| Downpatrick | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Downpatrick Location withinCounty Down | |
| Population | 11,545 (2021 Census) |
| District | |
| County | |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DOWNPATRICK |
| Postcode district | BT30 |
| Dialling code | 028 |
| Police | Northern Ireland |
| Fire | Northern Ireland |
| Ambulance | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | |
| NI Assembly | |
| |
Downpatrick (fromIrishDún Pádraig, meaning 'Patrick's fort')[4] is a town inCounty Down,Northern Ireland. It is on theLecale peninsula, about 21 mi (34 km) south ofBelfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of theDál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty ofUlaid.Its cathedral is said to be the burial place ofSaint Patrick.[5] Today, it is thecounty town of Down and the joint headquarters ofNewry, Mourne and Down District Council.Downpatrick had a population of 11,545 according to the2021 Census.[6]
An earlyBronze Age site was excavated in the Meadowlands area of Downpatrick, revealing tworoundhouses, one was four metres across and the other was over seven metres across.[7] Archaeological excavations in the 1950s found what was thought to be a Bronze Age hillfort on Cathedral Hill, but further work in the 1980s revealed that this was a much laterrampart surrounding an early Christian monastery.[8]
Downpatrick is one of Ireland's oldest towns. It takes its name from adún, a medieval royal fort, which stood on adrumlin overlooking theRiver Quoile. In the Middle Ages, the river was an estuary that would have surrounded the drumlin on most sides.[9] It is believed that there was aringfort on the site in theearly Middle Ages. This may have been the site calledRáth Celtchair (later anglicized Rathkeltair), the 'fort ofCeltchar', after a hero in theUlster Cycle ofIrish mythology.[9]
A smallChristianmonastic settlement was also built on the neighbouring drumlin to the south, now known as 'Cathedral Hill'.[9] NearbySaul Monastery was associated withSaint Patrick. The saint is said to have been buried on Cathedral Hill in the 5th century, and his reputed grave is still a place of pilgrimage.Down Cathedral was later built on this spot.[9]
In the early 11th century, a much bigger fort with earthen ramparts was built on the northern drumlin, now known as the 'Mound of Down'.[9] This was the capital of theDál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty ofUlaidh (Ulster), who held the title "Rí Uladh", "King of Ulster".[9] Deirdre Flanagan suggests that the older nameDún Lethglaise referred to Cathedral Hill, whileDún da Lethglas was the name of this new royal residence.[9]
TheKing of Norway,Magnus Barefoot, was killed in an ambush near Downpatrick in 1102. It is believed his grave is marked by a mound at Horse Island, southwest of Cathedral Hill.[10]
Saint Malachy became theBishop of Down (Dún da Lethglas) in 1137. He administered the diocese fromBangor and introduced a community ofAugustinians (canons) toDún da Lethglas dedicated to St John the Evangelist. Malachy and his successors repaired and enlarged Down Cathedral.[11]
In the late 12th century, the area was conquered byAnglo-Normans led byJohn de Courcy, becoming part of hisEarldom of Ulster. In February 1177, a Norman army of 300 men and 20 knights marched north from Dublin and took the town by surprise. The King of Ulster and Dál Fiatach,Ruaidrí mac Duinn Sléibe (Rory MacDunleavy), tried to retake the town, but was forced to withdraw after a fierce battle.[12] The Normans began building amotte (fortified mound) inside the older royal fort, but abandoned it when de Courcy madeCarrickfergus his capital in 1178.[9]
In 1183, de Courcy brought inBenedictine monks from the abbey ofSt Werburgh inChester (todayChester Cathedral), England. He built a friary for them at Downpatrick; this building was destroyed by an earthquake in 1245.[13] He also re-dedicated the cathedral to Saint Patrick, giving it the nameEcclesia S. Patricii Duni in Latin.[9] It is claimed that de Courcy miraculously found the bones of St Patrick, StBrigid and StColmcille at Downpatrick. In the presence of the Papal Legate, Vivian, the relics were reburied inside the cathedral on 9 June 1196. This story of their discovery is thought to have been crafted by de Courcy for political reasons.[14] In the Anglo-Norman and later medieval era the town's name in Latin and English documentation is variously 'Dunum', 'Dun' or 'Down'. The oldest surviving record of the name 'Downpatrick' is in theBodley Survey of the early 1600s.[9]
In 1260Brian O'Neill, King ofTír Eoghain (Tyrone) and claimedHigh King of Ireland, marched to Downpatrick, which was then part of the Anglo-Norman earldom of Ulster. Allied with a Connacht force under Hugh O'Conor, he fought the Anglo-Normans in theBattle of Down. O'Neill was killed and the Irish were defeated.[15] The death of O'Neill and defeat of the Irish was lamented in a poem by theCenél nEógain bardGiolla Brighde Mac Con Midhe (1210–1272).
The earldom collapsed in the 1300s, but the English retained a foothold in Lecale. In 1375, Niall O'Neill of Tyrone defeated the English at Dundalethglas.[16]
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Under orders fromKing Henry VIII of England, Downpatrick'smonastic community was dissolved by the English around 1540, and the Cathedral fell into ruins. In 1600, the cathedral was allegedly burnt by English forces led byEdward Cromwell.[17] A painting from 1788 shows the abbey ruins and itsround tower.[18]
TheArchbishop of Armagh, composer ofIrish bardic poetry andChristian poetry in theClassical Gaelicliterary language, andFranciscanCounter-Reformation theologianAodh Mac Cathmhaoil was born outside Downpatrick in 1571. On 21 January 1575, Franciscans John Lochran, Donagh O'Rorke, and Edmund Fitzsimon were hanged by Protestants at Downpatrick.
After his 25 April 1681 assassination by his foster brother, Art McCall O'Hanlon nearHilltown, County Down,rapparee leader CountRedmond O'Hanlon'ssevered head wasdisplayed spiked upon Downpatrick Gaol. The Count's body was buried in the Roman Catholic cemetery atBallynabeck, on the road betweenTandragee andScarva.[19]
Cathedral Hill was the subject of an archaeological investigation in Series 5 of the Channel 4Time Team programme.[20]
Four main thoroughfares are shown converging on a town plan of 1724, namely English Street, Scotch (now Saul) Street, Barrack (now Scotch) Street, and Irish Street. The landscape limited the growth of the town. The early-18th-century street plan continued largely unchanged until 1838 when Church Street was built, followed by Market Street in 1846.
The condition of the town was greatly improved in the 18th century by a land-owning family named Southwell. The first Edward Southwell was responsible for building ashambles in 1719 and paving of the streets, which started in 1727. In 1717 he built a quay and grain store at Quoile Quay, contributing to the economic growth of the town. The second Edward Southwell was responsible for building Southwell School in 1733.
Down County Infirmary was established in a house in Saul Street in October 1767, where it operated for seven years. It was moved to Barrack Lane (now Fountain Street) where the former Horse Barracks was bought in 1774 for £150 byBernard Ward, 1st Viscount Bangor for use as theInfirmary. It was used until the new Infirmary (later known as theDowne Hospital) was opened in 1834.
In June 1778,John Wesley, the founder ofMethodism, preached in the new preaching house in Downpatrick and in The Grove beside the ruins of Down Cathedral, which he called a "noble ruin".
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On 21 October 1803, a co-founder and leader of theUnited Irishmen,Thomas Russell, was hanged outside Downpatrick Gaol for his part in trying to raise local United Irishmen andDefenders in support ofRobert Emmet's rebellion in July of that year. Russell is buried in the graveyard of the Anglican parish Church of Downpatrick, St Margaret's, in a grave paid for by his friendMary Ann McCracken, sister of leading Belfast United IrishmanHenry Joy McCracken who had been hanged in 1798.
In his role as barrister,Daniel O'Connell, "The Liberator", was called away from London to Downpatrick to attend the County Down Assizes, as counsel in a case heard on 1 April 1829.[21] As the leading campaigner forCatholic Emancipation, he had been in London for the parliamentary passage of theRoman Catholic Relief Act 1829 which lifted the sacramental test bar to Catholics entering the British Parliament. On 2 April 1829, O'Connell attended a public dinner at Downpatrick in his honour, along with "upwards of eighty gentlemen, of different religious persuasions".
The population at the time of the 1841 census was 4,651 inhabitants.[22]
On St Patrick's Day, 17 March 1848, a crowd of 2,000–3,000 Catholics set off from Old Course Road intending to parade to the reputed grave of St Patrick on Cathedral Hill. They were attacked by ProtestantOrangemen at the Irish Street shambles and a riot ensued.
There were many gun attacks and bombings in Downpatrick duringthe Troubles. The deadliest incident was theDownpatrick landmine attack on 9 April 1990. TheProvisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonated a massiveimprovisedland mine under aBritish Army convoy on Ballydugan Road, just outside the town. Four soldiers of theUlster Defence Regiment (UDR) were killed[23]
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The cathedral features in the US sitcom "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia".
St Patrick's Day is celebrated in Downpatrick through an annual cross-community parade which goes through the centre of the town. This is the one day of the year that Downpatrick closes its main streets so that celebrations can begin. The celebrations occurs every year on 17 March.Newry, Mourne and Down District council in recent years have lengthened the celebrations from one day to the entire week full of history exhibitions and family events.
Downpatrick's St Patrick's Day celebrations are also popular for tourists especially because of the town's history ofSt Patrick and because of his burial site.[33]
| Nationality | Per cent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish | 50.7% | |||
| Northern Irish | 33.6% | |||
| British | 18.4% | |||
On census day (21 March 2021) there were 11,545 people living in Downpatrick.[6] Of these:
On census day (27 March 2011) there were 10,822 people living in Downpatrick (4,179 households), accounting for 0.60% of the NI total,[38] and representing an increase of 4.9% on the Census 2001 population of 10,316.[39] Of these:
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SeeCategory:People from Downpatrick
Downpatrick is home toRussell Gaelic Union, Downpatrick. The Russell Gaelic Union was formed by an Englishman, a Scotsman, and an Irishman: Willie King, Alex McDowell, and Willie Byrne, respectively, in the county town in the early 20th century.[citation needed] The team traditionally wears green and white hoops. Downpatrick has had mixed fortunes over the years but has still managed to produce excellent county footballers such asRay McConville, Conor Deegan, and Barry Breen, all of whom won All-Irelands with Down. The club was named in honour ofUnited Irishman,Thomas Russell .
Downpatrick has had a successfulhandball club since the 1980s when local teacher Martin Murphy established a team. After a number of years it was incorporated into the RGU family.
Downpatrick Cricket Club has won theIrish Senior Cup on two occasions, theNCU Senior League on six occasions and theNCU Challenge Cup on six occasions. The club'sStrangford Road ground has hostedIreland international matches, most recently againstAustralia "A" andSouth Africa in 1998.[44]
The community of Downpatrick also features twoRugby Clubs.[45] These clubs are Ballynahinch Rugby Football[46] and Dromore Rugby Football.
Downpatrick's most prominent team isCeltic Bhoys which competes in the Amateur League Division 2A, along with teams inNewcastle Premier district League They also have multiple teams competing at Youth level in South Belfast Youth League, and Downpatrick Youth League. Celtic Bhoys FC were formed in 1990 by local men "Snowy Graham" alongside "Malachy Wynn".
There are other clubs associated with the town, and others from surrounding areas, Downpatrick FC, Ballynagross, Rossglass County.
These include Ballynagross F.C[47] and Rossglass County F.C[48]
There are also many youth teams such as the Celtic Bhoys, Ballynagross, Downpatrick FC & Rossglass who along with many other teams in the area, participate in the Downpatrick YouthLeague. Conor McMenamin from Downpatrick currently plays professional football for St Mirren in Scotland. Most famous football side out of Downpatrick wereDownpatrick Rec. who won the Steel & Sons Cup in 1978. Downpatrick is home to one of the biggest Northern Irish branches of theManchester United Supporters' Club, theDownpatrick Manchester United Supporters' Club, which was founded in 1993, along with Glasgow Celtic Supporters Club "Neil Lennon CSC"
Downpatrick is also the home of the Downpatrick & District Snooker & Billiard League.[49] Many of the local towns compete in the leagues. Teams from Downpatrick,Newcastle,Ballynahinch,Crossgar,Drumaness,Ballykinler,Castlewellan,Newtownards and Ballyalton play in the local district.[citation needed]
Downpatrick Bowling Club is situated on the Old Belfast Road, Downpatrick. Established in the early 1950s, it is only over the last several years that they have finally enjoyed a sustained period of success. The club won the Irish Bowling Association Junior Cup for the first time in their history in 2006. The following year they once again reached the final only to be beaten by Cookstown in a close encounter. However, the club once again regained the Irish Cup in 2011, with a resounding victory against Kilrea. In 2011 Downpatrick also won the PGL Midweek Division 2 title.
Downpatrick Golf Club[50] has its own club grounds. The town also has its own tennis club, Downpatrick Tennis Club.[51] Downpatrick has several other clubs that use the facilities of the Down Leisure Centre (run by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council) such as the Lecale Amateur Swimming Club, the Downpatrick School of Lifesaving and the East Down Athletics Club.Downpatrick Golf Club is now known as St Patrick's Golf Club.
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