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The page where you can learn about a little island I call home...

This time out we're in Co. Down...

County Down, (Contae an Dúin - meaning the Fort) is one of the nine counties that form Ulster and one of six counties that form Northern Ireland. It takes up an area of 2,448 km² (945 square miles), bordering County Antrim to the north, the Irish Sea to the east and County Armagh to the west and contains both the southernmost point in Northern Ireland (Cranfield Point) and the easternmost point on the island of Ireland itself (Burr Point).

Down is remarkable for its many low, beautifully cultivated hills. However, in south County Down, the world famous rugged Mountains of Mourne (that sweep down to the sea in the song 'Danny Boy'), formed from stark granite, offer a striking contrast to this patchwork quilt of arable land framed by dry stone walls. Here, Slieve Donard rises to a height of 848 metres and as one of the most outstanding areas of natural beauty in Co Down; the mountains and surrounding forests regularly visited by hoards of sixth form students taking their Duke Of Edinburgh Award. Stone quarrying was carried out extensively here and Mourne granite is still very much sought after in the building industry in Northern Ireland and beyond.

Stone quarrying was also carried out at Scrabo hill, Newtownards., its distinctive sandstone varying in colour from pale pink to pale buff to yellow and still much in demand today as quarrying has not been carried out at Scrabo for many years. Scrabo Tower, overlooking the 'Ards Peninsula and Strangford Lough is an almost iconic landmark in County Down, standing high on what used to be cliffs, but now much further inland as the rich land was reclaimed from the sea for market gardening and arable farming.

To the east of the county, the Ards Peninsula forms a barrier between the sea and an almost land-locked Strangford Lough. And one of my earliest childhood memories is of Sunday trips driving through Co. Down from inland Ballygowan (where my Mother and Father met), through tiny Comber (where I would train with horses later in life) to Killyleagh and on to the coastline where one of my absolute favourite things to do was to take the little ferry between Portaferry and Strangford while hanging over the railings to watch the sea go by...

With a history spanning 7000 years, County Down has many important archaeological sites and ancient monuments, together with attractions for the sportsman, the climber and the walker...

The county is separated from Co Antrim (county I was born in I should add) by the River Lagan and also incorporates the eastern half of Belfast, traditionally the city’s industrial heartland. It was on this side of the river that most of Belfast’s shipbuilding, aircraft manufacturing and other major industries were developed. (my father was part of the aircraft manufacturing there during the Second World War as his family all lived in Belfast so there's a little family history there too...)

Belfast is, of course, Northern Ireland's principal city, straddling the border between Counties Down and Antrim and has become a buzzing metropolis over the last decade with trendy cafes, bars and restaurants springing up everywhere. Popular attractions include Queen's University, the Botanic Gardens, the Ulster Museum and the magnificent City Hall while the new Odyssey Stadium down by the famous Samson and Goliath cranes at the Harland & Wolffe shipyards hosts everything from Ice Hockey with local team the Belfast Giants to pop concerts (I've been to LOTS of concerts there and it's a WONDERFUL venue). And Harland and Wolffe is of course universally famous for building a certain ship called the Titanic... nowadays there is even a massive redevelopment in the 'Titanic Quarter' in... erm... celebration...

Newcastle, Bangor, Donaghadee and Warrenpoint are some of the seaside destinations that line the Down coast; they are linked by good roads that closely follow the picturesque winding shoreline.

Agriculture in Co. Down was developed largely by Scottish settler families who moved to Ulster in the seventeenth century. They laboured in tilling, in sowing oats and barley, and in the cultivation of flax for the linen industry and the countryside is still dotted with ruined windmills and water mills used for the grinding of the corn produced by local farmers. Some of these have been converted into private residences, and one windmill, Ballycopeland near the seaside town of Millisle, has been fully restored. Farming of potatoes, of cattle for beef and sheep for meat and wool were also the mainstays of early agricultural production in Co Down with spade and scythe making early manufacturing industries too.
 
In the later nineteenth century, many offshore fisheries developed around the east coast of Down. By 1880, the port of Kilkeel had become one of the most important herring fisheries in Ireland and at Ardglass the harbour was packed with boats from Scotland, the Isle of Man and, later, Cornwall.
This fishery fed the curing industry established locally in 1906 when Scottish curers working in Donegal were persuaded to travel east by the richness of Down’s herring harvest. Women known as ‘gutting girls’ processed the fish and many of those working in Co Down came from Donegal and the west of Ireland to join forces with the local women who also took part. 

Downpatrick (from the Irish Dún Pádraig meaning "Patrick's Fort") is the County town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. One of Ireland's most ancient and historic towns, it takes its name from a dún (fort), which once stood on the hill that dominates the town and on which the cathedral stands. Ptolemy, in about the year AD 130, includes it as Dunum in his list of towns of Ireland (so that gives you an idea of how far back the history actually goes!). The 'old' name of the town was Rath Celtair and it was superseded by the name Dun-leth-glas which in turn gave way in the 13th century to the present name of Dún Phádraig (anglisied as Downpatrick) - from the town's connection with the patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick was reputedly buried here in 461 on Cathedral Hill, within the grounds of Down Cathedral and his grave is still a place of pilgrimage on St Patrick's Day.

For the writers among you it's well worth mentioning that Co. Down has more than it's fair share of links to the literary world, being the childhood home of C.S. Lewis and the inspiration for the magical world of Narnia. And there's also an area of County Down known as the Brontë Homeland (situated between Rathfriland and Banbridge) where Patrick had his church) named after Patrick Brontë (originally Prunty) - father of Anne, Charlotte and Emily Bronte - who was born here.

NEXT TIME I'LL BE TAKING YOU TO VISIT  COUNTY. DUBLIN

Mutton Broth

2 lb neck of mutton
6 cups water
2 tbsp pearl barley
1 large onion
1 medium turnip
2 large carrots
1/2 small white cabbage
(serves six)

Put the meat in a large pan and cover with the cold water. Bring to the boil and skim the surface. Rinse the barley and add to the pan. Cover, but not too tightly, and simmer gently for 90 minutes. Shred the cabbage and dice the other vegetables and add these to the soup. Bring back to the boil and simmer for another hour. Remove the mutton and separate the meat from any bones, fat or gristle. Chop the meat and return to the soup. Allow to cool and remove fat. Reheat and serve.

(A winter warmer of a dish if ever there was one! Try it with warm crusty bread... Trust me!)

From the Appletree Press title: A Little Irish Cookbook.

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