The six Ardglass lighthouses - No.1 (maybe)

Last night, I dreamt of Ardglass again.

Well, no, that's not true but my recent quest to find very early lighthouses led me back to thinking of the day eleven years ago when I made my only visit to the small fishing port. In those days, my blog was a mere photograph and brief description of the light and how to get there with little about the history of the light. These days I have become more aware of maritime history and the need to record it and preserve it.

For such a relatively small town, it seems amazing that Ardglass had five definite lighthouses and possibly a sixth, if my conjecturing in this post turns out to be true. Not only that but none of them were built on the same location. And none of them shone in conjunction with another. To my untrained ear, that sounds pretty unique!

Anyway, I have been trying to prove the theory that in certain parts of the country in the Middle Ages, fires were lit on top of coastal towers to guide ships into the harbour. This certainly happened in England but so far I have been unable to confirm their existence in Ireland. Norman towers on the south coast of Wexford may have shone guiding fires. Ditto Mutton Island at the entrance to Galway harbour. But as yet, all is mays and mights and could haves.

The first lighthouse proper was erected in Ardglass in 1813 but the town has been a fishing port for over 2,000 years due to its natural harbour. Indeed, by the fifteenth century, it had developed into one of the main Irish ports along the Irish Sea. At one stage, it was the only harbour of refuge between Dublin and Belfast. It boasted at least six castles. It had a passenger and freight ferry service to Peel in the Isle of Man. 

To me, it would seem strange that Ardglass could have developed to such a degree without some form of light guiding ships into safe haven at night. So, I believe that a light may well have been shown from one of the many towers that ring the town. And from that, I speculate that Jordan's Tower, right on the harbour front, would have been the most likely location for such a beacon.

Jordan's Castle pre-restoration (Ardglass' first lighthouse?)

The tower was restored by Francis Joseph Biggar, the celebrated antiquarian, in the early years of the twentieth century and turned into a museum. He renamed it Shane's Tower. Parties were often held there and reports marvel at the sight of the fire alight on top of the tower, lighting up the darkness as it did in days of yore. (I'm paraphrasing) Alas, so far I have been unable to confirm that the castle did indeed boast a beacon in its earlier years. And, if it did, was it a beacon to raise the alarm for an imminent attack or a beacon to guide ships into harbour at night?

Map of Ardglass 1813 showing Jordan's Castle ("in ruins") behind the beach

But, anyway, we'll park that one for now. Onwards and upwards to Lighthouse No.2.

Ardglass current lighthouse 2009

Other posts in this series - Lighthouse No.2, Lighthouse Nos. 3 and 4, Lighthouse No.5, Lighthouse No.6