Overview
Kilmood is a civil parish rather than a village – a scatter of farmland townlands (Ballygraffan, Ballykeel, Drumhirk and the rest) in the Castlereagh Lower barony, set back from the west shore of Strangford Lough in County Down. There’s no real centre and little laid on for visitors. The reason to slow down is the church; the reason to pass through is the cycling.
St Mary’s Church
St Mary’s opened in 1822 on what has long been an ancient Christian site, and it turned 200 in 2022. The bill came to £2,215: the Ecclesiastical Commissioners put up £900, Lord Dufferin gave the bell, and David Gordon of Florida Manor covered the rest. It was an estate church of the Gordons of Florida Manor, who held the patronage for years – at times alternating with the Marquess of Downshire – and the first vicar was Rev James Crawford Gordon.
The building has taken a battering over two centuries. A storm damaged it in 1833; the ‘Great Wind’ of January 1839 took the spire clean off; lightning struck in 1909; and when the spire was finally rebuilt in 1910–11 it went up shorter than before – the original steeple had stood 120 feet. Come for the story as much as the stonework.
Cycling and the lough shore
Kilmood sits on the Whiterock and Mahee Island cycle route, one of the quieter runs on the west side of Strangford Lough. If you’re on it, Daft Eddy’s out at Whiterock is the obvious stop for coffee or a plate of fresh fish.
Down at the water, the local landmark is Sketrick Castle – a ruined tower house on Sketrick Island, reached by a short causeway. Its age is genuinely unsettled: some accounts put it in the 12th century, others in the 15th or 16th, so treat any single date with caution. The shore around here has the walking and wintering-bird interest Strangford is known for, though that’s a short spin from the parish rather than on its doorstep.
Practical information
- Getting there: quiet rural roads on the Ballygowan side; the nearest shops, cafés and bus links are in Ballygowan and Comber, both a short drive away, so bring what you need.
- Access: St Mary’s is a working parish church, best seen around rather than during services.
- Nearby: Ballygowan for refreshments, or cross to the Ards Peninsula for more coast, castles and walking.