Why a village of 1,700 has a medieval skyline
The seven castles
In the 15th century Ardglass was the busiest port in Ulster, and the Anglo-Norman merchants who ran it built fortified tower houses around the harbour to defend their goods and themselves. Six or seven went up. Four survive: Jordan's Castle (the most intact, four storeys with twin projecting turrets, held by Simon Jordan against the O'Neills for three years until relieved in 1601), Ardglass Castle (a fortified warehouse begun no later than 1405, now the golf clubhouse), Cowd Castle (a small two-storey ruin in front of Ardglass Castle), and Margaret's Castle. King's Castle sits above the village. Most are not open. You look at them from the road. That is the visit.
The siege of 1598–1601
Jordan's three years
Simon Jordan held Jordan's Castle through a three-year siege by the O'Neills during the Nine Years' War, refusing to surrender until Lord Deputy Mountjoy fought his way down through Lecale and relieved him in June 1601. The castle is the most imposing of the Ardglass towers and the one you can sometimes get inside. It is in state care. Opening hours are seasonal and modest.
The 1812 rebuild
Ogilvie's harbour
The medieval port silted and faded by the 17th century. William Ogilvie took it in hand in 1812, built the tidal North Dock and a new pier, and Ardglass became the most prosperous fishing port in the north of Ireland through the 19th century. The first lighthouse fell into the sea on 27 November 1838 in a great storm that also took the end of the pier with it. The harbour you walk today is largely Ogilvie's shape, with later patching.
Van Morrison's mussels and potted herrings
Coney Island
Coney Island is a row of houses on the shore between Ardglass and Killough — not actually an island, despite the name. Van Morrison's 1989 song "Coney Island" traces a drive through Lecale with his mother: Downpatrick, St John's Point, Strangford Lough, Killyleagh, then stopping off at Ardglass for mussels and potted herrings. It is the most affectionate any famous person has ever been about the place. The spot itself is a beach and a few cottages. Drive there and you will understand both the song and why he only mentioned it the once.
Two booms, both gone
The herring
Ardglass herring was a brand name in the medieval period — caught off the Isle of Man banks, salted in barrels on the quay, shipped to England and the continent. The 19th-century herring boom brought the Scottish fleet down for the season and the village population briefly doubled with gutters and packers. The herring fishery is still active, but ring and drift nets gave way to specialist pelagic trawlers. The fish goes to processors elsewhere. The boats still come home here.