Driving Protestants into the sea, Donaghadee, 1689

(NB: If you're reading this on Facebook, the original post is from my blog) I usually try to post positive stuff here, but here's a darker moment of Ards Peninsula history that might well be of interest to many of you. Some grim stuff and a dramatic rescue off the coast of Donaghadee, from recent readings in a variety of sources:

...This Andrew Agnew was also a sea captain and shipowner, and did good service to his coreligionists in Ulster. When James II.'s army under Buchan were driving the flying Protestants before them with great slaughter, Agnew bore down upon them, brought his ship's guns to bear on the dragoons, and rescued a host of fugitives, who had been literally driven into the sea. Taking them on board his ship, he disembarked them in Loch Ryan...
from The Hereditary Sheriffs of Galloway Vol II, by Sir Andrew Agnew, 1893

...Captain Andrew Agnew, sea captain and merchant in Belfast, in his vessel brought four guns to play on Lord Duleek's horse, and took 78 Protestant refugees on board his boat, 1689...
Memoirs of Ireland (London, 1716), p. 216.

...Lord Duleek's horse chased the Protestants into the sea at Donaghadee; but one Captain Agnew riding at anchor took 68 on board, and conveyed them gratis to Scotland...
Reid's Presbyterian Church in Ireland, ii. 463.

Certainly deserves some further research!