Brief History of Ardglass

Earthworks and artifacts bear witness  to man's presence in the area from 3000 years BC, but there is little evidence of a settlement until the middle ages.

 It is only with the Anglo Norman invasion of  Ulster, from about 1172, that  history is recorded.  Chief among the Anglo-Norman invaders was John de Courcey, who, with 22 knights and some 300 soldiers moved north from Dublin and, without any warranty other than his own desire for land and power, fought a few battles with local Irish chieftains and gradually achieved dominance over the greater part of south-east Ulster. He established headquarters in Downpatrick in 1178, with Ardglass, a mere six miles away, a convenient harbour. 
    Easily defended harbours were important in the face of Irish hostility , and in addition to establishing his presence at Ardglass DeCourcey built major defensive castles at the harbours of Carrickfergus in County Antrim and Dundrum in County Down. 

English settlement presence in the area of Lecale, south-east of Downpatrick, was strong and possibly because of this Ardglass grew in importance in the late middle-ages, whereas in other areas English influence waned. A London Trading Company was established in the village during the reign of Henry VIII, and by the 15th century the harbour handled more trade than any other port in the province of Ulster.

The 'Castles' of Ardglass

Unlike the great fortified castle at Carrickfergus Ardglass depended upon a ring of  defensive tower house dwellings plus the Newark (the New Works) - a range of fortified warehouses erected at the harbour entrance, now mostly in ruins but also partially included in Ardglass Castle (formerly the property of the Fitzgeralds, Earls of Kildare but currently, from 1896, the home of the Ardglass Golf Club). 

Originally there were seven castles in Ardglass. More accurately they were fortified tower houses, erected during the 14th and 15th centuries by local businessmen and clan leaders loyal to the Crown.  They were built  with financial help received from the English government of the Pale in Dublin and may have been linked by a defensive wall  stretching from the Newark, at the harbour entrance, to Cowd's, at the golf club entrance, and then to Margaret's (across the road at Castle Place), and on to Jordan's Castle (in Kildare Street) and finally  to King's (at the top of Kildare Street).
    Jordan's Castle, restored by antiquarian QC Francis Joseph Biggar when he bought it in 1911, is the only fortified tower that is more or less complete.  In its central position overlooking the harbour it is a fine, fully developed, example of this type of defensive dwelling.  It is the only tower house known to have withstood siege attack by the native Irish, its owner at the end of the 16th century, Simon Jordan, surviving a three year siege that was only lifted by the seaborne arrival of the Lord Deputy Mountjoy from Dublin on17th June 1601.
    King's Castle, higher up the hill of Ardglass, was larger than Jordan's, but the present castle there, incorporating some of the stonework of the original, was built by a rich merchant named  Russell during the 19th century.  It is now a nursing home.

Life in Ardglass

Fishing, farming and trading have always been the backbone of local living.  In the late mediaeval period the deepwater harbour enabled much trading, but this declined greatly over a period of 300 years, so that by the beginning of the 20th century only coal, grain and potato boats called at the harbour.
    The fortunes of the farming and fishing community have fluctuated.  During the 19th century many hundreds of sail driven craft (sometimes as many as 500) would crowd the harbour for the summer herring fishing in the Irish Sea.  This was greatly facilitated by the increased harbour facilities built in 1850 by William Ogilvie, following his purchase of Ardglass Castle from the Fitzgerald family.  Ogilvie also built the fine Georgian style terrace fronting Castle Place, its appearance rather devalued by divergent rendering and paintwork styles. 
    
In recent years local fish merchants have established Ardglass as a major fish buying and processing centre, with modern, hygienic factories exporting  many tons of fish and prawns to a great number of European countries, and to Russia. Currently fishermen and processors are grievously affected by Quota regulations imposed by the EEC.

Farming families in the area benefit from good soil and mild climate, but have also endured restrictions created by the foot and mouth epidemic that developed throughout 2001.  Much local land has been rented to potato producers, and many farmers have had to find other ways to supplement their income - through Open farms, long-distance lorry driving and various imaginative entrepreneurial enterprises.

Many in the village find work in adjoining towns such as Downpatrick, and a  number of residents travel daily to Belfast.

It is a central intention of ADA to encourage, where possible, the establishment of manufacturing and entrepreneurial businesses throughout the area.

For further information see  References