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Kircubbin harbour is a post-medieval quay, slipway and mooring structure located on the Ards Peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland. The harbour lies on Paleozoic sedimentary bedrock of Silurian age, which forms the underlying geology of this coastal area. As a working maritime facility, the harbour represents the practical infrastructure that supported fishing and coastal trade in the region during the post-medieval period.
The quay and associated slipway at Kircubbin provided essential facilities for hauling vessels ashore for maintenance and repair, a common feature of small ports along the Irish coast. The mooring infrastructure indicates the harbour's role as a shelter and anchorage point for local boats. Such facilities were vital to communities dependent on fishing and maritime commerce, connecting inland settlements to broader trading networks.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 13552, recognising its significance as evidence of post-medieval maritime activity and local economic life. The survival of the physical structures—quay, slipway and mooring—provides tangible testimony to historic harbour operations on the peninsula's coastline.
Kircubbin harbour. quay, slipway and mooring is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 13552. View the official record →
Kircubbin harbour is a post-medieval quay, slipway and mooring structure located on the Ards Peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 13552.
Kircubbin harbour. quay, slipway and mooring dates from the post-med period, and is classified as a harbour. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Kircubbin harbour. quay, slipway and mooring is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 13552.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Stone fish trap (1 km), Tidal mill wall (2.6 km), Ardkeen castle, castle hill. motte and bailey with later tower-house (6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Kircubbin harbour. quay, slipway and mooring's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Kircubbin harbour. quay, slipway and mooring stands on Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is sedimentary rocks.