Irish Counties - Down

County Down (Contae An Dún in Irish) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county borders County Antrim and County Armagh. The capital town is Downpatrick. The county colours, as used on flags at inter-county sporting events, are red and black.

County Down is where, in the words of the famous song by Percy French, "the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea", and the granite Mourne mountains continue to be renowned for their beauty. Slieve Donard, at 848 m (2,796 feet), is the highest peak in the Mournes (and in Northern Ireland). Another important peak is Slieve Croob, at 1,775 ft, this is the source of the River Lagan. The Clanrye and Lagan rivers flow through the county.

Down is also home to the Northern Ireland Aquarium, located in Portaferry, on the shores of Strangford Lough, on the Ards Peninsula.
An area of County Down is known as Brontë Country, after Patrick Brontë (originally Prunty) -- father of Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Brontë -- who was born in this region.

Click here to view all our books on County Down
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• Down People
• Down History
• Down Travel

Writers associated with Co. Down include:

• Hayes, Maurice
• Murphy, M.J.

Towns and Villages:
Annalong, Ardglass, Ballynahinch, Banbridge, Bangor, Carryduff, Comber, Donaghadee, Downpatrick, Hillsborough, Holywood, Kilkeel, Killyleagh, Newcastle, Newry, Newtownards, Portaferry, Rostrevor, Saintfield, Warrenpoint