Cloughey in the Past

The original village of Cloughey (or Cloghy as it is shown on old maps) was at the South end of the beach. Here there was a row of Coastguard cottages, and a lifeboat station. A mile to the North was Kirkistown Castle, one of the stone castles along the County Down coast built by the Normans in the 12th century. In the 1920s & 30s Cloughey became a popular holiday location and many of the houses along Main Road and Quarter Road (close to the golf course and the beach) were built as holiday homes in this period.  The golf course was a draw for weekend and holiday visitors.

In the Second World War 1939-45, several airfields were developed on the Ards Peninsula used mainly by the American Air Force for training. One of these airfields was at Kirkistown and after the war it was converted to use as a motor racing track.

NEW - Detailed account of History of Cloughey - For a more detailed account of the history of Cloughey click here  (file provided by RL Young of the Ladyislecom  website - This is a large file and may take time to appear)

Maritime aspects of local history

Cloughey Lifeboat Station - for a detailed account of the history of Cloughey Lifeboat click here - Lifeboat story

Cloughey Coastguard station (Manse Road Cloughey).  For the story of Irish coastguard stations go to www.coastguardsofyesteryear.org  where among other things there are photos of most of the surviving stations including Cloughey (or Cloghy as it is spelt there).  to see the photos of the Cloughey coastguard station and cottages click here

South Rock lightship - for the history of the lightship, click here - South Rock Lightship

 NEW    Marine disasters on North and South Rocks off Cloughey - Extract from "Shipwrecks on the Ulster Coast"

Loss of the Wild Deer - in 1883, this ship with 300 emigrants bound for New Zealand foundered on North Rock off Cloughey. To read the story of how the passengers and crew were rescued click here .

Development of Golf Course
In the centre of the village is an excellent18 hole golf course (Kirkistown Castle Golf Club) founded in 1901. The course is mainly flat but contains 2 mounds - one is the remains of a Norman motte & bailey fort and the other is topped by a stone windmill stump. In the low-lying terrain of the surrounding countryside, the windmill stump and the Castle are prominent landmarks. More information and photographs can be found on the Kirkistown Castle Golf Club website .