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Ireland > Ulster > County Down (Northern Ireland)

County Down is part of Northern Ireland and the UK. Bordered by the sea on the east coast and County Armagh on the west, it is one of Ireland's sunniest areas with plenty of historical buildings and ancient tombs and monuments, the stunning Mourne Mountains in the south east, the calm waters of large Strangford Lough for fishing and sailing in the north, and a landscape of rich undulating farmlands. Strongly associated with St Patrick (he is buried at Down Cathedral in Downpatrick) the area was populated by Scottish and English plantation settlers in the 17th and 18th centuries with the local Irish retreating to the Mourne Mountains area. Like Antrim, North County Down is also a stronghold of Loyalist Ulster.

Click on the headings to find out more: Not far from Belfast, the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum holds internationally renowned Titanic collections. By combining original Titanic material with historic photographs, dioramas, vintage recordings, newsreel and music, the presentation creates a strong sense of the era, as well as evoking the catastrophe in which almost 1500 people drowned. (If you're looking for Leonardo DiCaprio or Kate Winslet from the movie "Titanic", you'll be disappointed - sorry!) An adjoining Folk Park demonstrates traditional crafts and farming methods.


Ard's Peninsula begins east of Belfast at Bangor, with its yacht clubs. The peninsula offers some of Northern Ireland's finest scenery. Grey Abbey is memorable and stone Scrabo Tower (built in 1857) is visible from all directions. It was a memorial to the third Marques of Londonderry.


Mount Stewart House is one of Northern Ireland's most magnificent country homes, filled with artworks and surrounded by spacious gardens. Fading portraits of aloof and ancient aristocrats and long-gone battles adorn the walls. Many of the skirmishes were fought by the Castlereaghs, Earls of Londonderry. The grounds are known for their fine topiary - the art of pruning trees and shrubs into ornamental shapes. The Italian Garden and the Temple of the Winds there shouldn't be missed.


Not far away lies the town of Holywood. Despite the different spelling, Holywood's name is pronounced the same way as the more famous Hollywood in California. But, (as local wits are quick to tell you): "That's one 'L' of a difference." Here's a bit of trivia: Holywood is home to the only maypole in Ireland.


Strangford Lough is almost a lake, cut off from the sea by a strait less than a mile wide, known appropriately as The Narrows. Strangford is close to Castle Ward, an amazing estate built in two conflicting styles in the 18th century by Lord and Lady Bangor, who bickered constantly and could never agree on interior design. A more traditional castle, Kilclief Castle (15th-century), lies to the south.


On the other side of The Narrows, the little fishing village of Portaferry is wondrously picturesque on a fine day - make sure you have your camera at hand. Crossing to Portaferry on the car ferry from Strangford across a sometimes turbulent strait is the most atmospheric way to arrive.


Portaferry is home to Exploris, one of Europe's top aquariums. Manta rays actually rise out of the water to be tickled under the chin. Guesthouses here offer views of the sea and in-house restaurants specialising in local produce prepared in ingenious ways. Strangford oysters are hard to beat. As for dessert, the local speciality is Banoffee Pie, a super-rich concoction of banana, caramelised condensed milk and a few other ingredients. The traditional way of preparing it includes boiling condensed milk for several hours. The secret is simple - you boil the milk in the can!


The town of Downpatrick is named after St Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, kidnapped from Britain by pirates and brought to Ireland to tend sheep. (He arrived in County Down, landing at Strangford Lough). Downpatrick is little more than 20 miles from Belfast. Its prominent Down Cathedral (Protestant) dates from the 19th century. Churches of various sorts have stood here for over 1600 years, but most were destroyed by raiders ranging from Vikings to Edward Bruce in 1315.


Inch Abbey, not far away, is in ruins but atmospheric. Down County Museum/St Patrick Heritage Centre has for years been the place to learn about St Patrick, however, in March 2001 "ego Patricius", The Saint Patrick Centre opened. It is located at the foot of Cathedral Hill, which is the traditional place of the Saint's burial. The centre is a new and exciting interpretative exhibition, which tells the fascinating story of Ireland's Patron Saint. St Patrick's Day is marked throughout the world, bringing together many millions of people of Irish extraction whose ancestors emigrated over the past two centuries. St Patrick was himself an exile.


Not far from Downpatrick, Giant's Ring harks back to earlier religions. The Druid's Altar dolmen at this striking prehistoric site is about 6000 years old. County Down's Mountains of Mourne proves that Northern Ireland's vast stretches of untouched countryside are every bit as dramatic as those in the Republic. The Mourne Mountains, a range of granite hills between Carlingford Lough and Dundrum Bay, about 35 miles south of Belfast, offer great views and pleasant walks. Since the 1950s, people have enjoyed walking alongside a great, 22km-long stonewall, which stretches up the hill. People used to gather on a particular day and do this together, until by 1983 a vast band of 4500 hikers trudged up the hill, trampling everything underfoot. As some plant species are delicate, (including a local carnivorous plant too puny to eat walkers), the authorities put an end to organised mass walks. But there's nothing stopping people walking in small groups.


Silent Valley, surrounded by the dry-stone Mourne Wall, is a lovely place to visit. In July and August the Mourne are purple with heather - three separate varieties. Scenery includes tumbledown farmhouses, lakes and hidden streams - it's delightful. A couple of centuries ago, Mourne s ettlers were too busy cutting building stone to notice the scenery. They lived and worked on the hillsides, coming down only for breakfast, which consisted of porridge. Before they left for the mountains again, the workers would carve out a large chunk of yesterday's porridge (which had solidified during the night) and place it in a handkerchief. This served as their lunch. Obviously, the workers didn't eat it cold. It warmed slowly in their pockets as they toiled with hammer and pick.


The middle part of Down is known as "Drumlin country" with these small hillocks (drumlins) dominating the countryside. The area is also known as the Linen Homelands, which was an area of great economic value for its role in the 19th century for the growing and processing of linen, with the towns of Banbridge, Craigavon and Lisburn and the areas around the Upper Bann and Lagan River being the main areas of linen production. In the North of the Linen Homelands, the town of Hillsborough is a very Georgian - English town, and the Irish Linen Centre and Museum can be found in Lisburn, which is well worth the time to learn about the early linen industry in Ireland.


Also worth a visit whilst in this area is the lovely old church in Waringstown, (built in 1667) which is rich in history (it belonged to the same family for over three centuries) and has some very unique architectural features. The village is also well known for its beautiful gardens and flower displays in summer and is featured on the Royal Horticultural Society web site.

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