Annalong
Annalong (from Irish: Áth na Long)[1] is a seaside village in County Down, Northern Ireland at the foot of the Mourne Mountains. It had a population of 1,778 people at the 2001 Census and lies within the Newry and Mourne District Council area. The village was once engaged in exporting dressed granite and is now a fishing and holiday resort. Annalong Primary School is in the village and Annalong Community Development Association was established in 1994.[2]
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[edit] History
On 13 January 1843, boats from Newcastle and Annalong set out for the usual fishing stations, and were caught in a gale. 14 boats were lost in the heavy seas including a boat which had gone to the rescue. Only two boats survived, the Victoria and the Brothers.[3] 76 men perished, 46 of whom were from Newcastle.
[edit] Facilities
Annalong Main Street is where most of the shops are situated, such as the small local branch of supermarket chain 'Nisa' (formally known as 'Holmes', but it has the local name of 'Sydney's'), a beauty salon ("Country Beauty") and a hairdresser ("GI Hair"). There is also a pub at the very bottom of the main street named the 'Harbour Inn', as it is right beside the harbour; it was recently burnt down but has been rebuilt with a 'Western' theme. There are many old cottages and houses in the harbour area, but new estates have been built on the outskirts of the village. Along the main road to Kilkeel and Newcastle there is a small café named "Top Nosh", a 'Centra' supermarket and another pub called the "Halfway House".
[edit] Places of interest
- Annalong Cornmill was built in the 19th century and operated until the 1960s and was one of the last working watermills in Northern Ireland. It contains a grain drying kiln and three pairs of millstones. It is powered by a 15 ft water wheel and a 1920s Marshall "hot-bulb" 20hp engine. Restoration began in 1983 after it was acquired by Newry and Mourne District Council, and it reopened in 1985.[4]
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- Annalong harbour has received some regeneration over the past number of years. It dates back to the early 19th century and in later years was made bigger to receive schooners carrying granite to English cities and to import materials used to build the nearby dam at the Silent Valley. The harbour was enlarged in the 1880s to cope with the increased granite exports.[5] A purpose built standard gauge railway was built from Annalong to transport almost all of the material for the construction of the reservoir. In recent years the harbour has been deepened and a pontoon added making it easier for small fishing boats and cruisers to dock at all states of the tide. In one of the neighbouring gardens the leading light for directing boats into the harbour remains.
[edit] People
- Francis Rawdon Chesney (1789–1872) was born in Annalong. At 25 he was honoured for his heroism in saving the lives of several local fishermen who were caught in a storm. He was a British soldier and explorer in Asia and was able to demonstrate that the Suez Canal was feasible, bringing about its eventual construction. He also proved that the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were navigable, advocating the adoption of a Euphrates route to India.
[edit] Demographics
Annalong is classified by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) as a village (ie it has a population between 1,000 and 2,250 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 1778 people living in Annalong. Of these[6]:
- 23.8% were aged under 16 and 19.1% were aged 60 and over
- 50.1% of the population were male and 49.9% were female
- 25.9% were from a Catholic background and 71.8% were from a Protestant background
- 3.1% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed
- 4.6% of the local population had access to a car or van. One of the lowest figures recorded in the UK.
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[edit] Religion
Annalong Presbyterian Church is situated on the main Newcastle to Kilkeel road.[7] It was established in 1840 and the Meeting House was ready for use by 1842. Also there is a little gospel hall on the main road of Annalong
[edit] Sport
- Annalong is represented by two soccer clubs. These were formerly based upon Protestant and Catholic origin, however now both teams are more mixed due to the decreasing religious tension in Northern Ireland. One is Annalong Football Club who field two teams in the S.K Holmes leagues whilst the other is Mourne Rovers who also participate in the S.K Holmes league. Mourne Rovers is mainly made up of the players who also participate for the local gaelic teams.
- While the village has no hockey team, it does have great tradition in the sport with most players from Annalong playing for the neighbouring Kilkeel Hockey Club.
- The village has no Gaelic Football team either although most players from Annalong play for neighbouring clubs, mostly Glasdrumman GAC and Longstone GAC.
[edit] Popular Culture
Annalong is well renowned for its dance scene, which has received recent attention from global artists such as Lady Gaga, who performed a secret gig following the MTV Awards in Belfast. Having fallen in love with the village, she also generously donated over £3000 to local orphans.
[edit] Education
[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Annalong |
[edit] References
- ^ Placenames Database of Ireland
- ^ "Annalong Community Development Association". Association website. http://www.surfsidesolutions.com/acda/. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
- ^ O'Sullivan, Aidan & Breen, Colin (2007). Maritime Ireland. An Archaeology of Coastal Communities. Stroud: Tempus. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-7524-2509-2.
- ^ "Annalong Corn Mill". Culture Northern Ireland. http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/article.aspx?art_id=1161. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
- ^ "Annalong". County Down - Towns. http://www.countydown.com/down_annalong.htm. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
- ^ "Area Profile of Annalong - Based on 2001 Census". NI Neighbourhood Information Service. http://www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk/mapxtreme_towns/report.asp?SettlementName=Annalong&bandName=Village. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
- ^ "Annalong Presbyterian Church". Church website. http://www.annalongpc.org/. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
