Abbeyside 3.27

Abbeyside is an area in Dungarvan, County Waterford, Ireland. It lies on the east bank of the Colligan River.HistoryMacGrath's Castle was a notable landmark in Abbeyside, overlooking Dungarvan Harbour, until it collapsed in January 1916. It was situated at Friar's Walk in Abbeyside, near the Augustinian abbey. It was a typical tower-house of six floors, two of them supported by stone vaults. The MacGrath family is said to have built it, and it is called MacCragh's Castle in the Civil Survey of 1654. By the mid-18th century the castle was still in a good state of preservation and retained its roof. Following the collapse, fragments of the walls remained up until the early 1960s, but these were removed and now there are no remains visible above ground.SportStage 2 of the 1998 Tour de France passed through Abbeyside.The local GAA club is Abbeyside/Ballinacourty GAA. The club plays both hurling and gaelic football and competes in both senior codes in the county.The village also has a local soccer team, Abbeyside AFC which in recent years has gone into decline after a period of success from 1987 to 2003. Currently the club based in a large urban area have no schoolboy football team.This marks a break of tradition stretching back 35 years. Children from the area now play their football with the more progressive clubs of Ballinroad and Dungarvan.