History
The natural deepwater anchorage at the foot of
the green hill that gives Ardglass its name (ard=high, glas=green)
was in use long before recorded history - probably for as long as 3,000 years.
There is every likelihood that the great St. Patrick himself walked through the
little fishing hamlet that existed in the 5th Century (well, the first church
Patrick built in Ireland is only seven miles away, at Saul), and certainly by 1177
invading Anglo-Norman forces headed by John De Courcey found a well established
harbour.
The port offered excellent sea
communications and the fertile area of Lecale was prosperous, so de Courcey incorporated the whole as part of the Pale and rewarded his
followers with grants of land. Later, Henry V111 granted the revenue of the port, amounting to
£5,000, to
Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare. The association of the Kildare family with Ardglass
continued for three centuries.
In the early 1800's the estates were sold to William
Ogilvie, tutor to the Kildare family, for the sum of £26,000. Ogilvie took a great
interest in the harbour. He constructed a pier and encouraged trade. His successor, Major
Aubrey William Beauclerc took little interest in Ardglass and the harbour fell into
disrepair. In 1876 an Act of Parliament was passed to enable the Commissioners of
Public Works in Ireland to repair the harbour on the condition that the Beauclercs
relinquished all claims.
The Ministry of Commerce for Northern Ireland assumed the role of
Harbour Authority in 1922.
Location
Position: 54 deg 15 min N, 05 deg 36 min W
Location: At Ardglass on the County Down coast south of Strangford Lough entrance
Lights: Breakwater Fl.R. 3 sec. Inner Lighthouse Iso. G.W.R. 4 sec.
Harbour Radio: VHF Channels 16,14 and 9
Facilities:
Quayage: 680m of which 400m dries at L.W.
Depths: 3m at MLWS at main quay
Tidal Levels: MHWS 4.5m, MLWS 0.5m
Equipment: Vessels own gear
Fish market: Covered market on quay 324 sqm
Bunkers: Diesel available by road trailer
Ship Repairs: None. Service for radar, Decca and radio obtainable.
Stores: Provisions, water and ice available.
Officials: Harbour Master, John Smyth (028 44 841291). Fishery Inspector (028 44 841273)
Port Authority: Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority, 8 St. Patrick's Avenue, Downpatrick. Tel. 028 44 613844
Ardglass Catch ( fish, including shellfish):
1997 8,020 tonnes £3.4 million
1998 9,337 tonnes £4.0 million
Ardglass harbour and marina from the air.
Picture by John Smyth