County Down, (Contae an Dúin in Irish - meaning the Fort) is one of the nine counties that form Ulster and one of six counties that form Northern Ireland. The county forms an area of 2,448 km² (945 square miles). It lies in the province of Ulster. The estimated population in 1992 was 416,600, a more recent approximation puts it at about 516,000.^{[citation needed]} The county town is Downpatrick, and the largest town is Bangor. Image File history File links Downcoatarms. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... When under Gaelic rule, Ireland was divided into provinces to replace the earlier system of the túatha. ... This article is about the nine-county Irish province. ... A county town is the capital of a county in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Ulster County: District: Down District UK Parliament: South Down European Parliament: Northern Ireland Dialling Code: 028, +44 28 Post Town: Downpatrick Postal District(s): BT30 Population (2001) 10,316 Downpatrick (from the Irish: Dún Pádraig meaning Patricks fort) is a town... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... For much of its history, the island of Ireland was divided into 32 counties (Irish language contae or condae, pronounced IPA: ). Two historical counties, County Desmond and County Coleraine, no longer exist, while several county names have changed. ... This article is about the nine-county Irish province. ... For much of its history, the island of Ireland was divided into 32 counties (Irish language contae or condae, pronounced IPA: ). Two historical counties, County Desmond and County Coleraine, no longer exist, while several county names have changed. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: ) is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... This article is about the nine-county Irish province. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Ulster County: District: Down District UK Parliament: South Down European Parliament: Northern Ireland Dialling Code: 028, +44 28 Post Town: Downpatrick Postal District(s): BT30 Population (2001) 10,316 Downpatrick (from the Irish: Dún Pádraig meaning Patricks fort) is a town... This article is about the town in Northern Ireland. ...

Down contains both the southernmost point in Northern Ireland (Cranfield Point) and the easternmost point on the island of Ireland (Burr Point). Cranfield Point is the southernmost point of Northern Ireland. ... Burr Point is the Ireland. ...

The county borders County Antrim to the north, the Irish Sea to the east and County Armagh to the west. Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Antrim Area: 2,844 km² Population (est. ... Relief map of the Irish Sea. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Armagh Area: 1,254 km² Population (est. ...

Geography

Down contains two significant peninsulas: Ards Peninsula and Lecale peninsula. A peninsula in Croatia A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered on three or more sides by water. ... The Ards peninsula is a peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland which separates Strangford Lough from the North Channel on Irelands northeast coast. ... Downpatrick is the major town in the ancient barony of Lecale. ...

The county has a coastline along Belfast Lough to the north and Carlingford Lough to the south (both of which have access to the sea). Strangford Lough lies between the Ards Peninsula and the mainland. Down also contains part of the shore of Lough Neagh. Smaller loughs include Lough Island Reavy. Belfast Lough (Loch Lao in Irish) is a large intertidal sea lough situated at the mouth of the River Lagan on the east coast of Northern Ireland. ... Carlingford Lough (Loch Cairlinn in Irish) (Cairlinn being shortened form of Cathair Linn literally translated as City of the Pool) is a sea loch that forms part of the international border between Northern Ireland to the north and the Republic of Ireland to the south. ... View of Portaferry from the Strangford side of the lough Strangford Lough (Loch Cuan in Irish) is a lough in County Down, Northern Ireland, separated from the Irish Sea by the Ards peninsula. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

The River Lagan forms most of the border with County Antrim. The River Bann also flows through the southwestern areas of the county. Other rivers include the Clanrye and Quoile. The River Bann is the largest river in Northern Ireland. ... Newry River and River Clanrye are names for one of the rivers of Northern Ireland; it passes through the city of Newry and empties into Carlingford Lough near Warrenpoint. ...

There are several islands off the Down coast: Mew Island, Light House Island and Copeland Island (together, the Copeland Islands), all of which lie to the north of the Ards Peninsula. Gun Island lies off the Lecale coast. In addition there are a large number of small islands in Strangford Lough. The Copeland Islands is a group of islands in the north Irish Sea, north of Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland consisting of Lighthouse, Mew and Copeland Island. ... The Copeland Islands is a group of islands in the north Irish Sea, north of Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland consisting of Lighthouse, Mew and Copeland Island. ...

Mourne Mountains

County Down is where, in the words of the famous song by Percy French, "the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea", and the granite Mourne Mountains continue to be renowned for their beauty. Slieve Donard, at 848 metres (2,796 feet), is the highest peak in the Mournes and the highest in Northern Ireland. Another important peak is Slieve Croob, at 532 metres (1,775 ft), the source of the River Lagan. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2802x1467, 408 KB) Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2802x1467, 408 KB) Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... William Percy French (May 1, 1854–January 24, 1920) was one of Irelands foremost songwriters and entertainers in his day. ... The lyrics to the song The Mountains of Mourne were written in 1896 by the 19th Century Irish musician Percy French. ... Close-up of granite from Yosemite National Park, valley of the Merced River Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... The granite Mountains of Mourne are located in the first proposed national park of Northern Ireland. ... Slieve Donard (Sliabh Domangard or Sliabh Dónairt in Irish) is the highest mountain in Northern Ireland at 849 m (2,786 ft). ... Slieve Croob is the largest of a small group of peaks in the centre of County Down, north of the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland. ... The River Lagan is a major river in Northern Ireland which runs 40 miles (60 km) from the Slieve Croob mountain in County Down to Belfast where it enters Belfast Lough, an inlet of the Irish Sea. ...

See also:

• List of places in County Down
• List of townlands in County Down
• Towns in County Down
• Villages in County Down

This is a list of cities, towns, villages and hamlets in County Down, Northern Ireland. ... The following is a list of townlands located in County Down, Northern Ireland. ...

Places of interest

An area of County Down is known as Brontë Homeland (situated between Rathfriland and Banbridge, where Patrick Bronte had his church), after Patrick Brontë (originally Prunty) -- father of Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Brontë -- who was born in this region.

The city of Newry in the south of the county contains St Patrick's (Church of Ireland, 1578), overlooking the city centre from Church street, on the east side of the city, which is considered to be Ireland's first ever Protestant church. Newry is also the home of the first summit-level canal ever to be built in Ireland or Great Britain. The Reverend Patrick Brontë (born Patrick Brunty or Prunty (March 17, 1777 - June 7, 1861) is remembered as the father of Branwell, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë. Categories: | | | ... Patrick Brontë around 1860 Reverend Patrick Brontë (March 17, 1777 - June 7, 1861) was a curate, writer, and the father of the writers Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë. He was the first of ten children born to Hugh Brunty and Eleanor McCrory in Drumballyroney, County Down, Northern Ireland. ... Anne Brontës grave at Scarborough Anne Brontë (IPA: ) (January 17, 1820 – May 28, 1849) was a British novelist and poet, the youngest of the Brontë literary family. ... Charlotte Brontë (IPA: ) (April 21, 1816 – March 31, 1855) was an English novelist and the eldest of the three Brontë sisters whose novels have become timeless pieces of English literature. ... Emily Jane Brontë (July 30, 1818 – December 19, 1848) was a British novelist and poet, now best remembered for her only novel Wuthering Heights, a classic of English literature. ... , Newry (from the Irish: Iúr Cinn Trá meaning The Yew Tree at the Head of the Strand, short form An tIúr, The Yew) is the fourth largest city in Northern Ireland and eighth on the island of Ireland. ... The Church of Ireland (Irish: ) is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating seamlessly across the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. ... , Newry (from the Irish: Iúr Cinn Trá meaning The Yew Tree at the Head of the Strand, short form An tIúr, The Yew) is the fourth largest city in Northern Ireland and eighth on the island of Ireland. ...

Down is also home to Exploris, the Northern Ireland Aquarium, located in Portaferry, on the shores of Strangford Lough, on the Ards Peninsula. Portaferry (in Irish: Port an Pheire, ie Landing place of the ferry) is a large village in County Down, Northern Ireland, at the southern end of the Ards Peninsula, near the Narrows at the entrance to Strangford Lough. ... View of Portaferry from the Strangford side of the lough Strangford Lough (Loch Cuan in Irish) is a lough in County Down, Northern Ireland, separated from the Irish Sea by the Ards peninsula. ... The Ards peninsula is a peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland which separates Strangford Lough from the North Channel on Irelands northeast coast. ...

The Old Inn in Crawfordsburn is one of Ireland's oldest hostelries, with records dating back to 1614. The inn claims that people who have stayed there include Jonathan Swift, Dick Turpin, Peter the Great, Lord Tennyson, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, former US president George Bush, and C. S. Lewis, who honeymooned there.^[2] Crawfordsburn is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. ... Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (November 30, 1667 – October 19, 1745) was an Irish cleric, satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for Whigs then for Tories), and poet, famous for works like Gullivers Travels, A Modest Proposal, A Journal to Stella, The Drapiers Letters, The Battle of the Books, and... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Peter the Great or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov (Russian: Пётр I Алексеевич Pyotr I Alekse`yevich, Пётр Великий Pyotr Veli`kiy) (9 June 1672 – 8 February 1725 [30 May 1672–28 January 1725 O.S.][1]) ruled Russia from 7 May (27 April O.S.) 1682 until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his... Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and is one of the most popular English poets. ... “Dickens” redirects here. ... Anthony Trollope (April 24, 1815 – December 6, 1882) became one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. ... George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12, 1924) was the 41st President of the United States, serving from 1989 to 1993. ... Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an Irish author and scholar. ...

External links

• White Image - County Down Art Gallery
• Bangor FM - County Down Radio Station
• County Down website
• Armagh and Down Tourism
• Culture Northern Ireland - Industrial Heritage of County Down
• Down Gaelic Athletic Association/Cummann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste An Dún
• Genealogy indexes for County Down

Footnotes

1. ^ http://www.dcalni.gov.uk/FAQs/FAQs.asp?ba=leid
2. ^ Crawfordsburn Old Inn website

Further reading

• Harris, Walter (attributed). 1744. The Ancient and Present Stare of the County of Down...'Dublin.
• The Memoirs of John M. Regan, a Catholic Officer in the RIC and RUC, 1909–48, Joost Augusteijn, editor, District Inspector, Co. Down 1930s, 1919,ISBN: 978-1-84682-069-4.