Holyhead

Holyhead (Welsh, Caergybi), town and port on Holy Island, Isle of Anglesey, north-western Wales. An international ferry and container port, Holyhead is located on the north-west coast of Holy Island, off the west coast of the Isle of Anglesey, overlooking Holyhead Bay. The town is connected to the Isle of Anglesey and mainland Great Britain by two road bridges and the railway line from Chester. Holyhead harbour is protected by a 2.5 km- (1.5 mi-) long breakwater, the longest in Great Britain, built in 1870. The site has been settled since prehistoric times, and there are remains of both Celtic and Roman settlements; part of the walls of the Roman fort surround the 13th-century parish church of St Cybi. Holyhead's modern development as a port began with the construction of a causeway linking Holy Island to Anglesey in the 1820s. Today it is Great Britain's third-largest passenger port and best known as the main ferry terminal for Ireland, with regular services to Dun Laoghaire and Dublin. However, Holyhead's association with trade between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland dates back thousands of years; archaeological evidence indicates that trade in axes between Ireland and Holyhead occurred as early as 2000 bc. The town has some industry, including aluminium and fish processing, and switchgear manufacture. Population (1991 estimate) 11,800.