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CO. DOWN - The ups and downs
A journey to the one of Ireland’s most varied counties, stretching from Belfast to Carlingford
Lough.
Co. Down, also known as County Up-and-Down on account of the hundreds of drumlins (small hills) which litter the place, is perhaps one of the most intriguing counties in the North.
St Patrick is buried here, in the town of Downpatrick, , the ancient capital of the kingdom of
Lecale. It is here in the leafy graveyard of Down Cathedral where the remains of St. Patrick reputedly lie. A large simple granite slab with his name is all that marks the grave, despite the fact that two other saints, Brigid and Colmcille are also said to be buried here. Now that’s what you call grade A history. It would be fair, however, to point out that Armagh also claims the relics of St Patrick - bones of contention, you might say.
Down also boasts perhaps the most famous mountains in the world, musically speaking at any rate: - the
Mournes. From St Patrick’s grave you can see the peaks doing exactly what it says in the song - sweeping down to the sea. this is a beautiful area.
The ideal centre for touring the Kingdom of Mourne is Newcastle. Aside from the mountains there are two of the North’s finest forest parks nearby - Tollymore and
Castlewellan. The first is a two mile drive outside the town (along the Bryansford Road) and boasts some remarkable walks through arboretums, past Victorian follies, and along salmon-packed rivers - the Shimna and the
Spinkwee. Castlewellan, about four miles from Newcastle, is home to one of the most famous gardens in the North - and probably Ireland’s tallest tree (a western hemlock). While on the subject of trees, the ubiquitous cypress tree, the Castlewellan Gold, originated here. You’ll see a representative of this species in about every garden in these islands.
But it’s not all botanical gardens and ornamental hedges - there are rugged hill climbs in Castlewellan forest as well, and every so often in the clearings of European larch you catch spectacular views across the Moneyscalp lowlands, past the low drumlin country where Patrick Brontë (father of the famous authoresses) grew up, to the peaks of Butter Mountain, Spelga and
Clonachullion.
But you don’t need to even stir outside Newcastle to have a bracing walk. You can merely stroll along the promenade. Starting at the Slieve Donard Hotel (one of the North’s top luxury hotels) and you can wend your away along the beach to where the Shimna River pours into the sea. There are numerous coffee shops and restaurants en route should you want to break off your journey at any point, and there’s a public library overlooking the river which is an absolute mine of local information.
It would be difficult to exaggerate the charms of Co Down and the Mournes. The name Newcastle is, curiously enough the commonest name for a town in Ireland - there are five in all, including Newcastle West. But the view along the Main Street of Co. Down’s Newcastle is not unique in just Ireland - it must be one of the truly great urban views in the world, with the huge crag of Slieve Donard almost rising directly out of the sea and dominating the town. It’s a view which probably supports an entire postcard industry.
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