the eponymous park. It is bounded on the north by Midwood at Avenue U, to the east by Marine Park at Gerritsen Avenue, to the south by Plumb Beach and the Plumb Beach Channel, and to the west by Sheepshead Bay at Shell Bank Creek and Knapp Street. It is bisected, from west to east, by the Gotham Avenue Canal. The area north of the canal, known as the "new section" by local residents, has traditional city streets lined with stores, brick houses, and wide sidewalks. The area south of the canal (the "old section") is a popular spot for party and chartered fishing boat berths. The typical size of the land lots in the community are in the old section, in the new section, and on the waterfront. The streets in Gerritsen Beach are in alphabetical order (that is, Aster, Bevy, Celeste, Dictum, etc.). Community The neighborhood has a large Irish-Catholic presence in the community. A few long-standing residents of Irish descent refer to the community as being cois fharraige, which is an Irish language phrase meaning "by the sea". The remaining percentage of the population is predominantly of Scandinavian, Italian and German descent. Education The neighborhood is the location of the New York City Department of Education's Public School 277, an elementary school known as the Gerritsen Beach School. Brooklyn Blue-Feather School, 2335 Gerritsen Ave. is for special-needs children operates in the former Resurrection school building. The Brooklyn Public Library's Gerritsen Beach branch is located at 2808 Gerritsen Avenue. The library has been operating since the 1950s, though it moved to its current location, a structure, in 1997. Recreation The Gerritsen Ballfields, consisting of three baseball fields, two athletic fields for soccer or football, and one Little League field, are located on the east side of Gerritsen Avenue, in addition to a "mini-airport" for motorized model airplanes located at Seba Avenue and Gerritsen Avenue. In 1993, this site benefited from a $192,000 renovation sponsored by Borough Council Member Herbert E. Berman. Also, recreational fishing is very popular with citizens of the community, as anglers are found fishing along the shore at the southern end of Gerritsen Avenue and along the adjacent shoreline of the Gerritsen Creek-Marine Park "salt marsh". The Gerritsen Creek estuary and the adjacent salt marsh is also a major spawning ground for various species of marine fish. Although riding quads is popular at this park,