Little Ireland | CLEATOR MOOR

Reports of anti-social behaviour around the town continue with hot spots being the Big Hill, the bridge under Leconfield Street the Kangol site and Longlands at Cleator. It appears that the area behind the activity centre is now being used to gather. Cumbria Police are aware, and will include the areas during their patrols.

The Pilgrimage to Cleator Grotto has been pencilled in for Sunday 12th September. A final decision on plans will be made at the end of July. Residents will be encouraged to have a real Pilgrimage, walking with family to the Grotto.

A petition has been launched by residents asking Cumbria Police to address anti-social behavior in Cleator Moor. Police have been invited by the Town Council to their next meeting to discuss issues, with a hope to increase Policing. Cllr Linda Jones-Bulman said: "The more people speak up, the better chance there is of something being done."

Cumbria Police are monitoring the blocking of the pavement between High Street and Queen Street by vehicles. Motorists are asked to adhere to the Highway Code.

The Phoenix Youth Project are looking for volunteer youth workers. If you'd like to contribute to this rewarding work, get in touch with them on 01946 814555.

A controversial planning application for 11 houses on a greenfield site on Trumpet Road has been passed by Copeland Planners.

The possibility of CCTV coverage of Cleator Moor Square is being contemplated by local authorities. Plans are in their early stages.

Plans for a pedestrian crossing at Bowthorn are with Cumbria County Council.

The Town Council is to contribute £25,000 to a planned Public Realm space. Railings around Cleator Moor Square are to be removed. Work is expected to commence in 2022/23.

Cleator Moor is a town in West Cumbria, UK, born from the ancient village of Cleator. The town grew across moorland, out of industry, enterprise and geographical advantages. Rich haematite iron ore of the district, and the proximity of the parish to coastal shipping, and new railway system, account for a rapid transformation.

In the beginning, the moorland of Cleator was barren with a few farms tending a stark land. In the 17th Century, Iron Ore was first extracted from beneath the ground. In the 18th and 19th Century mining expanded with Iron Ore being a vital ingredient for the Industrial Revolution, modernising industry.

The population of Cleator Moor is estimated at 330 in 1688; it then doubled from 362 in 1801 to over 763 by 1841; then surged across the second half of the 19th century as result of industrial development. The new town of Cleator Moor was laid out on former Common land from the 1880s. By 1861 the population stood at 3,995; it peaked at 10,420 in 1881. It then declined, to 8,120 by 1901 and to low point of 6,411 in 1951, after which it rose to 7,686 by 1971; today, the population stands at around 7,000.

A substantial increase in mining operations during the 19th century coincided with a devastating potato famine which had left over 1 million Irish dead, and another 1 million spread across the globe. The Irish diaspora brought thousands to the new town on the moor, giving rise to the moniker, Little Ireland.

The Irish in Cleator Moor were predominantly Roman Catholic but the general influx into the mines and industry of West Cumbria also brought others of a different persuasion from the same country and with them a particular sectarianism to add to the anti-Catholicism of Victorian England.

During the years of major growth, Cleator Moor didn't have a visible town centre, and consisted primarily of rather featureless rows of houses. The beginning of the market square was agreed on Monday, 2nd October 1871. In 1876 it was decided to make the market square more presentable, and so slag was carted on to it to provide a solid foundation. In 1877-8, a local contractor, Mr Doloughan was set to building the Market Hall and Public Offices: these would be the buildings facing Jacktrees Road. In 1882, the Market Hall was extended. The present Public Library Building was not erected until 1906, on the strength of a Carnegie Grant.

The town was based around the iron works industry and was served in this capacity by two railways. The Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway (WC&ER) was the first railway on the scene and it opened for goods traffic in 1855, then two years later it opened for passenger traffic. The WC&ER sold out to the London and North Western Railway in 1878 but when the Furness Railway objected to the sale it too became a partner, thus forming the Furness & London and North Western Joint Railway the following year.

The second railway to serve Cleator Moor was the Cleator & Workington Junction Railway. This new company had a station on the western edge of the town and its double track main line made a junction with the former company at Cleator Moor West Junction.

The town had several iron ore mines and excessive mining caused subsidence. Some parts of the town have been demolished due to undermining in the area, most notably the original Montreal Primary School and the whole of Montreal Street on which it stood. The Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway suffered from subsidence which forced it to build two deviation branch lines and stations. In Cleator Moor itself a new line was built curving further northwest than the original, with a new station being opened in 1866 some 600 yards further west along Leconfield Street than the original, which became a goods station. The new station was known simply as Cleator Moor, but was renamed Cleator Moor East in 1924.

The town and neighbouring village of Cleator are overlooked by Dent Fell which is on the fringe of the National Park; Dent is the first fell that you encounter on the Wainwright Coast to Coast walk. The Sea to Sea (C2C) cycle network also passes through Cleator Moor via a disused railway which is now part of the National Cycle Network. South from Cleator, is Longlands Lake, a former iron ore mine which is now a local beauty spot and haven for wildlife.

Cleator Moor has a few distinct communities which have emerged as the town has grown; such as Mill Hill, Bowthorn and Wath Brow.

The town is known for its sporting achievements; Celtic Football Club has produced players that have gone on to play for National Teams and for England, Wath Brow Hornets are a leading amateur rugby league team again producing national players. The Cricket Club has also won the National Village competition at Lords, London.