Downpatrick
| Downpatrick Dún Phádraig Dounpatrick | ||
| Location | ||
| ||
| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Ulster | |
| County: | County Down | |
| District: | Down District | |
| Population (2001) | 10,316 | |
 |
|
| Downpatrick Dún Phádraig Dounpatrick | ||
| Location | ||
| ||
| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Ulster | |
| County: | County Down | |
| District: | Down District | |
| Population (2001) | 10,316 | |
Downpatrick (in Irish: Dún Phádraig, ie Patrick's fort) is a town in County Down in Northern Ireland, about 33 km south of Belfast. It is the County town of Down. It had 10,316 inhabitants in the 2001 Census. Downpatrick is where the local council, Down District Council has its headquarters.
Many of the town's inhabitants work in Belfast. The town has suffered higher than average unemployment rates over the years. There has been under investment in the town in terms of industry. The town has a number of primary and post-primary schools. Children come in from all over east Down to these schools.
Contents |
Downpatrick is one of Ireland's most ancient and historic towns. It takes its name from a dún (fort), which once stood on the hill that dominates the town and on which the cathedral stands. Ptolemy about the year AD 130 includes it as Dunum in his list of towns of Ireland. The old name of the town was Rath Celtair. It was superseded by the name Dun-leth-glas which in turn gave way in the 13th century to the present name of Downpatrick - from the town's connection with the patron saint of Ireland.
Saint Patrick was reputedly buried here in 461 on Cathedral Hill, within the grounds of Down Cathedral. His grave is still a place of pilgrimage on St Patricks Day (17 March). The Saint Patrick Visitor Centre [1] in Downpatrick is purpose-built to tell the story of St Patrick.
For more information see The Troubles in Downpatrick, which includes a list of incidents in Downpatrick during the Troubles resulting in six or more fatalities.
Downpatrick is situated at the junction of the A7 (Downpatrick to Saintfield) road, the A25 (Downpatrick to Newry) road and the A2 coast road. Whilst there are no rail services in Downpatrick, Ulsterbus provides bus services to and from the Downpatrick Bus Station.
The area is served by two weekly newspapers:
Down FM is a community based radio station broadcasting on 105.0MHz from the East Down Institute
Downpatrick is home to the Russell Gaelic Union (Gaelic Athletic Association club), Downpatrick Cricket Club and Downpatrick Golf Club, which have their own club grounds. Downpatrick has several other clubs that use the facilities of the Downpatrick Leisure Centre such as the Lecale Amateur Swimming Club and the East Down Athletics Club.
Downpatrick has many youth football teams such as the Celtic Bhoys, the Shamrocks, Rossglass County and Patrician, along with many other teams in the area who participate in the Downpatrick Youth League. Downpatrick F.C. is the main football team for Downpatrick.
Former Northern Ireland Ombudsman, Chairman of the Ireland Funds and Taoiseach-appointed Senator in Seanad Eireann, Dr Maurice Hayes, was born and still lives in Downpatrick. He has written a memoir about growing up in the town titled "Black Puddings with Slim". He served as town clerk of Downpatrick in the 1960s, succeeding his father in the role.
Primary Schools
Post-primary Schools
Downpatrick is classified as a Medium Town by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 10,000 and 18,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 10,316 people living in Downpatrick. Of these:
For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service
Downpatrick is characterised by the rolling drumlins that are a feature of the Lecale area. It also has the distinction of being the lowest place on the island of Ireland, with the marsh surrounding the north east of the town recorded as being 1.3 ft (0.4m) below sea level.