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Donaghadee

Donaghadee (from the Irish: Domhnach Daoi meaning "Daoi’s Church") is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland, situated on the east coast, about 18 miles (29 km) from Belfast and about eight miles (13 km) north east of Newtownards. The fishing port lies on the Ards Peninsula about six miles (10 km) south east of Bangor. It had a population of 6,470 people in the 2001 Census. The town boasts a number of pubs, including Grace Neill's - the oldest pub in Ireland, opened in 1611 as the ’King’s Arms’.

History

In the 17th century Ulster ports began to rise in prominence. 1625 William Pitt was appointed as Customer of the ports of Newcastle, Dundrum, Killough, Portaferry, Donaghadee, Bangor and Holywood. In 1637 the Surveyor General of Customs issued a report compiled from accounts of customs due from each port and their "subsidiary creeks". Of the Ulster ports on the list, Carrickfergus was first, followed by Bangor, Donaghadee, and Strangford. ^[1]

Irish Rebellion of 1798 - On the morning of Pike Sunday, 10 June 1798 a force of United Irishmen, mainly from Bangor, Donaghadee, Greyabbey and Ballywalter attempted to occupy the town of Newtownards. They met with musket fire from the market house and were defeated.

Donaghadee was used in the 1759-1826 period by couples going to Portpatrick, Wigtown, Scotland to marry, as there was a daily packet boat. During this period, Portpatrick was known as the Gretna Green for Ireland.

The lifeboat station at Donaghadee harbour, founded in 1910, is one of the most important on the Irish coast. RNLB Sir Samuel Kelly is a famous lifeboat once based in Donaghadee and now on show and preserved at the harbour for her gallant efforts over 50 years ago. On 31 January 1953 the lifeboat rescued 32 survivors in the Irish Sea from the stricken Larne–Stranraer car ferry, MV Princess Victoria.

The Troubles

27 January 1994 - Robin Maxwell (27), a Protestant civilian and common criminal, was shot and killed by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) during an attempted robbery at a petrol filling station, New Road, Donaghadee, County Down.

Demographics

19.4% were aged under 16 years and 26.3% were aged 60 and over

47.5% of the population were male and 52.6% were female

5.2% were from a Catholic background and 90.0% were from a Protestant background

3.3% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.

Harbour and lighthouse

Donaghadee is probably best known for its lighthouse and harbour. For centuries, it has been a haven for ships, and the harbour has been there from at least the 17th century.

Sir Hugh Montgomery built a large stone quay to accommodate vessels ferrying between Scotland and Ireland from 1616 onwards.^[1] Viscount Montgomery's harbour (1626; improved 1640), superseding what had hitherto been probably only a small jetty, was built and maintained as a result of the Royal Warrant of 1616 which limited travel between the Ards and the Rhins of Galloway to this port, and that at Portpatrick also owned by Montgomery. It was described by Harris in 1744 as 'a curving quay about 400 feet (120 m) long and 22 feet (6.7 m) wide built of uncemented stones'. It ran from the shore at the north end of the Parade in a broad arc, bent against the open sea, towards the southern end of the present north pier. Much patched and decrepit, the quay was virtually rebuilt, though along the original line, between 1775 and 1785 by the landlord, Daniel Delacherois, probably with the help of John Smeaton, the distinguished civil engineer who had apparently made earlier more elaborate plans for extending the harbour, and who had just rebuilt Portpatrick harbour. The old quay remained until after the completion of the new harbour, and then, despite its continued favour by local fishermen, was removed for local wall building about 1833. (It appears in the 1832 drawing but not on the first O.S. map of 1834).

The foundation stone of the new harbour was laid by the Marquess of Downshire on 1 August 1821. The initial plans and surveys for this ambitious undertaking were made by John Rennie Senior, the celebrated engineer whose works included Waterloo, Southwark and London Bridges over the Thames. He, however, died within two months of work beginning, and was succeeded by his son, John, later Sir John Rennie, who had as his resident engineer a fellow Scot, the seasoned marine builder, David Logan, who had assisted Robert Stevenson at the Bell Rock Lighthouse (1807-1810). The new harbour had to have greater depth to accommodate steam packets. Rock blasted from the sea bed, within the harbour area and further south in what became known as the Quarry Hole at Meetinghouse Point was used to form the outer slopes of the two piers; but the inner faces were built of limestone from the Moelfre quarries of Anglesea. This 'Anglesea marble' lends itself to the finest ashlar dressing and the new piers remain a triumph of stone carving. The flights of steps display special skill in the deep diagonal binding of each solid step, providing a typically robust engineer's response to the wear of seaboots and waves alike. The harbour consists of two independent piers running north westwards out to sea; parallel nearer the shore, they converge at the outer ends to form a harbour mouth 150 feet (46 m) wide. At low tide the water in the harbour is fifteen feet deep.

Original plans by John Rennie	Photo of Donaghadee Town and South Pier	Photo of Donaghadee Town and South Pier	Donaghadee Harbour and lighthouse
Donaghadee Harbour and town	Mouth of Donaghadee Harbour

The Moat

The Moat in Donaghadee was built to house the explosives for the blasting involved in the construction of the harbour. It is one of the most prominent features of the town. The Motte, or the Moat as it is known, dates back to 1818. Today it is part of a park, giving views across the town and seawards towards the Copeland Islands. The original mound was of Norman origin, when a motte and bailey stood on the site. It was initially used as a defensive structure, and provided an excellent look-out post.

Donaghadee Motte

Donaghadee Moat

Places of worship

Donaghadee Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster

Shore Street Presbyterian Church

First Presbyterian Church Donaghadee, High Street

Donaghadee Parish Church, Church Place[1]

Other activities

During the summer Nelsons boats runs a licensed service to the Copeland Islands.

Visitors can also enjoy a number of scenic walks, including the marine walk at The Commons, which comprises a 16 acre semi-cultivated open space with bowls, tennis, putting and an adventure playground.

As noted, Donaghadee contains a number of highly regarded pubs and restaurants. Grace Neill's on Main Street is, according to the Guinness World Records, the oldest public house in Ireland and has now incorporated a restaurant to the premises, which in 2004 received the Michelle Erdvig "Dining Pub of the Year". Along the seafront is Pier 36, a restaurant and pub which has managed to accumulate a number of awards in its relatively short history including 2006's Pub of the Year in the awards organised by Federation of the Retail Licensed Trade. Pier 36 also recently expanded to provide accommodation for visitors to the town, and as such is one of the few places that provide dedicated lodging in Donaghadee. Other pubs in the town include:
• Ocean Drive
• Tivoli
• Katie Janes
• The Moat Inn

Donaghadee Male Voice Choir

DMVC [2]was founded in 1932. It began as a small local chorus performing in churches and other local functions. From those beginnings the Choir has developed and flourished under the baton of a number of talented conductors - in particular the vigorous efforts of Robert Wilson, who has been its musical director since 1968. The choir's reputation for excellence extends far beyond the shores of Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Today it is known internationally - having performed on stage, radio and television as far afield as the USA, Canada, Malta and Bulgaria, where it was the first choir from Ireland to perform behind the former Iron Curtain. The Choir has been extremely successful in competition, chalking up over 40 firsts in the male voice and open sections of many prestigious festivals in Britain and Ireland. These include Whitby, Morecambe, Warfedale, Cheltenham, Bangor, Coleraine and more recently, at the AIMS New Ross Festival, where it achieved one of the highest marks ever given. It has also competed at the world-famous International Eisteddfod in Wales. The choir celebrates its 75th anniversary during the 2007/08 season. With a membership of around 70 and a repertoire which embraces both secular and sacred music and ranges from folk and traditional songs to choral favourites and operatic works, it is well placed to continue to give pleasure and enjoyment to listeners at home and abroad through concert performances and CDs.

1st Donaghadee Boys' Brigade

1st Donaghadee Boys' Brigade[3] has been providing a Christian service for the boys of Donaghadee since 1899. It is still running today with over 100 boys in the company ranging from 4 years old to 18 years old.

Scout groups

There are currently two Scout groups in the town, 1st and 2nd Donaghadee. Both boys and girls can attend with meetings held in 1st Donaghadee Presbyterian Church and Shore Street church hall.

Donaghadee in the media

Donaghadee served as the basis for fictional town Donaghadoo in the children's television series 'Lifeboat Luke'.

Donaghadee was used as a set for some of the film Mickybo and Me. Dozen's of local residents were recruited as 'extras' during the production which saw action take place in Bridge Street, The Parade, 'The Mushrooms' and the harbour/lighthouse

The town was also used as a location for Divorcing Jack which starred David Thewlis- particularly the harbour and seafront as well as houses on New Road. Scenes included a seafront market and a kidnapping

The Warren Road area was used as the location for 'Wild About Harry' in which Brendan Gleeson and Amanda Donahoe's characters lived in the former home (now demolished) of Cyril Lord.

In May 2009, the seafront was used as a location for the ITV Studios production 'Mo' which saw Julie Walters visit the town.

Bear Grylls, the british adventurer, was raised in Donaghadee until he was four years old.

Lloyd Grossman, of Masterchef fame, lived in Donaghadee as a teenager.

Famous people

Bear Grylls, adventurer, writer and television presenter was raised in Donaghadee until he was 4 - his grandmother was Lady Fisher (see below).^[2]

Paddy Ashdown, Baron Norton of Sub-Hamden (born 1941), was raised on a farm near Donaghadee.

Adam Best, TV actor (as seen in Holby City and The Bill), was raised here.

Maynard Sinclair, Deputy Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, lived in Donaghadee.

Sir Walter Smiles and his daughter Patricia, Lady Fisher (both Ulster Unionist Party Westminster MPs) lived in the town.

Sarah Grand, Author and Feminist was born in Donaghadee in 1854

Lady Sylvia Hermon, current MP for North Down lives in the the town

Colin Angus, Founder of AIDS2000, PR Agent and Dog Groomer lived in the town.

John Magowan, PDC Darts professional lives in the town.

Van Morrison is a regular visitor to the town.

Brian Bennett, Class captain of 12B3 also lives here.

Sports

Donaghadee has facilities for a number of sports including cricket, tennis, Bowling, Darts, golf, women's hockey, football, sailing and rugby with teams that compete in various local leagues.

Donaghadee Rugby Football Club

The formation of a rugby club in Donaghadee in 1885 came during a period of rapid growth for the game throughout Ireland. A review of sport in the Newsletter in December that year concluded; “Football has rapidly worked its way into the very front rank of our outdoor sports. The two codes of football – rugby and association – can claim a very large and increasing constituency in this country and the first half of the season has afforded ample evidence that, apart from the increasing numbers, our players are making remarkable strides in the science of the game.�

It was against that background that the new Donaghadee Club, formed by the Rev. Coote made its first match against Bangor on November 7, 1885. The game ended in a draw.

From DRFC website:

"The game was played in Donaghadee, possibly on the field behind the Church of Ireland Rectory – in other words on the very same place the Donaghadee club uses to this day."

The clubs grounds currently go under the name of Donaldson Park

Donaghadee Golf Club

Donaghadee Golf Club was founded in 1899 by Stephen Mccausland and is part links and part open parkland. The course features little in the way of rough but several water hazards lurk to catch the stray shot. The 18th hole is a finishing hole with out of bounds on both left and right, while the sea breeze can provide an extra challenge to visitors. This area of the County Down coastline and Donaghadee in particular provides views over the nearby Copeland Islands. The 16th tee is an excellent vantage point and the hills of south west Scotland can be visible in the distance on a clear day. The club also provides catering facilities in the clubhouse. The golf club has a proud history, winning its second all Ireland trophy in 2007. This was the Irish CLub Youths

From this golfing guide:

"Donaghadee Golf Club is worth a visit for the golf enthusiast. It is an 18-hole part links and parkland course. Clubhouse has the essential bar and restaurant to keep the visitors and members refreshed. A snooker room is available to keep visitors busy. A pro shop tends to the shopping needs of the visitors. Club and trolley hire facilities are also available."

Donaghadee Sailing Club

Donaghadee Sailing Club has been the centre of the sailing community for almost 40 years. The club has recently undergone a redevelopment and in May 2009 the new clubhouse will be opened. The new clubhouse makes DSC one the best sailing centres in Northern Ireland. It will have extensive changing facilities and training facilities. The club also has a large lounge in which members and guests can relax and enjoy the panoramic views of the harbour and Donaghadee Sound.

Darts

Various pubs and clubs enter darts teams in local and regional leagues. The Meadowbank club, the Royal British Legion and The Tivoli to name just three. The current PDC Darts professional John Magowan lives in the town with wife Maggie and has been a loyal servant to Northern Ireland darts for the past three decades.