This town’s name derives from the
Gaelic ‘Ath na Long’ meaning ‘ford of the ships’, probably dating from the time
of the Vikings, when the mouth of the Annalong River provided shelter for
longships. The harbour at Annalong was
built for shipping out locally quarried granite to other parts of Ireland and
to the UK, and it also developed into a fishing port. The 18th century cornmill, once
used for milling oatmeal, has a multi-media exhibition about the milling
process as well as other aspects of local heritage. It is also the start of a pleasant coastal walk leading to the bays of Arthur’s Port and Springwell Port, where a variety of
birds such as oystercatchers and redshanks can be seen pottering around on the
shore. If you are lucky you may catch
sight of a friendly seal popping up out of the water to check you out. Herring fishing boats known as yawls used to
be launched from here during the autumn herring season. Visitors with kids in tow should head for the
Marine Park, where there is parking and a play area.
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| Annalong harbour - geograph.org.uk - 241419. Photo by Aubrey Dale, via Wikimedia Commons. |
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