Ardglass, United Kingdom
Ardglass is a town of 1,676 people in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
Why visit Ardglass
Townapedia lists 6 museums and landmarks, 10 parks and trails, 12 places to eat and 2 places to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Ardtole Church, Jordan's Castle, Ardglass Golf Club and Killough Harbour.
Weather in Ardglass
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Ardglass
Ardglass (from Irish Ard Ghlais 'green height') is a coastal fishing village, townland (of 321 acres) and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland, in the historic barony of Lecale Lower. It is still a relatively important fishing harbour. It is situated on the B1 Ardglass to Downpatrick road, about 6 miles (9.7 kilometres) to the south east of Downpatrick, in the Lecale peninsula on the Irish Sea. It had a population of 1,761 in the 2021 census, and is located within the Newry, Mourne and Down area.
From the Wikipedia article Ardglass (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks6
Parks, trails and playgrounds10
Restaurants and cafes12
The Quay
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.5 mi
61 Castle Street, Killough, Downpatrick
Where to stay2
History
Ardglass grew from a place of little note in the 13th century to a modestly prosperous port in the 15th century. It was an important town and port in the Middle 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 the pier and a lighthouse were made, but on 27 November 1838 a great storm undermined the lighthouse which fell into the sea along with the end of the pier. The harbour master between 1845 and 1858 was Captain Bernard Hughes (1790–1866), M.N., who was also private secretary to the local squireen, Aubrey de Vere Beauclerk, (a grandson of William Ogilvie), and master of the Erasmus Smith school in Ardglass.
Work on the pier was completed by 1885 and it remains in use to this day.
From the History section of Ardglass on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Ardglass
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 sitting by a natural inlet. It has one of the few harbours which is accessible at all states of the tide and today has two fishing piers, the North Pier and South Pier, a number of fish processing factories and a marina. 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 in herrings, prawns, and whitefish.
From the Wikipedia article Ardglass, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Ardglass
- Thomas HunterIrish American educator (1831–1915)
- Andrew McCreight CreeryMember of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1863-1942)
- Walter FawcettIrish cricketer (1929-2015)
Born in Ardglass, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Churches and places of worship4
Schools, colleges and libraries1
Map of Ardglass
35 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 27 miles away.
- Downpatrick 6 mi northwest, about 10 min by car
- Portaferry 9 mi north, about 14 min by car
- Dundrum 9 mi west, about 15 min by car
- Crossgar 11 mi northwest, about 18 min by car
- Castlewellan 14 mi west, about 22 min by car
- Ballynahinch 15 mi northwest, about 24 min by car
- Saintfield 16 mi northwest, about 26 min by car
- Comber 20 mi north, about 33 min by car
- Carryduff 21 mi northwest, about 34 min by car
- Newtownards 23 mi north, about 37 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Ardglass
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Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Ardglass (2), May 2009, Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ardtole Church, Ardglass, September 2010 (05), Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Jordan's Castle 1, Aubrey Dale, CC BY-SA 2.0
Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.