Discover Ardglass

If, when choosing a hotel destination, you would like to consider historical architecture, a walking tour or golf alongside your stay, Ardglass offers three distinct points of interest. The town’s history is reflected in its tower houses and a church with several historical layers; these are joined by the Chronicles of Ardglass walking tour, listed for the 2026 season, and Ardglass Golf Club on the rugged coast of County Down. These highlights appeal to different interests, so consider what you would like to shape your trip.

Tower Houses and Architectural History

Jordan’s Castle is a four-storey tower house built around 1450. In the 1920s, antiquarian F. J. Biggar restored the building from a ruin. The dates mark two different stages in its architectural history: its construction around 1450 and its restoration several centuries later. If you are considering historic buildings as part of your trip, you can distinguish the original construction date from the later restoration.

Cowd Castle is part of a significant group of tower houses in Ardglass’s medieval harbour. It is a small, roughly square tower dating from the 15th or 16th century. Compared with Jordan’s Castle, the emphasis here is different: Cowd Castle stands out for its compact form and place in the group, while Jordan’s Castle is notable for its four storeys and restoration from a ruin. The term “tower house” connects the two, but their described features remain distinct.

St Nicholas Church was built in 1813 on the site of a Catholic church that had been a ruin since 1622. The two dates refer to different events: 1622 marks the ruined state of the earlier Catholic church, while 1813 marks the construction of St Nicholas Church. The dates therefore belong to two successive stages in the town’s history; they are not two construction dates for the same building.

Walking Tour of Ardglass

Chronicles of Ardglass is listed for the 2026 season as a 1.5-mile walking tour lasting 1.5 hours; the route returns to its starting point. Distance and duration are different planning details: the length describes the route, while the time indicates the stated duration. This makes it easy to consider the walking tour as a separate activity. If you would like to include it in your trip, check the 2026 season dates before planning.

Golf on the Coast

Ardglass Golf Club is an 18-hole links course on the rugged coast of County Down. Its layout is uniquely challenging. The details answer different questions when choosing a destination: 18 holes indicates the course’s size, “links” identifies the course type, and the layout description conveys its challenging character. If golf is the main reason for your trip, you can consider these aspects separately and decide which side of the town matters to you.

Discover more destinations: Strangford, Dundrum, Banbridge, Crawfordsburn, Holywood, Bangor, Killough, Newcastle.

For the broader travel overview: Down.