Annalong (in Irish: Áth na Long , ie ford of the ships) is a picturesque seaside village in County Down, Northern Ireland situated 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.

Annalong Main Street is where most of the shops are situated such as the small local branch of '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 sort of '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" which has an excellent reputation, a 'Centra' supermarket and another pub called the "Halfway House" although the Harbour Inn would attract more people due to that fact it serves a beautiful meal, this pub should not be passed by - it also has recently been refurbished and offers a clean and friendly atmosphere with a good selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

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. Annalong Presbyterian Church is situated on the main Newcastle to Kilkeel road. It was established in 1840 and the Meeting House was ready for use by 1842.

Places of interest

• Annalong Cornmill was built in the 1800s 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 15ft 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.
• Annalong harbour has received some regeneration over the past number of years. It dates back to the early 1800s 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. 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.

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.

2001 Census

Annalong is classified by the NI 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:

• 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

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

Education

• Annalong Primary School
• Moneydarragh Primary School

References

• Newry and Mourne District Council
• Culture Northern Ireland
• Annalong Presbyterian Church

External links

• Annalong Community Development Association

See also

• List of villages in Northern Ireland
• List of towns in Northern Ireland