County DOWN

Northern Ireland,

United Kingdom

Introduction

Surnames

Ancestral GenSite(s)

List of Localities

Website Resources

Image Gallery

Introduction

County Down, (Contae An Dúin in Irish) is one of the six counties that form Northern Ireland (United Kingdom), covering an area of 2,448 km² (945 square miles). It belongs to the province of Ulster. The estimated population in 1992 was 416,600, a more recent approximation puts it at about 516,000.   The county town is Downpatrick, and the largest town is Bangor.      Down contains both the southernmost point in Northern Ireland (Cranfield Point) and the easternmost point on the island of Ireland (Burr Point).  The county borders County Antrim to the north, the Irish Sea to the east and County Armagh to the west.

     Although Down was the first area in the north to be captured by the Normans, when John de Courci marched north from Dublin with 300 or so men in 1177. They were soon assimilated and the region retained its largely Gaelic character until the seventeenth century when, even though the area was not formally included in the Plantation of Ulster, there was a large influx of English and Scottish settlers. Presbyterians and members of the Church of Ireland now constitute about two-thirds of the population.

The Mourne mountains in the south of the county form one of the most beautiful areas in Ireland. The grave of St Patrick is reputedly in the grounds of the cathedral at Downpatrick.
Under the organizational reforms carried out in Northern Ireland in 1973, the county ceased to exist and was divided into various smaller administrative units identification with the old county continues in the daily lives of the people. However, reflecting the county's history, common surnames here include Campbell, McAleavey, Hamilton, O'Neill, McCartan, Dodds and Gilmore. Although the surname McGuinness, from which the famous drink gets its name, originated here, the surname is now less common in Down than further south and west. The current President of the Republic of Ireland, Mary McAleese, comes from the south of the county.

Source: Wikipedia

The following are surnames of persons, found within our databases,

as having been either born, married or died in this location.

Cummings;   Dickson;   Douglass

To find out more about each surname listed above click on the corresponding LINK.

Additional information regarding these surnames may also be found at:

  Surname Locator Resources

Free Genealogy Surname Search Help from Google

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County DOWN, Northern Ireland

Ancestral

 GenSite(s)

Newery

Newery

LOCATION:   Coordinates: 54° 10′ 32″ N, 6° 20′ 57″ W;   Decimal: 54.175556, -6.349167;

Map Links

DESCRIPTION:   Newry meaning "The Yew Tree at the Head of the Strand", is the fourth-largest city in Northern Ireland and eighth on the island of Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, forms the historic border between County Armagh and County Down: Newry was included entirely in the latter by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. It is 34 miles (60 km) from Belfast and 67 miles (108 km) from Dublin. Newry had a population of approximately 27,430 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population of 87,058. Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery and is one of Northern Ireland's oldest towns. 

FAMILY HISTORY NOTES(s):  Michael Dickson was born at Newry in 1682.  He married Nancy Campbell here circa 1702.  Two of their children were born here, John Dickson 1704, and William Dickson circa 1710.  John Dickson’s two sons by his first wife Elizabeth, native of Newry, were also born here.  Michael Dickson was born in 1731 and his brother John in 1732.

INTERNET WEB LINK(s):  Newry - Wikipedia;   Newry and Mourne District Council;   Newry City.com;   Newry.info;   NewryCity.eu;   in Newry.com;   Newry Memoirs

LOCATION:

Map Links

DESCRIPTION:  

FAMILY HISTORY NOTES(s):

INTERNET WEB LINK(s): 

County DOWN,

Northern Ireland

List of Localities

The list below will assist in your research regarding the matching of your ancestors birth, marriage, death dates and in what locality of this county these events may have occurred.  Source:  Wikipedia

Large towns

(population of 18,000 or more and under 75,000 at 2001 Census)

Bangor;   Newry (has city status);   Newtownards

Medium towns

(population of 10,000 or more and under 18,000 at 2001 Census)

Banbridge;   Downpatrick;   Holywood

Small towns

(population of 4,500 or more and under 10,000 at 2001 Census)

Ballynahinch;   Carryduff;   Comber;   Donaghadee;   Dromore;   Kilkeel;   Newcastle;   Warrenpoint

Intermediate settlements

(population of 2,250 or more and under 4,500 at 2001 Census)

Ballygowan;   Castlewellan;   Hillsborough;   Killyleagh;   Moira;   Portaferry;    Rostrevor;   Saintfield;   Waringstown

Villages

(population of 1,000 or more and under 2,250 at 2001 Census)

Annahilt;   Annalong;   Ardglass;   Ballywalter;   Crossgar;   Drumaness;   Dundrum;   Gilford;   Greyabbey;   Helen's Bay;   Kilcoo;   Kircubbin;   Millisle;   Portavogie;   Rathfriland

Small villages or hamlets

(population of less than 1,000 at 2001 Census)

Annsborough;   Ballyhalbert;   Ballykinler;   Ballymartin;    Bryansford;   Carrowdore;   Clough;   Cloughey;   Crawfordsburn;   Donaghcloney;   Dromara;   Groomsport;   Hilltown;   Killinchy;   Killough;   Lawrencetown;   Loughbrickland;   Loughinisland;   Mayobridge;   Scarva;   Seaforde;   Strangford

Website Resources

We recommend that you use the following search engine and

external-links to obtain additional knowledge about this place.  

General

·         Website & Webpages We Like

·         United Kingdom and Ireland - rootsweb.com

·         GENUKI: UK & Ireland Genealogy

·         UK Genealogy - The Portal for UK Family Research

·         Street Map UK

·         The Gazetteer of British Place Names - Main Page

·         Ordnance Survey, Britain’s national mapping agency

·        Cyndi’s List - United Kingdom & Ireland Index

·        IGI Batch Numbers-British Isles & North America

·        Genealogy SiteFinder: United Kingdom

·        A vision of Britain (on-line library for local history)

·        UK Genealogy Archives, Heraldry and Family History

·        List of places in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia

·        Directory of Cities and Towns in United Kingdom

Locality Specific

·           County Down, Northern Ireland GenWeb Project

·           Down, Ireland Genealogy Forum

·           Rootsweb.com Message Boards (County Down)

·           Family Research in Ireland

·           Cyndi's List - County Down, Ireland

·           Directory of Libraries in Northern Ireland

·           GENUKI: County Down

·           County Down Genealogy Links

·           County Down Research

·        County Down website

·        Armagh and Down Tourism

·        Culture Northern Ireland - Industrial Heritage of County Down

·        Down Gaelic Athletic Association/Cummann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste An Dún

·        Genealogy indexes for County Down

·        Ardglass Fishing port on East Down coast

·        Co. Down Ireland Genealogy Research Site

A view of Newry, Northern Ireland

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 location we would greatly appreciate hearing from you.

Use the following LINK to ascertain whether we have any images that pertain to this location.

ANCESTRAL LOCATION PHOTOGRAPHS and IMAGES

Contact Information