Downpatrick, NIR - Postcode - BT30 7JS

Description of Downpatrick

The Irish name for Downpatrick is Dn Pádraig, which translates to "Patrick's fort." Approximately 21 mi (34 km) south of Belfast, on the Lecale peninsula. The primary reigning dynasty of Ulaid, the Dál Fiatach, made it their capital during the Middle Ages. Legend has it that Saint Patrick was laid to rest in the city's church. These days, it serves as the administrative center for the districts of Newry, Mourne, and Down. According to the 2011 Census, Downpatrick was home to 10,822 people.

Overview

Downpatrick, as the major town in the Lecale area, acts as an economic, recreational, and administrative hub for the smaller communities in the region. A big number of individuals use the area as a commuter town because it is only 30 minutes away from Belfast. There are several elementary, middle, and high schools in town, and they serve kids from all over the east Down region.

Even though the town was already named after St. Patrick, he is widely regarded to have resided in Downpatrick sometime in the 5th century and to be buried in Down Cathedral.

Geography

The rolling drumlins of the Lecale area, left behind by glaciation in the Pleistocene, are a defining feature of Downpatrick; the drumlins of Down are underlain by Ordovician and Silurian shales and grits. The marshy area to the northeast of the city is where the elevation drops to a minimum of 1.3 feet (0.40 meters) below sea level. Regular buses run from Downpatrick, which is around 22 miles (35 km) from Belfast.

Demography

As of the day of the 2011 Census (27 March), Downpatrick was home to 10,822 people (divided among 4,179 households), making up 0.60 percent of the entire population of Northern Ireland. This is a growth of 4.9 percent from the population counted in the 2001 Census. Of these, 22.35 percent were under 16 years old, 13.28 percent were 65 or older, 51.55 percent of the usually resident population was female, and 48.45 percent was male; 85.51 percent are Catholic, or were raised Catholic, while 10.78 percent are Protestant or other Christians; 42.95 percent identified as Irish, 34.77 percent as Northern Irish, and 26.58 percent as British.

Transport

Downpatrick is conveniently located at the crossroads of three major highways: the A7 (which leads to Saintfield and Belfast), the A25 (which leads to Newry and Dublin), and the A2. Despite the lack of rail access, the Downpatrick Bus Station is served by Ulsterbus buses.

The Belfast and County Down Railway's Downpatrick station opened on March 23, 1859; the Downpatrick Loop Platform followed on September 24, 1892. On January 16, 1950, both establishments closed their doors. Opening on March 8, 1893, Downpatrick Racecourse Platform remained operating until September 1949. The current station, which is owned by the Downpatrick and County Down Railway and was converted from a gas manager's office located elsewhere in Downpatrick, opened in the early 1990s and serves various locations of historical interest located near the town.

Downpatrick is home to a Translink bus station on Ballydugan Road, from which buses travel to nearby cities and towns as well as to Belfast, Bangor, and Newry.