An Dún · Ulster
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.
| Province | Ulster |
|---|---|
| County town | Downpatrick |
| Population | 553,261 (2021) |
| Area (km²) | 2,489 |
| Population change in the Famine, 1841–51 | -11% |
| Daily Irish speakers | 6,358 (2021) |
| Highest point (m) | 850 — Slieve Donard |
| All-Ireland football titles | 5 |
| Townlands | 1,285 |
| Baronies | 14 |
| Civil parishes | 71 |
| Recorded monuments | 3,506 |
| Ringforts | 745 |
| Holy wells | 19 |
| Castles on the site | 24 |
| Battles and sieges | 2 |
| Workhouses | 5 |
| Railway stations (with an article) | 63 |
| Blue Flag beaches | 3 |
| Olympic medallists born here | 1 |
| Towns on the site | 12 |
| Surnames on the site | 29 |
Every figure is from a page on myireland.ie that names its source — see https://myireland.ie/counties/down/. Printed from myireland.ie, the atlas of Irish history.