Lough Cuan.com

Medieval Ardglass was a town of great importance, it is situated in ancient territory of Lecale (Cahals half). The natural harbour of Ardglass, which lies on the east coast of Co Down, ensured its long history of fishing. In it the early 20th century Ardglass became a centre of the herring fishing industry , when boats using drift nets came from all over the British Isles to fish the shoals of herring, its potted herring are still famous.

In July 1210, King John visited Ardglass it is recorded that,’ On 11 July 1210, John constructed a ’bridge of boats’ across Carlingford Lough at Narrow Water and sent the larger part of his army across to march round the northern side of the Mourne Mountains towards the ‘gate of Lecale’, the massive castle of Rath (Dundrum).

He himself went on with the rest by sea to Ardglass on the 12th July where he made camp beside the Ward of Ardglass, Jordan de Saukville’s castle. Here he was joined by Murtagh O’Brien, the King of Limerick, to whom he made a payment of 10 marks and here (for reasons unknown) it seems he deprived de Saukville of his castle and lands of Ardglass and Holywood, through they were restored to him in 1217, after Johns death.'

Ardglass golf club occupies part of what was once the town's main castle. According to the Dublin Penny Journal of 1833, these buildings called the New-works were built around 1570 by Shane O'Neill.
In Gaelic times Ardglass and the surrounding area was controlled by the Magennis Clan. After the Norman invasion, the Savage family took control of the Ards peninsular, and when they had become sufficiently established attempted to oust the Magennis and the other local Irish families. To achieve this, they turned to The Earl of Kildare for assistance, promising him one or two town lands, Kildare marched his forces as far as Ballykinlar, and he then took control of all of Lecale. It was from the Kildare family that Bernard Ward bought five town lands.

Today Ardglass suffers the same fate as most of the fishing towns through out the British Isle and beyond, which is the consequences of industrial over fishing and attempted regulation of fishing. It is sad to see the new housing developments that are replacing the working quays throughout the area.
One summer a few years ago, I spent time fishing with my friend, me with my paints and he with his creels. This was one of a series of quick sketches, painted sailing into Ardglass.