race Neill’s is listed as ‘the oldest pub in Ireland’ in “The Guinness Book of Records”, it was almost four centuries ago in 1611 when “The King’s Arms” first opened its doors for business in Donaghadee, Co. Down. Today the bar is firmly established as a popular tourist attraction within the North Down area; visitors from every continent have sampled Irish hospitality and an obligatory pint of Guinness within these walls.

However, this is only the very beginning of the remarkable story of one of the most famous pubs in the country, which was renamed “Grace Neills” in the last century. Grace Neill (1818-1916) was a former landlady who is remembered today for various reasons. Obviously her name is kept alive by the name of the premises but the nature of some aspects of her lifestyle are also of interest today. Grace apparently adhered to a custom of the period, which involved greeting visitors to the inn with a welcoming kiss while her passion was an indulgent puff from her day pipe.

The existence of Grace Neill has taken on a more mysterious guise in recent years - it is asserted that her ghost haunts the building. Many members of staff have witnessed unexplained events including the scattering of books and glasses throughout the bar and the switching on of appliances such as the kettle and television. The inexplicable occurrences and the curious creaking of floorboards above the old tavern culminated in an actual sighting of a Victorian lady contained within ‘a puff of steam’. It should however be noted that customers have nothing to fear from Grace - she is a friendly spirit and we are happy to have her.

Taking a step back into the front bar is truly taking a step back in time. This area retains its quaintness and charm today; the beams are constructed from the timbers of old ships and the two pine doors at the rear of the bar provide the only clue as to what the remainder of the building contains. This dark tavern has played host to many famous names of centuries gone by; it was welcomed visitors as diverse as the aristocrat Peter the Great, the composer Franz Liszt and poet John Keats. More recent tourists have included Tina Turner, and the former Beirut hostage Brian Keenan even enjoyed a pint here after his release from captivity.

The two snugs contain many antique glass and stone bottles (including Comber Whiskey and Belfast Mineral water bottles) which maintain the character of an era gone by. Pictures of various guns serve as a reminder of the criminal element - the smugglers and horse-theives who plotted and schemed in the old bar during the past century when Donaghadee was the main sea port to both the Isle of Man and Portpatrick in Scotland.

The staff of ‘Grace Neill’s’ endeavour to welcome you as warmly as a visitor to Ireland’s oldest pub today as has been the tradition for close to 400 years. We hope that we continue to ‘serve good food and excellent ale’ as observed by the Marquis de Vere in the seventeenth century and that this cherished example of living history is preserved in its unspoilt condition for many centuries to come.

 

This famous sea battle took place off the North Down coast on April 23rd 1778. The American Continental Navy was commanded by Captain John Paul Jones, a former famous pirate. Jones’ mission was to raid British Commercial Shipping; it was hoped that the ingenuity acquired from his ‘colourful’ past would be put to good use in his trip around our islands.

The cunning Jones learnt from some captured fishermen that the English had dispatched Captain Burden in twenty gun sloop warship H.B.M. Drake to search for his A.C.S Ranger. Jones moved from Belfast Lough to just off the coast of Donaghadee to await Burden. Jones’ ship has previously been a British Merchantman but had been captured and converted. This fact gave Jones’ the ace card - he was in possession of a British flag that he cleverly employed to trick Burden.
Burden sent a six man crew out to observe A.C.S Ranger. The decoy tactic of Jones was successful and soon the half dozen men found themselves prisoners aboard the American ship. The two ships sailed onwards to the nearest point of land at the Copeland Islands and were unaware of each other’s identities until the following exchange:

Burden: ‘What ship is that?’
Jones: ‘The American Continental Ship Ranger.’

As the darkness of night fell a powerful sea battle ensued. The onslaught was ferocious and both ships fought courageously for over an hour. They were well matched in size, speed and fire power but Jones’ men eventually reduced the power of H.B.M Drake by strategically attacking her masts, spars and rigging to lessen the manageability of the ship.

Captain Burden lost his life to a musket shot and H.B.M Drake surrendered having witnessed the deaths of her captain, first officer and seventeen crew members. The Ranger sailed on victoriously resounding in the joyous initial victory for the newly fledged American Navy.