Strangford (from

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

''Strangr fjörðr'', meaning "strong sea-inlet") is a small

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

at the mouth of Strangford Lough, on the Lecale peninsula in

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...

, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 475 at the 2001 census. On the other side of the lough is Portaferry on the

Ards Peninsula The Ards Peninsula () is a peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the north-east coast of Ireland. It separates Strangford Lough from the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel of the Irish Sea. Towns and villages on t ...

, and there is a ferry service between the two villages. The village has a small

harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...

, which is overlooked by rows of 19th-century cottages and a fine Georgian terrace.

History

In 432, St Patrick is said to have sailed through the Strangford Narrows and up the Quoile Estuary, bringing

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

with him. By the mid 6th century many monastic centres had been founded near Strangford and Strangford Lough including; Nendrum,

Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Down Cathedral, Its cathedral is sai ...

, Comber and

Kilclief Kilclief (from the Irish ''Cill Cléithe'' meaning 'church of wattle') is a civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the historic baronies of Lecale Lower and Lecale Upper. It is also a townland A townland (; Ulste ...

. The Norse

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

had been raiding villages, islands and monasteries in the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

since the late 8th century and founded many settlements. The first viking raid in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

was the burning of a monastery in 795 on

Rathlin Island Rathlin Island (, ; Local Irish dialect: ''Reachraidh'', ; Scots: ''Racherie'') is an island and civil parish off the coast of County Antrim (of which it is part) in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's northernmost point. As of the 2021 ...

. The vikings had been regular visitors of Strangford Lough between the 9th and 11th centuries due to the attraction of riches found in monasteries and there is evidence that they not only raided monasteries such as Nendrum monastic site but also traded and settled nearby. The vikings named Strangford ''Strangr fjörðr'', meaning strong fjord or sea inlet. Previously Strangford Lough had been named ''Loch Cuan'' which means the quiet lough.

Places of interest

Strangford Castle Strangford (from Old Norse ''Strangr fjörðr'', meaning "strong sea-inlet") is a small village at the mouth of Strangford Lough, on the Lecale peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 475 at the 2001 census. On th ...

, near the harbour in Strangford, is a 16th-century

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, to command and defend strategic points ...

with a drop hole at roof level to defend the door. *

Castle Ward Castle Ward is an 18th-century National Trust property located near the village of Strangford, in County Down, Northern Ireland, in the townland of the same name. It overlooks Strangford Lough and is 7 miles from Downpatrick and 1.5 miles fro ...

consists of a 16th-century tower house and an 18th-century

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...

built in two distinct architectural styles, Classical and Gothic, overlooking Strangford Lough. The property is owned by the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

. Castle Ward is one-and-one-half miles from Strangford. * Audley's Castle is a 15th-century castle one mile northeast of Strangford, overlooking Strangford Lough. * Audleystown Court Tomb is a

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

dual court tomb almost two miles northwest of Strangford.

Gallery

Image:Strangford (01), August 2009.JPG, Houses in Strangford, August 2009 Image:Strangford (07), August 2009.JPG, Strangford, August 2009 Image:Strangford Ferry Terminal (13), August 2009.JPG, Strangford Ferry terminal, August 2009 Image:Strangford Castle (01), August 2009.JPG, Strangford Castle, August 2009 Image:Strangford (04), August 2009.JPG, Houses in Strangford, August 2009 Image:Strangford Ferry (12), August 2009.JPG, Strangford Ferry approaching Strangford slipway, August 2009

References

{{authority control Ports and harbours of Northern Ireland Villages in County Down Port cities and towns in Northern Ireland