It was once seen as Ireland’s Dover, a ferry port and the main shipping port between Ireland and Scotland, just 21 miles away and visible on most days. Great plans were made, and a splendid harbor built which stands to this day. But all too soon the sailing ships and the paddle steamers withdrew to the safer if longer cross channel route between Larne and Stranraer, leaving behind just the gleaming harbor and the memories.

But Donaghadee existed long before that. Its proximity to Scotland brought ancient man to settle on its grassy shores and gradually trade between the two countries grew as ship building techniques improved. Some where in Norman times, the earth mound known as the moat or Motte was built, possibly as protection against marauding Vikings – but by whom nobody knows. Even its name is a mystery. Donaghadee could mean “the church of the loss”, or it might be “the mound of the two heroes” or any one of more than a dozen suggestions.

From the mists of medieval times, a definite history starts to emerge some 400 years ago. The Gaelic lord con O’Neill owned the lands around the settlement, but after he rebelled, they passed to Hugh Montgomery, a Scottish adventurer and speculator, who brought over his fellow countrymen to occupy the confiscated territory. They were farmers and craftsmen, and they gradually improved the harbor, more and more settlers arrived, and many moved on to found towns like Bangor and Newtownards. Trade steadily built up through the port and Montgomery received a huge boost to his fortunes when he was given, through a royal warrant, exclusive and highly beneficial landing rights. All of which helped Donaghadee establish itself as the premier ferry port of Ireland. Ships carried people and mail daily across the stormy North Channel along with cattle, sheep, horses and other animals gathered from all parts of Ireland. On shore, fine new houses were built, and businesses like hotels, hostel, restaurants and bars sprang up to serve the visitors. It was a busy bustling place and for two centuries its prosperity was never seriously threatened.
But by the early 1800s the state of the harbor was causing concern, scarcely able to handle the traffic in people and goods. The Lords of the admiralty eventually concluded that the new harbors should be built at Donaghadee and at Portpatrick famous engineer john Rennie and later his son sir john Rennie oversaw the massive construction job, but they designed it as a safe harbor for sailing ships – very different from what was needed for paddle steamers, then starting to appear.

Donaghadee’s finest days as a major port lasted only a few decades before the mail trade was transferred to Larne, and with it, most of the other sea going traffic. Even the arrival of a railway from an ever growing Belfast failed to stop the decline.

By the turn of the last century, Donaghadee had reverted to a quiet seaside resort, much favored by the people from Belfast who took their holidays there in the many hotels and boarding houses. More came across from England and Scotland and for the brief summer periods at least, the town regained some of its former air of excitement.

But the railway closed half a century ago and foreign holidays became the rage, so Donaghadee was left very much as it was a century ago, a sort of time capsule which, because of its unaltered state now has a very definite appeal to the modern tourist who wants something a little bit different.