County Down Towns, Maps & Locations

Newry, County Down, October 2002

It is the view from Barr Cemetery in Newry
Photo donated by Regina Cranney

On this page you'll find links to various areas around County Down, as well as maps, places of interest and general Irish links.

County Down has it's own song entitled Star of County Down among many others with lyrics containing the County's name. The oldest copy of this tune is Gilderoy, which appears in Musick for Allan Ramsay's Collection of Scots Songs [Tea Table Miscellany] by Alexander Stuart (c 1726).  Gilderoy also appeared in Thomas D'Urfey's Pills to Purge the Melancholy III (1707), although that version is less recognizable as this tune.* The tune has been used for numerous songs, including Divers and Lazarus, The Murder of Maria Martin, and Claudy Banks. In addition, the tune is used for several English and American Hymns and Carols. For the lyrics and a link to the tune, please follow this link.

County Down (Official site of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board)

Travel Information (This site has some travel information, a map of the county, a list of towns, etc.  I believe it's a travel agent and cannot vouch for their services one way or the other.)

http://website.lineone.net/~cannonfhs/ulstemi.htm - this site is for the Cannon family, but they have a bit of Ulster history on this page that you might find interesting.

Maps of Counties & Towns - this is a commercial site offering Irish Townland Ordnance Survey map reproductions for sale (survey dates 1829 to 1843).

Map of Ireland

Irish Internet Hub (links to Irish locations on the web)

National Trust Places to Visit

Resource for ordering Ordinance Surveys - http://www.osi.ie/mapping/maps/maps.asp?county=Down

Parish Information

Townland Database Search

Administrative Division Information

 

Lyrics From Digital Tradition Folk Song Database
*Information from a Digital Tradition Forum thread and Bruce Olsen (see Bruce Olsen's Roots of Folk Website for an ABC of the Pills tune.)