Discover

'Comber' () is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland, 5 miles south of Newtownards, at the northern end of Strangford Lough. It had a population of 8,933 people in the 2001 Census. It is a centre of potato growing and is also known for the Tudor Cinema.
It is situated around 15 miles (24 kilometres) ESE of Belfast, in the heart of potato-growing country. Comber comes under the control of Ards Borough Council. It is also known for Comber Whiskey which was last distilled in 1953 and today fetches a handsome price.

Contents

History

Demographics

People

Sport

References

See also

External links

History

The name Comber derives from the Irish word ''comar'' which means the confluence of two rivers, in this case the Glen River and the Enler River which meet at the town. There is believed to have been a church here since the time of St Patrick, while a Cistercian abbey was founded around 1200 on the site of the present Church of Ireland chapel, a site likely chosen to take advantage of the good access to Strangford Lough. After Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1541, the abbey fell into ruins and its stone has since been used in other buildings.
During the influx of Scottish people in the early 1600s (see Plantation of Ulster), a settlement grew up at Comber, although it was focused about a mile further south than at present, in the townland of Cattogs, and there is evidence that the settlement was a port used by traders and fishermen. By the 1700s, however, the focus of the town had moved to the area of the present Square and Comber established itself with several mills.
The Andrews family made Comber a centre of both linen production and grain processing by the second half of the 1700s. Whiskey distilling was a prominent industry by the mid 1800s, the most prominent of the distillers being John Miller, uncle of William James (Lord) Pirrie and Eliza (wife of Thomas Andrews Snr.). One member of the Andrews family, Thomas, rose to fame as designer of the ill-fated ''Titanic'', although he tragically lost his life when the ship sank in 1912. By 1841 the town had 1,400 inhabitants. The twentieth century saw Comber lose much of its industry but re-establish itself as a commuter town for the Belfast urban area, swelling in population from 4,000 in 1961 to 8,933 in the 2001 Census.
In Comber square, you cannot fail to see the statue of Major General Rollo Gillespie. Gillespie was a local war hero from the 19th century famous for his heroic exploits in India. It was unveiled on 4th June, 1845 (St. John's Day). Fifty lodges of the Masonic Order were present, in what is believed to be the biggest Masonic gathering in Irish History. It was calculated that 25,000 to 30,000 people crowded into the town to witness the ceremony. The column is 55 feet high. At the foot of the column are many Masonic symbols and his famous last words "One shot more for the honour of Down".

Demographics

Comber is classified as a Small Town by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 4,500 and 10,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 8,933 people living in Comber. Of these:

★ 19.7% were aged under 16 years and 18.0% were aged 60 and over

★ 48.3% of the population were male and 51.7% were female

★ 3.7% were from a Catholic background and 91.6% were from a Protestant background

★ 2.8% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.
For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

People

★ Comber is most famous for being the birthplace of Thomas Andrews (born in 1873), the RMS ''Titanic'''s shipbuilder, who died in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.

★ Thomas Andrews had a famous brother John Miller Andrews, who became Northern Ireland’s second Prime Minister between 1940 and 1945. He was born in 1871 and became a flax-spinner and a wealthy landowner in Comber. He died in 1956.

★ Comber village square has a statue of ’Rollicking Rollo’ - Sir Robert Rollo Gillespie (1766-1814) born in a large house on the south side of the square. He soldiered in Ireland, the West Indies, Java and Nepal, fought duels, acted as a secret agent against the French and was killed in action.

★ Racing driver Jonny Kane (born 14 May, 1973), was born in Comber. He was crowned British Formula Three champion in 1997 and went on to become 'rookie of the year' in the 1999 IndyLights series in the USA.

★ Edmund De Wind, was born in Comber and was a Canadian (also considered Irish) recipient of the Victoria Cross in World War I. He was a member of The Royal Irish Rifles, killed during the First Battle of the Somme on 21 March 1918, after repelling attack after attack until he was mortally wounded and collapsed. There is a housing estate in Comber named after him built in the 1950s.

Sport

From 1928 to 1936, the Tourist Trophy (TT) motorcar Races took place on a road circuit encompassing Newtownards, Comber and Dundonald in County Down. At the time it was Northern Ireland’s premier sporting event, regularly attracting crowds in excess of a quarter of a million people. The first driver to complete 30 laps of the circuit was the winner. On September 5, 1936, in wet conditions, one driver lost control of his car and crashed into the crowd, killing eight spectators. This tragedy brought an end to nine years of racing over the Ards road circuit.
One of Comber's finest sporting moments came on Christmas morning 1991 when local amateur football team Comber Rec, managed by Mervyn Boyce, overcame favourites Brantwood to lift the Steel and Sons Cup for the first time.
Comber is also the home of one of Ireland's oldest and most successful cricket clubs, North Down CC, who have played their home matches at The Green since 1857. They have won the Northern Cricket Union Senior Challenge Cup a record 30 times, the Senior League outright on 17 occasions and the Irish Senior Cup 3 times since it's inception in 1984.

References

★ Culture Northern Ireland

See also

★ List of towns in Northern Ireland

★ List of villages in Northern Ireland

External links

★ Combers website (www.comberonline.org)