold for a much lower price of €225,000. Finally, in 2017, a discount store called "Mr Price" opened there. After that, other businesses also opened. These included a barbershop, a café, a beauty salon, a gym, and a Tesco Express store.

Ferrybank Shopping Centre

Another shopping centre, the Ferrybank Shopping Centre, was finished in 2008. It cost around €100 million. This centre never opened its doors to shoppers. This was because a major store, Dunnes Stores, decided not to move in. As of late 2023, it was still closed. Even though it has no shops, part of this development is used. It houses a local library and an office for the county council.

Notable People from Ferrybank

Many interesting people have connections to Ferrybank.

• Donal Foley: He was a writer and editor for The Irish Times newspaper. Donal grew up in Ferrybank.
• John O'Shea: A former international footballer, as mentioned earlier. He lived and went to school in the area.
• Craig Breen: He was a rally driver who competed in the World Rally Championship. Craig also attended school in Ferrybank.