thumb|Rostrevor seen from Rostrevor Forest in 2010 (Carlingford Lough is to the left of the picture)

thumb|Rostrevor welcome sign in Irish and English, with Slieve Martin in the background

thumb|Kilfeaghan dolmen

Rostrevor () is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the foot of Slieve Martin on the coast of Carlingford Lough, near Warrenpoint. The Kilbroney River flows through the village and Rostrevor Forest is nearby. south-east of Newry, the village is within the Newry, Mourne and Down local government district.

Rostrevor had a population of 2,800 in the 2011 Census.

Name

The first part of the name "Rostrevor" comes from the Irish word ros, meaning a wood or wooded headland. The second part of the name comes from Sir Edward Trevor from Denbighshire in Wales, who settled in the area in the early 17th century and was succeeded by his son Marcus Trevor, who later became Viscount Dungannon. Walter Harris, writing in 1744, mistakenly believed that the first part of the name came from Sir Edward Trevor's wife Rose, a daughter of Henry Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh. His etymology was later repeated by some other writers. Before Sir Edward Trevor's renaming of the area it was known as Caisleán Ruaidhrí (), anglicised "Castle Rory" or "Castle Roe", after one of the Magennis lords of Iveagh.

The village has two rivers, the Ghan and the Kilbroney River. The stretch of the Kilbroney River that runs through the village and along the edge of Kilbroney Park is known locally as the Fairy Glen, so named because many fairies are suspected of living along the banks of the river.

Culture

Since 1987, Rostrevor has hosted the Fiddler's Green International Festival, an annual multi-day event celebrating folk music and the arts. The festival features up to 200 events, including concerts, workshops, dances, art exhibitions, and nature walks. Activities take place at various venues throughout the village, such as local schools and churches, the social club of St Bronaghʼs GAA, YWAM An Cuan, a temporary open-air stage in the village centre, and a meadow in Kilbroney Park known locally as Fiddler's Green.

People

right|thumb|[[Robert Ross (British Army officer)|Robert Ross Monument, Rostrevor]]

  • Rostrevor is believed to be the birthplace of Somerled, founder of Clan Donald and Lord of Argyll, Kintyre and Lorne, in the mid 12th century.
  • Rostrevor was the birthplace of Major General Robert Ross-of-Bladensburg, a British commander during the War of 1812. Ross's Monument stands above the Warrenpoint Road on the edge of the village. It is a tall granite obelisk erected to his memory in 1826. The Ross Family lived at Kilbroney Park.
  • Rostrevor is the birthplace of Ben Dunne, founder of the chain store Dunnes Stores.
  • Sir Francis Stronge lived in Kilbroney House.
  • Former Irish President Mary McAleese and her family lived in Rostrevor village centre before she was elected to office in 1997.
  • Three of the four members of the Irish Folk group The Sands Family live in Rostrevor.
  • Another resident of Rostrevor for a time was Eurovision winner, Dana.
  • T. K. Whitaker, economist and a pivotal figure in the development of the Republic of Ireland, was born in Rostrevor to a father from County Westmeath and a mother from County Clare. The family later moved to Drogheda.
  • Catherine McGrath, country singer, is from the village.
  • Cathal McCabe, poet, who grew up in nearby Warrenpoint, has lived in and near Rostrevor since 2004.
  • Laurence McGivern, Irish Paralympic swimmer and World Bronze Medalist (Canada 2013) was also born in Rostrevor.

Education

  • Kilbroney Integrated Primary School
  • Killowen Primary School
  • St. Bronagh's Primary School
  • YWAM An Cuan

Transportation

Rostrevor was previously served by a tram station opened by Warrenpoint and Rostrevor Tramway, a horse-drawn tram service to Warrenpoint. It operated from 1 August 1877 until February 1915.

Rostrevor is connected to the wider Northern Ireland public transportation system by Ulsterbus route 39, with service to Newry buscentre, Warrenpoint, and Kilkeel. The shore road in Rostrevor forms part of the Mourne Coastal route, a designated scenic drive that stretches along the coastline from Newry to Belfast.

Demography

On Census Day (27 March 2011) the usually resident population of Rostrevor Settlement was 2,800, accounting for 0.15% of the NI total.

Rostrevor Forest is a popular destination for mountain biking, centred on the Rostrevor Mountain Bike Trails within Kilbroney Forest, which comprise approximately 16.4 miles of red (intermediate) trails, 10.4 miles of black (difficult) trails, and 1.9 miles of orange (extreme) trails. The trails are supported by an uplift service operated by Bike Mourne, which transports riders from the Kilbroney Park car park to higher sections of the trail network.

Rostrevor hosts the Top of the Mourne Triathlon, an annual Olympic-distance Triathlon organized by Newry Triathlon Club and administered by Triathlon Ireland. The race consists of a sea swim in Carlingford Lough, a bicycle leg that stretches into the Mourne Mountains, and a run leg centered around Kilbroney Park. The 2025 iteration of the race served as the Triathlon Ireland standard distance national championship.

See also

  • List of villages in Northern Ireland
  • List of towns in Northern Ireland
  • Rostrevor College, a large school in Adelaide, Australia, named after 'Rostrevor House', the main historic mansion residence constructed on the site in 1878 which itself was named after Rostrevor, Northern Ireland.

References