Annalong
Encyclopedia
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
at the foot of the Mourne Mountains. It had a population of 1,778 people at the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
and lies within the Newry and Mourne District Council
Newry and Mourne District Council
Newry and Mourne District Council is a local council in Northern Ireland. It includes much of the south of County Armagh and the south of County Down and has a population of approximately 93,400. Council headquarters are in Newry, the largest settlement and only city in the area; it has a...
area. The village was once engaged in exporting dressed granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and is now a fishing and holiday resort. Annalong Primary School is in the village and Annalong Community Development Association was established in 1994.
History
On 13 January 1843, boats from NewcastleNewcastle, County Down
Newcastle is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 7,444 people recorded in the 2001 Census. The seaside resort lies on the Irish Sea coast at the base of Slieve Donard, one of the Mourne Mountains, and is known for its sandy beach and the Royal County Down Golf Club...
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. 76 men perished, 46 of whom were from Newcastle.
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 KilkeelKilkeel
Kilkeel is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the main fishing port on the Down coast, and its harbour houses one of the largest fishing fleets in Ireland. It had a population of 6,338 people according to the 2001 Census...
and Newcastle
Newcastle, County Down
Newcastle is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 7,444 people recorded in the 2001 Census. The seaside resort lies on the Irish Sea coast at the base of Slieve Donard, one of the Mourne Mountains, and is known for its sandy beach and the Royal County Down Golf Club...
there is a small café named "Top Nosh", a 'Centra' supermarket and another pub called the "Halfway House".
Places of interest
- Annalong Cornmill was built in the 19th century and operated until the 1960s and was one of the last working watermillWatermillA watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
s in Northern Ireland. It contains a grain drying kiln and three pairs of millstoneMillstoneMillstones or mill stones are used in windmills and watermills, including tide mills, for grinding wheat or other grains.The type of stone most suitable for making millstones is a siliceous rock called burrstone , an open-textured, porous but tough, fine-grained sandstone, or a silicified,...
s. It is powered by a 15 ft water wheelWater wheelA water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of free-flowing or falling water into useful forms of power. A water wheel consists of a large wooden or metal wheel, with a number of blades or buckets arranged on the outside rim forming the driving surface...
and a 1920s Marshall "hot-bulb" 20hp engineHot bulb engineThe hot bulb engine, or hotbulb or heavy oil engine is a type of internal combustion engine. It is an engine in which fuel is ignited by being brought into contact with a red-hot metal surface inside a bulb....
. Restoration began in 1983 after it was acquired by Newry and Mourne District Council, and it reopened in 1985.
- Annalong harbourHarborA harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...
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 schoonerSchoonerA schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
s carrying granite to English cities and to import materials used to build the nearby damDamA dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
at the Silent ValleySilent Valley ReservoirThe Silent Valley Reservoir is a reservoir located in the Mourne Mountains near Kilkeel, County Down in Northern Ireland. It supplies most of the water for County Down, surrounding counties and most of Belfast. It is owned and maintained by Northern Ireland Water Limited...
. The harbour was enlarged in the 1880s to cope with the increased granite exports. A purpose built standard gaugeStandard gaugeThe standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
railwayRail transportRail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
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 pontoonPontoon (boat)A pontoon is a flotation device with buoyancy sufficient to float itself as well as a heavy load. A pontoon boat is a flattish boat that relies on pontoons to float. Pontoons may be used on boats, rafts, barges, docks, floatplanes or seaplanes. Pontoons may support a platform, creating a raft. A...
added making it easier for small fishing boats and cruisers to dock at all states of the tideTideTides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
. In one of the neighbouring gardens the leading lightLeading lightsLeading lights are a pair of light beacons, used in navigation to indicate a safe passage for vessels entering a shallow or dangerous channel; and may also be used for position fixing. At night, the lights are a form of leading line that can be used for safe navigation...
for directing boats into the harbour remains.
People
- Francis Rawdon ChesneyFrancis Rawdon Chesneyright|thumb|200px|General F.R.Chesney in 1863Francis Rawdon Chesney , general and explorer, was a son of Captain Alexander Chesney, an Irishman of Scottish descent who, having emigrated to South Carolina in 1772, served under Lord Rawdon in the American War of Independence, and subsequently...
(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 AsiaAsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and was able to demonstrate that the Suez CanalSuez CanalThe Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
was feasible, bringing about its eventual construction. He also proved that the TigrisTigrisThe Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
and EuphratesEuphratesThe Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
rivers were navigable, advocating the adoption of a Euphrates route to IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Demographics
Annalong is classified by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research AgencyNorthern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency is an executive agency within the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland. The organisation is responsible for the collection and publication of statistics related to the economy, population and society of Northern Ireland...
(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:
- 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 CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
background and 71.8% were from a ProtestantProtestantismProtestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
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.
Religion
Annalong PresbyterianPresbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
Church is situated on the main Newcastle
Newcastle, County Down
Newcastle is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 7,444 people recorded in the 2001 Census. The seaside resort lies on the Irish Sea coast at the base of Slieve Donard, one of the Mourne Mountains, and is known for its sandy beach and the Royal County Down Golf Club...
to Kilkeel
Kilkeel
Kilkeel is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the main fishing port on the Down coast, and its harbour houses one of the largest fishing fleets in Ireland. It had a population of 6,338 people according to the 2001 Census...
road. 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
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 GACLongstone GACLongstone GAC is a Gaelic Athletic Association gaelic football club in County Down, Northern Ireland. In recent times Longstone claimed the runner-up spot in the Senior Football League , which is the top-flight division in the county...
.
Popular Culture
Annalong is well renowned for its dance scene, which has received recent attention from global artists such as Lady GagaLady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, 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.
See also
- List of villages in Northern Ireland
- List of towns in Northern Ireland