County Dossier
Down
A county of saints, castles and coasts.
Down stretches from Belfast and its southern suburbs to the granite heights of the Mourne Mountains. The Ards Peninsula and Strangford Lough bring the sea deep into the county's interior.
At a glance
Down at a glance
A county of saints, castles and coasts.
- Dal Fiatach kingdom
- St. Patrick's Arrival (432 AD)
- Mournes and Strangford Lough
- Area: 950 sq miles / 2,460 sq km
- Population: 528,983
- County Top: Slieve Donard (2,789ft / 850m)
County Geography
Down meets Antrim to the north, Armagh to the west, Louth across the Newry side and Carlingford Lough to the south-west, and the Irish Sea forms the county’s eastern and south-eastern edge. The county is shaped by the reach of Strangford Lough, the long outer coastline, and the Mourne Mountains rising above the southern shore.
Down is easy to recognise through Ards, Strangford Lough, Lecale, and the Mournes.
Map Reference
View Down on the map
Down is the county. The map also shows lieutenancies and council areas that use the county name.
The county.
The lieutenancy.
Council areas.
Places and routes
Downpatrick, Newtownards, Bangor, Newcastle, and Newry show the county from its lough-side core and north shore to the Mourne coast and southern gateway.
Connections
The county’s routes have long followed the north shore, crossed around Strangford Lough, and then run south toward Newry and the Mourne coast. Movement follows the same lough, coast, and mountain pattern.
Names
- Down
- County Down
- County of Down
- An Dún
An Dún is the Irish form of Down. County Down is the formal historical style, older records preserve forms such as Doun, and the county name is tied to Downpatrick, one of the major ecclesiastical centres of Ireland.
Down was a county by the twelfth century, with roots in the older Dal Fiatach side of eastern Ulster. Coast, lough, and mountain still give the county a clear identity.