myireland.ie
Mourne Mountains, County Down
Photograph: Laureljade · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Province of Ulster

County Down

An Dún

“un DOON” · the fort, from dún, a fort

Known as Mourne Country. For the Mourne Mountains in the south of the county, where Slieve Donard carries the highest known passage tomb in Ireland on its summit.

Did you know? Tradition holds that Ireland's three patron saints (Patrick, Brigid and Colmcille) all lie buried on one hill at Downpatrick.
A fact like this for every county and every age →

Compare with another county → · Printable one-page summary →

Down by the numbers
Ulster province 553,261 people · 2021 census 2,489 km² · 12th of 32 by size County town Downpatrick -11% in the Famine · 361,446 people in 1841, 320,817 in 1851 14 baronies · 1,285 townlands 1 Olympic medallist born here 29 surnames 12 towns on the site 23,518 Irish speakers · 2021 Highest point Slieve Donard, 850 m 5 senior All-Irelands 29 notable people born here Everything on the site about Down ↓
Carlow Cavan Cork Donegal Dublin Clare Galway Kerry Kildare Kilkenny Laois Leitrim Limerick Longford Louth Mayo Meath Monaghan Offaly Roscommon Sligo Tipperary Waterford Westmeath Wexford Wicklow Antrim Armagh Down Fermanagh Londonderry Tyrone

Open the atlas ↗

The history of Down

Ptolemy placed the Voluntii here in the 2nd century. From the 400s until 1177 Down was the heart of the kingdom of the Ulaid, and fierce resistance stopped the Vikings, who raided it often in the 8th and 9th centuries, from ever settling; in 1001 Sigtrygg Silkbeard raided it in revenge for being refused sanctuary.

The Normans came in 1177, and waves of English and Scottish settlers followed over the next four centuries; the county was planted privately rather than by the Crown. In 1689 the Protestants of Down rose against James II, were beaten at the Break of Dromore, and saw the whole county fall to the Jacobites until Schomberg's army landed in Belfast Lough, took Bangor and cleared the east of Ulster.

Drawn from the History section of the Wikipedia article on County Down ↗, rewritten here and adding nothing it does not say; licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. The chronology above is this site's own; where the two differ, the article is the one to check.

The land — from Wikipedia

Down contains two significant peninsulas: Ards Peninsula and Lecale peninsula.

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 and Castlewellan Lake near Castlewellan, Clea Lough near Killyleagh, Lough Money and Loughinisland near Downpatrick and, within the Mourne Mountains, Silent Valley Reservoir, Ben Crom Reservoir, Spelga Dam and Lough Shannagh.

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.

Read the full article ↗ · Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Clans & surnames of Down
Agnew Ó Gnímh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Gníomh, 'action'” Bell — Ulster Scots · “at the bell, or 'the handsome' (bel)” Campbell Mac Cathmhaoil (adopted) Scottish (gallowglass & planter) · “cam beul, 'crooked mouth'” Devaney Ó Duibheamhna Gaelic sept · “descendant of Dubheamhain — dubh, 'black', with Eamhain, the old name of Navan Fort” Doran Ó Deoráin Gaelic learned family · “descendant of Deoradhán, 'the exile, the pilgrim'” Ferguson Mac Fearghusa Ulster Scots / Gaelic · “son of Fearghus, 'man-strength'” Garvey Ó Gairbhith Gaelic sept · “descendant of Gairbhith, 'rough peace'” Gill Mac an Ghoill Norse-Gaelic · “son of the foreigner” Graham — Ulster Scots (Border) · “from Grantham, Lincolnshire — 'gravelly homestead'” Jenkins — (Welsh / Cornish name) Welsh & Cornish settlers · “'little John' — Jenkin, a pet-form of John with the '-kin' ending” Johnston Mac Seáin (sometimes) Ulster Scots (Border) · “John's town” Killeen Ó Cillín Gaelic septs (several) · “descendant of Cillín, a pet form of Ceallach” Lowry Ó Labhradha Gaelic sept · “descendant of Labhraidh, ‘speaker, spokesman’” Magee Mag Aoidh Gaelic sept · “son of Aodh, 'fire'” McCullough Mac Cú Uladh Gaelic sept · “son of Cú Uladh, 'the Hound of Ulster'” McGuinness Mag Aonghusa Gaelic dynasty · “son of Aonghus” McKeown Mac Eoin Norman-Gaelic · “son of Eoin or Eoghan — John, or the older Irish Eoghan” Merrigan Ó Muireagáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Muireagán, a diminutive of a name beginning Muir-” Mitchell Mistéil Norse-Scots · “from Michael” Morrison Mac Muiris / Ó Muirgheasáin Ulster Scots / Gaelic · “son of Maurice / descendant of Muirgheasán” Mulgrew Ó Maolchraoibhe Gaelic sept · “descendant of Maolchraoibhe, 'chief of Craobh'” Murray Ó Muireadhaigh / Mac Muireadhaigh Gaelic sept & Scots · “descendant of Muireadhach, 'seafarer / lord'” O'Hare Ó hÍr / Ó hAichir Gaelic sept · “descendant of Ír, 'long-lasting' — or of Aichear, 'fierce'” Rice Rís Norman-Welsh · “from Welsh Rhys” Rooney Ó Ruanaidh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Ruanadh, 'the champion'” Savage Sábhaois Norman · “le sauvage — 'the wild one'” Taggart Mac an tSagairt Gaelic sept · “son of the priest” Thompson Mac Thómais Ulster Scots · “son of Thomas” Wilson — Ulster Scots / English · “son of Will”

Tap a name for its full page — story, homeland map and neighbours. Or see all surnames from County Down, with the other counties each name is tied to.

Towns, saints and legends of Down

Towns. Bangor Beannchar (64,122, 2021), Newry An tIúr (28,026, 2021), Downpatrick Dún Pádraig (11,541, 2021), Holywood Ard Mhic Nasca (10,735, 2021), Comber An Comar (9,512, 2021), Warrenpoint An Pointe (8,821, 2021), Donaghadee Domhnach Daoi (7,320, 2021), Kilkeel Cill Chaoil (6,632, 2021), Dromore Droim Mór (6,492, 2021), Ballynahinch Baile na hInse (6,335, 2021), Moira Maigh Rath (4,879, 2021), Saintfield Tamhnaigh Naomh (3,578, 2021). What every town name means →

Saints. St Patrick (17 March), St Gall (16 October), St Columbanus (23 November).

Legends set here. Slieve Donard — the guardian in the mountain. On the atlas →

First names that belong here. Brónach, Pádraig, Fiachna, Comhghall.

Irish in Down today

At the 2021 census, 23,518 people in Down aged 3 and over said they could speak Irish, and 12,978 could speak, read, write and understand it. 6,358 speak it daily, and for 723 it is their main language.

NISRA, Census 2021, Flexible Table Builder (county geography, built by NISRA from Data Zones; Belfast is split between Antrim and Down). All six counties →

The top of Down

Slieve Donard (Sliabh Dónairt), 850 metres, in the Mourne Mountains.

Wrecks on its coast: Loch Sunart (1879), PS Eleanor (1881), SS Georgetown Victory (1946), MV Princess Victoria (1953). Shipwrecks of Ireland →

Rivers and loughs: River Bann, River Lagan, Lough Neagh.

MountainViews, via Wikipedia. Every county's highest point → · Rivers and loughs →

Down in the All-Ireland

Hurling: no senior title.
Football: 5 senior titles (1960, 1961, 1968, 1991, 1994); 1 final lost.

Every county's All-Ireland titles →

Born in Down

From Wikidata: people whose recorded birthplace is in the county, who have a Wikipedia article and are no longer living, with dates shown only where the article confirms them, ordered by how many languages Wikipedia covers them in. Traditional birthplaces of early saints are as Wikidata records them. Dates are left off where the sources disagree.

People in Down, census by census

Down had 361,446 people in 1841 and has 553,261 now (+53%). its low point 204,303 in 1911, -43% of 1841. It is one of the counties that has recovered its pre-Famine population.

182118311841185118611871188118911901191119261937195119611966197119811991200120112021
325,410352,012361,446320,817299,302277,294248,190224,008205,889204,303209,228210,687241,181266,939286,631311,876417,978454,411489,004531,665553,261

Census returns as tabulated in the county's Wikipedia article. All 32 counties, 1821 to today →

Hidden Down — the places the buses miss
  • Struell Wells
    Four holy wells in a rocky glen outside Downpatrick, with separate stone bath houses for men and women. A chapel is recorded here in 1306; hundreds came on Midsummer Eve and the Friday before Lammas. Nothing standing is older than about 1600.
  • Nendrum Monastery
    Three concentric drystone enclosures, a round tower stump, and a sundial from around 900. Beside them, dug out of the shore, the oldest excavated tide mill anywhere in the world — tree-ring dated to 619, rebuilt in 787.
On the ground in Down

Every pin is placed by its documented coordinates. All the monuments of Ireland →

Everything on the site about County Down

The county

History

Monuments and heritage

Coast and country

People and culture

Quick answers
What is the Irish name for County Down?

An Dún. Down is one of the 9 counties of Ulster (Cúige Uladh).

Who ruled County Down in the Middle Ages?

Around 1014 it was held by Ulaid; by 1450, Clandeboye O'Neills & MacDonnells. The full era-by-era chronology is on this page.

What surnames come from County Down?

Names historically associated with Down include Agnew, Bell, Campbell, Devaney, Doran, Ferguson, Garvey, Gill, among others.

What does An Dún mean?

An Dún, said “un DOON”, means the fort — from dún, a fort. From Downpatrick (Dún Pádraig, Patrick's fort) where tradition puts his grave.

What is the population of County Down?

553,261 at the 2021 census, against 361,446 in 1841, before the Famine.

What is the county town of Down?

Downpatrick. County Down covers about 2,489 km², which makes it the 12th largest of the 32 counties.

Who are famous people from County Down?

Among the best-known people born in Down are Francis Hutcheson, Hans Sloane, Thomas Andrews, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings, John Butler Yeats, Amy Carmichael. The full list, with their birthplaces, is on this page.

What did the Famine do to County Down?

The census counted 361,446 people in Down in 1841 and 320,817 in 1851: a change of -11% in ten years, through death and emigration.

Sources for this page

A clean copy for school projects or the family file; collapsed sections print in full.

The chronology of who held the county is this site's own reading of the standard histories onto today's county borders, and says so where the fit is rough. Quoted passages are marked and licensed. Spotted an error? Say so — corrections are credited.

Trace your ancestors in Down

Free, from the holding institutions. How to begin: the six-step guide → · Spotted an error on this page? Suggest a correction.