|
Groomsport
find holiday homes in Groomsport
|
Groomsport is a
pretty coastal village two miles north east of Bangor in County
Down. It is on the south shore of Belfast Lough and on the north
coast of the Ards Peninsula. Its harbour, sandy beaches and
amenities, including a golf club and boat club, make the village
very popular with holidaymakers.
Originally Groomsport was a small fishing village with the focus of
development being the harbour and main street. In recent years the
village has been developed as a centre for water and shore-based
recreation with improved facilities for activities such as sailing
and power boating. The Cockle Island Boat Club has its home here in
the boat house on the pier.
The village developed beside the natural sheltered harbour, between
the shore, Ballymacormick Point and the rocky outcrop known as
Cockle Island. The harbour is reputed to be of Viking origin and the
beginnings of the small settlement can be traced to the ninth or
tenth century. Groomsport remained a fishing village through the
Victorian and Edwardian periods until the 1920s. Groomsport still
retains the identity and character of a small harbour village with
its pier and sheltered anchorage together with its historic street
pattern.
Nowadays, visitors and locals are attracted by the beautifully
landscaped picnic and play areas around the harbour, the sandy
beaches, quality pubs, restaurants and the picture-postcard beauty
of the place. The main attraction for the visitor in Groomsport is
Cockle Row, the old fishermen's thatched cottages that were
officially opened in May 1997 after four months of complete
refurbishment. The cottages have not lost their original charm with
the heritage cottage depicting what Cockle Row would have been like
around 1910
The heroic attempt of the 'Eagle Wing', the first ship to set sail
for the New World to establish the first settlement of Ulster-Scots,
is commemorated in the village's annual Eagle Wing Festival in July,
a lively three-day celebration of the considerable contribution made
by Ulster folk to the American way of life. |
Home
Groomsport Holiday Homes - County Down, Ireland