- Ardglass
Ardglass (derive|Irish|"Ard ghlas"|green high place) is a coastal
village inCounty Down ,Northern Ireland and still a relatively important fishing harbour. It is situated on the B1 Ardglass toDownpatrick road, about 11 kilometres to the south east of Downpatrick, in theLecale peninsula on theIrish Sea . It had a population of 1,668 people in the 2001 Census. It is located within theDown District Council area.The village is a commuter centre for workers in Downpatrick and
Belfast , a seaside resort and a local service centre providing housing and a variety of shops and services largely concentrated in Castle Place, Quay Street, Kildare Street and Bath Street. AConservation area was designated in Ardglass in 1996, focused on its early 19th century street pattern. The village has eight archaeological sites within the area and another two archaeological sites nearby. There are a number of listed properties located on Castle Place, Kildare Street and The Crescent. St Nicholas’ Church, King’s Castle, Ardglass Castle, Isabella Tower, the disused railway station, the North Pier and the inner Dock are also listed.History
Ardglass grew from a place of little note in the 13th century to a modestly prosperous port in the 15th century. [cite book | last=Mallory, JP & McNeill, TE| year=1991 |title=the Archaeology of Ulster from Colonization to Plantation | publisher=Institute of Irish Studies, QUB | location=Belfast | pages=p286] It was an important town and
port in theMiddle Ages , but no harbour works seem to have been constructed until after 1812. Then William Ogilvie, who had acquired the Ardglass estate, had a harbour built. Further extensions to thepier and alighthouse were made, but in 1838 a great storm undermined the lighthouse which fell into the sea along with the end of the pier. Work on the piers was completed by 1885 and they remain in use to this day.Ardglass contains more
medieval tower-houses than any other town inIreland , a total of four, reflecting its importance asUlster 's busiest port in the 15th century. It also has probably the most extensive network of merchant's warehouses from the period surviving in Ireland. These were important in the substantial grain export trade of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Fortifications survive in the town from the fifteenth century, includingJordan's Castle , the most imposing of a ring of towers built around the harbour to secure the then importantAnglo-Norman trading port,King's Castle andCowd Castle . Nearby are the ruins of 15th centuryArdtole Church .The "Dublin Penny Journal" of
30 March 1833 [cite web | title=Ardglass, County of Down | work=Library Ireland - from the "Dublin Penny Journal", Volume 1, Number 40, March 30, 1833 | url=http://www.libraryireland.com/articles/ArdglassDPJ1-40/index.php | accessdate=2008-06-17] describes Ardglass as follows:Economy
Ardglass has been a fishing
port for more than two thousand years and developed as such due to its location on the east coast of Lecale and its siting by a naturalinlet . It has one of the few harbours which is accessible at all states of thetide and today has two fishingpier s, the North Pier and South Pier, a number offish processing factories and amarina . While the port is not as busy now as in its heyday, 150 years ago, up to £5 million passes through the fish trade here every year. The port specialises inherring s,prawn s, andwhitefish .Places of interest
*
Ardglass Marina , sometimes also known as Phennick Cove, has a capacity for about 80 craft and a deep water basin open 24 hours daily all year.Strangford Lough lies six miles to the north.
*Ardglass Golf Club is an excellent local course. The Clubhouse was formerly known asArdglass Castle and the building is steeped in history and tradition dating back to the 14th century.
*Jordan's Castle is a ruined 15th century tower house and one of several in Ardglass, underlining the town's historic importance to the life of the district. It can be found between Kildare and Quay Streets.
*Isabella’s Tower, a folly built on top of a hill by Aubrey de Vere Beauclerc in the 19th century as agazebo for his invalid daughter.
*Ardtole Church is a 15th centuryruin ed church standing on a hilltop overlooking theIrish Sea and theIsle of Man , 0.75 miles (1.2km) north-east of Ardglass, at grid ref: J564382.cite book | last=Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland| year=1983 |title=Historic Monuments of Northern Ireland | publisher=HMSO | location=Belfast | pages=p96-97]Transport
Ardglass railway station on the
Belfast and County Down Railway , opened on8 July 1892 , but finally closed on16 January 1950 . [cite web | title= Ardglass station| work=Railscot - Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | accessdate=2007-09-08]People
*Gareth McMullan from Ardglass won the first ever episode of the
Channel 4 quiz showFifteen to One . He also won in the programme’s second series and went on to become one of their question-setters.
*Thomas Hunter, founder and president ofHunter College inNew York City was born in Ardglass.2001 Census
Ardglass is classified as a village by the [http://www.nisra.gov.uk/ NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)] (ie with a population between 1,000 and 2,250 people). On Census day (
29 April 2001 ) there were 1,668 people living in Ardglass. Of these:
*27.3% were aged under 16 and 18.8% were aged 60 and over
*48.1% of the population were male and 51.9% were female
*87.9% were from aCatholic background and 10.2% were from a Protestant background
*5.3% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.For more details see: [http://www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk/ NI Neighbourhood Statistics]
ee also
*
List of villages in Northern Ireland
*List of towns in Northern Ireland References
*Draft Ards and Down Area Plan 2015
* [http://www.ardglassgolfclub.com/ Ardglass Golf Club]
* [http://www.discovernorthernireland.com Discover Northern Ireland]
* [http://www.downdc.gov.uk/ Down District Council]
* [http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/town_Home.aspx?co=7&to=123&ca=0&sca=0&navID=1 Culture Northern Ireland]External links
* [http://www.from-ireland.net/dow/lewis/ardglass.htm From Ireland - Ardglass, description from Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 1837]
* [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~rosdavies/PHOTOSwords/RailwayStations.htm#ardglass Photograph of Ardglass Railway Station]
* [http://www.ardglass.net Have a Look at Ardglass]
* [http://www.ria.ie/publications/journals/ProcCI/2005/PC05/PDF/105C01.pdf Royal Irish Academy - Three Medieval Buildings in the Port of Ardglass, Co. Down by T.E. McNeill, published 15 April 2005]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.