What's on in County Down

Located in the north east of Ireland and covering an area of about 2500 square kilometers, County Down is a stunning county, offering everything from magical mountains, jagged, expansive coastline and bustling fishing ports to forest parks, stately homes, seaside resorts and beautiful lakes. Formerly one of the thirty-two traditional Irish counties within the Ulster province, the main county town is Downpatrick although the largest town is Bangor. With the Irish Sea to the East, County Armagh to the west and County Antrim to the North the county is surrounded by spectacular scenery on all sides. County Down itself has coastline that runs from Carlingford Lough in the south to Belfast Lough in the north as well as a number of islands just off the Down coast, from the Copeland Islands to Light House Island and Mew Island (all north of the Ards Peninsula).

Places that are worth a visit include the city of Newry in the south, which includes St Patrick’s Cathedral (built in 1578), the only summit level canal in the UK and the Newry and Mourne Museum; the villages and towns of Mourne country which are the perfect base to explore the thrilling mountains; as well as the villages of Bryansford and Tollymore which havea growing reputation as outdoors and extreme sports destinations, from hillwalking and climbing to abseiling, bouldering, canoeing and pony trekking. For seaside fun the popular resort of Newcastle is a wonderful destination, where Slieve Donard ‘sweeps into the sea’ and has the added bonus of Royal County Down championship golf course right on its doorstep. For more sedate fun head to Victorian Rostrevor, with its elegant park and manicured gardens, arboretum and mountain trail, or the Murlough National Nature Reserve with its 6000 year old sand dune system (and Ireland’s first nature reserve since 1967) or for gentle forest strolls try the dramatic Castlewellan Forest Park, with one of the most fanatastic tree and shrub collections in Europe. With hundreds more destinations, County Down has something for everyone.