Banbridge

Sister cities

• Roudnice nad Labem
• Ruelle-sur-Touvre

History

Banbridge, home to the "Star of the County Down", is a relatively young town, first entering recorded history around 1691 during the aftermath of the struggle between William III and James II. An Outlawry Court was set up in the town to deal with the followers of James. The town grew up around the site where the main road from Belfast to Dublin crossed the River Bann over an Old Bridge which was situated where the present bridge now stands. The town owes its success to flax and the linen industry, becoming the principal linen producing district in Ireland by 1772 with a total of 26 bleachgreens along the Bann. By 1820 the town was the centre of the 'Linen Homelands' and its prominence grew when it became a staging post on the mail coach route between Dublin and Belfast. A gift of £500 from the Marquis of Downshire around this time helped to alleviate some problems with the steepness of the road and paid for significant improvements. This industry has now greatly diminished in prominence, but Banbridge still has three of the major producers in Ulster; Weavers, Thomas Ferguson & Co, and John England Irish Linen. In 1994, Banbridge was twinned with Ruelle-sur-Touvre in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. In 1920, Banbridge saw violence related to the ongoing Irish War of Independence and partition of Ireland. On the 17th July, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) assassinated British colonel Gerald Smyth in Cork. He had ordered police officers to shoot civilians if they did not immediately obey orders. In a 17 June 1920 speech at the Listowel, County Kerry Royal Irish Constabulary station Smyth is quoted as saying: "The more you shoot, the better I will like you, and I assure you no policeman will get into trouble for shooting any man." Smyth was from a wealthy Banbridge family,…

Most-observed species

• Speckled Wood

  Pararge aegeria (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  572
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  508
• Green-veined White

  Pieris napi (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  484
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  476
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  453
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  440
• Small Tortoiseshell

  Aglais urticae (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  402
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  396