Ferrybank, Waterford

Ferrybank Irish: Port an Chalaidh
Suburb
Overlooking Fountain Street in Ferrybank
Ferrybank Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°15′55″N 7°06′15″W / 52.265278°N 7.104167°W / 52.265278; -7.104167
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)^[1] is a suburb of Waterford City in Ireland. Much of Ferrybank, or "the village" as it is referred to locally, is under the political jurisdiction of Waterford City and County Council and thus an area of administration for Waterford City, on the northern bank of the River Suir, extending into County Waterford. However, some parts of Ferrybank extend into County Kilkenny and are administered by Kilkenny County Council. There has been a long-lasting boundary dispute between both jurisdictions,^[2][3] with debates and proposals ongoing for many decades.^[4][5]

Ferrybank hurling club won the Waterford Senior Hurling Championship in 1915, 1916 and 1919. Locky Byrne is an inter-county hurler who was from the area, and played for both the Waterford and Kilkenny teams in the 1930s and 1940s.

Athletic events have been held in Ferrybank since 1869.^[6] Members of Ferrybank Athletic Club (Ferrybank AC) to have represented Ireland include Brendan Quinn at the 1988 Olympics and Kelly Proper at the 2010 European Championships.^{[citation needed]}

Ferrybank AFC, the local association football club, was founded in 1948.^{[citation needed]} Notable players at the club have included John O'Shea, of Manchester United and the Republic of Ireland national team, who played underage football with the club.^[7] Romeo Akachukwu, who later joined Southampton F.C., also played with Ferrybank AFC.^[8]

The Ross Abbey Town Centre Shopping Complex was built in 2008 at a cost of €7 million and was sold in 2013 for €225k. It remained empty for several years after it was constructed.^[9] In 2017 (nearly 10 years after the complex was completed) the discount retailer "Mr Price" opened a unit within the development.^[10][11] Other businesses subsequently opened there, including a barbers, café, beautician, gym and a Tesco Express outlet.^{[citation needed]}

The Ferrybank Shopping Centre on the south Kilkenny/Waterford border was completed in 2008 at a cost of €100m.^[12] It never opened, due to the failure of Dunnes Stores to take up its planned anchor tenancy,^[13] and (as of late 2023) remained closed.^[14][15] While containing no retail outlets, part of the development has housed a local library and county council office.^[16]

• Donal Foley, a writer and editor at The Irish Times, grew up in Ferrybank.^[17]
• John O'Shea, former international footballer, lived and went to school in the area.^[7]
• Craig Breen, rally driver who competed in the World Rally Championship, attended school in Ferrybank.^[18]