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Groomsport Village History
By the 17th century the village was known as ‘Gilgroomsport’
and at this time, before Donaghadee became the main port for embarkation
for Scotland, Groomsport’s harbour was significant enough
to have its own Customs House.
Groomsport narrowly missed out on New World fame when the ship Eagle Wing set out from the port, with 140 men, women and children, to attempt an early trip to North America in 1636 only to be defeated by bad weather after eight weeks at sea.
On 13 Aug 1689, the English Fleet with Duke Schomberg & an
army of 10,000 came ashore in Groomsport. In 1659 there were 25
English/Scots & 8 Catholic families here. The population in
1910 was 264 people.
By the mid 1800s Groomsport had a relatively large fishing fleet and housed a lifeboat station in its sheltered bay. The population of the village was employed mainly in agriculture, fishing and loom weaving. Whilst living conditions were hard, the coming of the railway from Holywood to Bangor in 1865 made the village much more accessible and the standard of living improved. Groomsport had its own halt on the Newtownards to Donaghadee line and the village became a popular destination for visitors.
The population was only 360 in the 1951 Census but this has increased substantially in the last few years with the construction of new housing developments. The harbour has found new popularity, with a sailing club and a collection of pleasure craft. Two former fishermen's cottages by the harbour have been restored as an attraction for visitors. Nowadays, caravanners and trippers are attracted by the beautifully landscaped picnic and play areas around the harbour, the sandy beaches, quality pubs, restaurants and the picture-postcard beauty of the place.
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2001 Census
Groomsport is classified as a settlement within Belfast Metropolitan
Urban Area (BMUA) by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).
On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 873 people living in
Groomsport. Of these: 11.7% were aged under 16 years and 41.6%
were aged 60 and over 45.7% of the population were male and 54.3%
were female 2.6% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed. The village
now has a population of approximately 3,000, and continues to
grow.
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The world’s biggest bear sanctuary - funded by IAR - celebrates its fifth birthday
The most successful bear sanctuary in the world - funded by International
Animal Rescue - celebrated its 5th Anniversary on Christmas Eve
2007. The Agra Bear Sanctuary in India first opened its doors
on 24 December 2002 and took in six dancing bears rescued from
the streets. Since then, IAR and Indian partners Wildlife SOS
have rescued 421 bears, more than half of which are housed in
the Agra sanctuary, not far from the Taj Mahal.
Christmas Eve 2007 also marked a milestone in the campaign to free the dancing bears. It is estimated that there are still 400 dancing bears on the streets of India, so together the two charities have rescued just over half of them: their aim now is to end the cruel practice completely by 2010.
Help Support the Bear Sanctuary
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Venice Webcam
For Lovers of all things Italian
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Welcome to CoveBay.net
The Community Website for Groomsport,
Northern Ireland.
POST OFFICE CLOSURE
Please sign our Petition
Groomsport Post Office has received that dreaded letter from
Royal Mail. They are one of 42 Post Offices in N. Ireland planned
for closure. Can we change the Post Office decision? We can try!
Sign our Petition!
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Groomsport/
Contact Your MP Lady Sylvia Hermon.
Contact Your Local Councillors
Contact Your M.L.A.'s
Groomsport 1960
Some wonderful photographs by Norman Newall of Groomsport in 1960.
Norman's family was evacuated to Groomsport during WW2, after his Belfast home was destroyed. He lived in a cottage, one of three on main street, which have since given way to the small park and paddling pool area.
Taken with a Brownie 127 camera. Click on the photograph for more
FREESAT
A brand new digital TV service called freesat is launching in the Spring.
It is broadcast via satellite so you'll get TV, radio, interactive TV, and HD TV with crystal clear reception, and it's available to approximately 98% of the population. Freesat was set up as a joint venture between BBC and ITV to ensure that all UK households have the opportunity to access the best innovations in digital TV, subscription-free - no matter where you live in the UK*. And yes, that means being able to access the latest developments in digital TV - including high definition programmes - without having to pay a monthly subscription.
freesat came together formally in May 2007 as a joint venture between the BBC and ITV, and includes many of the same people who brought you Freeview. So while it is a brand new service, they have actually been around for a while, if you see what we mean. Freesat is funded 50/50 by shareholders ITV and the BBC, and run on a not-for-profit basis. How to get Freesat
HOUSE PRICES
Houseprice Calculator
The Nationwide price survey for March shows house prices reduced by 0.6%.A third reduction in 2008 Also, the latest University of Ulster Quarterly House Price Index, produced in partnership with Bank of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, confirms the slowdown in annual growth rates and an actual quarterly fall in prices between the third and fourth quarters of 2007. North Down’s average house price of £243,191 is down by 12.9% on the last quarter 07, but up 20.2% over the year more......
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Ulster Rugby
Ulster v Cardiff
Friday 9th May at 7.30pm
Tickets for Ulster matches available online at:
Ulster Rugby
Groomsport Harbour
Click on Photo for Groomsport Album
FREE Delivery on everything at John Lewis!
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Travel the World from Belfast
Ulster travellers are spoilt for choice now that the expansion plans of Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Ryanair have come to fruition. At Aldergrove Aer Lingus has chosen Belfast for its UK base. A code share with British Airways will also give Aer Lingus a direct flight to Heathrow, and eight other destinations. George Best City airport now has Europe's largest no-frills airline Ryanair. Also at City Airport, Flybe has revealed plans for a number of new direct routes to Europe.
Click for List of Airlines and Ferrys
Titanic Journey
View BBC Newsline's exclusive footage of Titanic and learn about the science and history behind this extraordinary journey to the bottom of the Atlantic.
The SS Nomadic Survives
S.S. NOMADIC the last White Star Line vessel afloat
(courtesy Captain Wood collection)
The SS NOMADIC is one of the less well known survivors of the Titanic. The tender, SS NOMADIC, was built by Harland and Wolff, Belfast. Launched on April 25, 1911 and delivered to White Star Line on May 27. She attended the departure of the RMS OLYMPIC for Liverpool on May 31, 1911. That same day the RMS TITANIC was launched. NOMADIC and her sister TRAFFIC were built to ferry passengers and freight to and from the White Star Liners calling at Cherbourg, France, which at that time, was too small a harbour to accommodate the massive ocean liners of the day. TRAFFIC would ferry the third class passengers and mail, while NOMADIC, with her plush interiors, brought first and second class to TITANIC and OLYMPIC. NOMADIC and TRAFFIC both arrived in Cherbourg on June 3, 1911 (the NOMADIC was commanded by Captain Boitard), the vessels served OLYMPIC on September 14, 1911 when she called at Cherbourg on her maiden voyage to New York.
On the April 10, 1912 NOMADIC sailed out from port with 142 first class and 30 second class passengers to meet TITANIC on her maiden voyage. Onboard her that evening were many of the most famous passengers. Among her compliment that night were Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff Gordon, Colonel John Jacob Astor and his wife Madeline, Benjamin Guggenheim and Molly Brown. This was the NOMADIC's last delivery to TITANIC before her maiden voyage sinking, five days later, which was to shock the world.
For Nomadic Picture Gallery - CLICK HERE
The Los Angeles Times on-line have published several of our Groomsport photographs Click Here to vote for us.
Get free Tickets for BBC TV and Radio shows
Be in the audience at BBC One Northern Ireland's
live television broadcast. BBC NI ticket line on 0870 333
1918 , BBC NI textphone 08000 153350
Take a Tour of the BBC
A Tour of BBC, Broadcasting House, Ormeau
Avenue, Belfast, will provide you with a unique opportunity
to take a look "behind the scenes" at BBC Northern
Ireland. Possible tour areas will include*:
BBC Newsline Studio Floor, BBC NI Newsroom, Television Gallery
and more, CLICK
HERE for details
10 Years On
The Long Goodbye
A decade after her death, Princess Diana still looms large
in Britain's psyche Time
Magazine
Full details on the Diana Inquest -
Click Here
Diary of Events in Groomsport
What is a Carbon Footprint?
Carbon Footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.
A step - by - step guide to help us do our bit to save the planet. Twelve simple steps can cut an individual's annual carbon emissions dramatically.
1. Wash clothes at 30c
2. Turn all appliances off standby
3. Drive a more fuel-efficent car in a more economical manner
4. Boil only the water you need in a kettle
5. Turn off the lights when you leave the room
6. When replacing an appliance, consider replacing it with an "energy saving recommended" one
7. Install full loft insulation
8. Turn your thermostat down by one degree
9. Install solar water heating
10. Insulate cavity walls where possible
11. Replace traditional light bulbs with energy saving ones
12. Replace your old boiler with a high efficency condensing one
Calculate your Carbon Footprint
An award winning company Thermomax Ltd. in Bangor, has been manufacturing solar energy panels for 25 years. Their system typically supplies 60% of a household's annual hot water requirements, with no carbon emmisions.
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This site is listed in the British Towns and Villages Encyclopaedia of Great Britain and we can be found in the entry for Groomsport