Annalong, United Kingdom

History

In the census report of 1659, Annalong is referred to as a 'quarter' - a sub-division of a townland - in this case Moneydarraghmore. Like practically every locality in Mourne, the name derives from the Irish Celtic (Gaelic) - Ath na Long. This means 'the ford of the ships' - a reference to some crossing on the river near where it enters the harbour. It likely relates to around a thousand years ago when the Viking longships found some shelter at the mouth of the river. There is no material evidence of the Vikings ever having settled here. However, there are some words in the local dialect which would appear to suggest Norse influence, such as; 'selk', the local name for the common seal; to 'set allow' is to set on fire; to 'hain' is to eke out; 'holm' refers to low-lying land close to the river.

On 13 January 1843, fishing boats from Newcastle and Annalong set out for the usual fishing stations but were caught in a gale. Fourteen boats were lost in the heavy seas, including a boat that had come to the rescue. Only two boats survived, the Victoria and the Brothers. In all, 76 men perished, 30 of them from Annalong.

It is estimated that around 250 men from Annalong served in the Great War (1914–1918). These men were all volunteers, as conscription was only applied to Great Britain, not Ireland.

From the History section of Annalong on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.