Things to do in County Down

Audley's Castle is a well-preserved fifteenth-century tower house on the shore of Strangford Lough in County Down, Northern Ireland, in the care of the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities. The castle stands on a promontory above the lough and offers dramatic views across the water toward the Ards Peninsula, with the tidal mudflats and wooded shores of Strangford Lough visible in every direction. Strangford Lough is one of the most important marine nature reserves in Ireland, and the castle's lochside position reflects the medieval importance of this tidal inlet as a highway for movement around the southwest and south Ulster coastlines. The tower house is freely accessible and provides an atmospheric addition to any exploration of the Strangford Lough landscape.

Bangor Castle is situated in Castle Park in the town of Bangor 12 miles from Belfast. The castle has the appearance of a three storey Elizabethan - Jacobean mansion house made from limestone attached to an earlier abbey which has a steeply pitched roof. The castle sits in formal gardens with flower beds, which have won awards for their outstanding blooms and trees around the perimeter; a large car park has also been built at the front. Facilities Bangor Castle is now used by the local council and not open to the general public. The original building on the site was an abbey founded in around 555AD by St. Comgal. The building was destroyed in the 9th century by the Danes and rebuilt in 1120 after which it was used by Franciscan monks until the abbey was dissolved in 1542. The manor house on the site was completed in 1852 for the Honorable Robert Edward Ward and consisted of no less than 35 bedrooms and a large saloon for music recitals. Bangor Borough Council acquired the castle and it became the Town Hall. It is now the seat of its successor the North Down Borough Council.

Castle Ward in County Down is one of the most architecturally curious and entertaining country houses in Ireland, a mid-eighteenth-century mansion of two facing facades built in two completely different architectural styles that reflects an apparently irreconcilable difference of taste between its original owners, Bernard Ward, first Viscount Bangor, and his wife Lady Anne Bligh. The south-facing garden front was built in the classical Palladian style that Bernard preferred, while the north-facing entrance front was designed in the Gothic Revival style that Lady Anne favoured, and the interior is divided similarly, with rooms in both classical and Gothic decorative schemes. The story behind this architectural schizophrenia, whether apocryphal or not, has always been one of the great anecdotes of Irish architectural history. The couple are said to have disagreed so fundamentally about the style of their house that the only solution was to give each party their preferred design on their respective sides of the building, a compromise that produced one of the most unusual houses in these islands. The marriage did not survive the building of the house, Lady Anne departing for Bath, but the architectural consequences of their disagreement have survived and amused visitors ever since. The estate surrounding the house is one of the finest in County Down, occupying a beautiful position above Strangford Lough with extensive formal gardens, woodland walks and a working farm with Victorian farmyard buildings. The estate has been managed by the National Trust since 1953 and the combination of the house, gardens and estate walks makes a full day's visit easy to fill. The Strangford Lough Wildlife Centre within the estate provides information about the extraordinary marine and coastal habitats of the lough. Castle Ward has also achieved contemporary fame as a filming location for Game of Thrones, whose production team used the estate extensively, and guided tours relating to the series are available for fans of the programme.

Castle Ward estate on the shores of Strangford Lough in County Down is one of the most architecturally extraordinary country houses in Ireland, an eighteenth-century mansion divided between two completely different architectural styles on its two principal facades reflecting the irreconcilable aesthetic preferences of its builders, Bernard Ward and his wife Lady Anne Bligh, who could not agree on whether the house should be classical or Gothic. The result, Georgian Palladian on the west front and Gothick on the east, is one of the most unusual and most discussed architectural curiosities in Ireland. The National Trust manages the estate and the combination of the architectural oddity, the beautiful setting above Strangford Lough, the Victorian laundry and the walled garden provides an excellent and varied heritage visit. The estate film connections have added contemporary fame: Castle Ward was used extensively as Winterfell in the early seasons of the television series Game of Thrones, and the Game of Thrones tourism that has developed around this and the other filming locations of Northern Ireland has brought considerable additional visitor interest to a property already well established on the heritage circuit. The tidal wildfowl reserve of Strangford Lough visible from the estate provides excellent birdwatching, and the combination of the house, the lough views and the estate landscape makes Castle Ward one of the most complete and most rewarding National Trust properties in Northern Ireland.

Castlewellan Castle is a Scottish Baronial castle in Castlewellan town in County Down, Northern Ireland, built between 1856 and 1858 for the Annesley family on an estate developed throughout the nineteenth century. The castle, now used as a conference and retreat centre, is adjacent to the celebrated Castlewellan Forest Park, one of the finest arboretum landscapes in Ireland, developed by the Annesley family and subsequently by the Forest Service of Northern Ireland. The arboretum at Castlewellan contains one of the most diverse collections of trees and shrubs in Ireland, including many rare and champion specimens, and the formal lake, peace maze and extensive woodland walks make the park one of the most visited heritage and natural destinations in County Down.

Clough Castle is a well-preserved motte-and-bailey earthwork castle in the village of Clough in County Down, Northern Ireland, representing one of the finest surviving examples of early Norman earthwork fortification in Ulster. The castle was built in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century by the Anglo-Norman colonisers who extended their power into east Ulster following the initial invasion of 1177. The large motte originally topped with a timber tower and surrounded by a bailey enclosure with ditch and bank provides a clear and legible example of the type of castle quickly thrown up across newly conquered territories. The earthworks are well preserved in the village setting and are freely accessible, providing one of the more complete early Norman castle earthworks in Ulster.

Downpatrick is the county town of County Down and the site of Down Cathedral, which contains what is believed to be the grave of St Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, making it one of the most important Christian pilgrimage sites in Ireland and the centre of the annual St Patrick's Day celebrations in County Down. The combination of the cathedral, the grave, the Down County Museum housed in the eighteenth-century jail and the surrounding landscape of the Lecale Peninsula gives Downpatrick a heritage richness quite out of proportion to its modest size. Down Cathedral, substantially rebuilt in the nineteenth century on the site of a succession of earlier churches and a Benedictine monastery, stands on the hilltop that has been a place of Christian worship since the fifth century when St Patrick is believed to have established his principal church here following his return to Ireland. The large granite slab in the churchyard, inscribed simply PATRIC, marks the traditional grave site in a simplicity that contrasts with the elaboration of the later pilgrimage tradition. The Down County Museum in the former eighteenth-century county jail provides an excellent account of the history of County Down from the prehistoric period through to the recent past. The cells and exercise yard of the jail are preserved alongside the museum displays and provide a physical reminder of the harsher aspects of eighteenth-century justice in a building that also housed United Irishmen prisoners following the 1798 Rebellion.

Dundrum Castle is a ruined Norman enclosure castle near the village of Dundrum in County Down, Northern Ireland, spectacularly situated on a hilltop above the village and Dundrum Bay with views toward the Mountains of Mourne and across Dundrum Inlet. The castle was built by John de Courcy, the Anglo-Norman adventurer who conquered east Ulster in the 1170s, and was subsequently one of the most important royal castles in Ulster throughout the medieval period. The circular keep and concentric enclosure represent the most advanced military architecture of the thirteenth century, and the quality of the surviving stonework reflects the castle's status as a major royal fortress. The castle is in the care of the Historic Environment Division and is freely accessible, with the hilltop position providing exceptional views over the bay and the Mourne Mountains.

Grey Abbey on the shores of Strangford Lough in County Down is the finest and most completely preserved Cistercian abbey ruin in Ireland, a monastery of the twelfth century founded in 1193 by Affreca, daughter of the King of Man and wife of John de Courcy, whose substantial church and cloister buildings survive in unusually good condition above the beautiful setting of the lough shore. The abbey is managed by Historic Environment Northern Ireland and the combination of the architectural quality of the ruins, the medieval physic garden and the surrounding Strangford Lough landscape creates one of the most rewarding monastic heritage visits in Ulster. The abbey church at Grey Abbey is one of the finest examples of early Gothic architecture in Ireland, its pointed arches and ribbed vaulting representing the arrival of the Gothic style in Ireland in a building of considerable ambition and quality for its remote lough shore setting. The west doorway of the church, with its elaborate mouldings and decoration, is one of the finest pieces of medieval stonework in Northern Ireland and demonstrates the architectural ambition of the founding community's building programme. The reconstructed physic garden adjacent to the ruins provides a creative interpretation of the medicinal plants that a Cistercian community would have cultivated for the treatment of the sick in their infirmary, and the combination of the garden, the ruins and the lough shore setting creates a visit of considerable variety and historical depth.

Hillsborough Castle is a Georgian country house in the historic town of Hillsborough in County Down, Northern Ireland, serving as the official royal residence and Government House in Northern Ireland. The house was built in the 1770s for Wills Hill, first Marquess of Downshire, and has served as the official residence for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and for visits by the British royal family since the 1920s. The castle and its gardens were opened to visitors in 2019, allowing public access to the state rooms and the extensive walled gardens for the first time. The adjacent historic town of Hillsborough, with its Georgian architecture, fort and church, is one of the most attractive small towns in Northern Ireland.

Hillsborough in County Down is one of the finest and most completely Georgian small towns in Northern Ireland, a planned estate town of the eighteenth century whose Georgian square, courthouse, fort and parish church and the nearby Hillsborough Castle, the official Northern Ireland residence of the British Royal Family, create one of the most complete and most elegant historic urban ensembles in Ulster. The town's combination of the Georgian architecture and the political significance of the castle makes it one of the most historically important and most scenically refined small towns in the province. Hillsborough Castle, the official residence in Northern Ireland of the Secretary of State and the Royal Family, has been the setting for some of the most significant political events in Northern Irish history, including the meetings that contributed to the peace process agreements of the 1990s. The castle and its gardens were opened to the public in 2019 following a major restoration programme, providing access to the state rooms and the beautiful parkland gardens for the first time in the castle's history. The Georgian square of Hillsborough, with its courthouse, the Church of Ireland parish church and the surrounding terraces of Georgian houses, provides one of the finest examples of a planned Georgian town in Ulster and the combination of the architectural quality and the political history makes Hillsborough one of the most rewarding and most complete heritage visits in County Down.

Inch Abbey on the banks of the River Quoile near Downpatrick in County Down is a Cistercian abbey of the late twelfth century whose ruined but substantial remains stand in a tranquil riverside setting of considerable beauty, the combination of the pointed Gothic arches of the church windows, the green grass of the former cloister and the river and marshland of the Quoile providing one of the most quietly atmospheric monastic ruins in Ulster. The abbey was founded by John de Courcy, the Norman lord who conquered Ulster in the 1170s, for Cistercian monks from Furness Abbey in Lancashire. The Gothic architecture of Inch Abbey represents the Norman-Cistercian building tradition transplanted to Ireland in its earliest phase, the pointed arches and the austere decorative programme of the building reflecting the Cistercian aesthetic of simplicity and spiritual concentration. The church is the most substantial surviving building, its west doorway and the windows of the north transept preserving some of the finest Early Gothic stonework in County Down. The natural setting of the abbey on the edge of the Quoile marshes, a freshwater lagoon and marsh habitat created by the construction of a tidal barrier on the River Quoile in 1957, provides excellent birdwatching and the combination of the ecclesiastical heritage and the wetland nature reserve makes Inch Abbey one of the more varied heritage and natural destinations in the Down landscape.

Jordan's Castle near Ardglass in County Down, Northern Ireland, is a well-preserved sixteenth-century tower house on the coast south of Strangford Lough, one of the most complete examples of a small Ulster tower house from the later medieval period. The castle was associated with the Jordan family and formed part of the network of fortified sites along the east Down coast that controlled the fishing and trading harbours of this commercially active stretch of coastline. The tower house is four storeys high with the characteristic features of its type: thick walls, vaulted basement, mural stairs and corbelled parapets. The village of Ardglass nearby is an attractive fishing village with several other medieval tower houses and a rich heritage reflecting its importance as a medieval trading port.

Kilclief Castle near Strangford in County Down, Northern Ireland, is a well-preserved fifteenth-century tower house built between 1413 and 1441 by John Sely, Bishop of Down, as a summer residence on the shore of Strangford Lough. The castle is notable as one of the earliest tower houses in Ireland for which a firm date of construction is known, making it an important benchmark for understanding the development of the tower house form in Ulster. The building features twin towers flanking the entrance passage on the main facade, creating an unusually formal and symmetrical appearance that may reflect the ecclesiastical status of its builder. The castle is in the care of the Historic Environment Division and stands on the lough shore with attractive views across the water toward the Ards Peninsula.

The castle is situated in the village of Killyleagh 11 miles east of Ballynahinch Killyleagh Castle was built to resemble a French Chateau from the Loire Valley with round corner turrets, a steeply sloping grey slate roof and a gate lodge. Facilities Today Killyleagh Castle is the oldest inhabited castle in Ireland, with the main part of the castle being home to Gawn Hamilton and his family. The Hamilton's have now opened two of the towers as self catering accommodation. Guests can have use of tennis courts and swimming pool as well as the roof top patio. The towers can sleep up to 15 people and offer modern facilities including central heating. King James I gave the land to a Scott called James Hamilton, later honoured with the title Vicount Claneboye. He built a single towered castle and courtyard walls; his son James, 1st Earl of Clanbrissil added a second tower. In 1649 the castle was attacked by Cromwell's forces from the Lough, the Earl escaped leaving his wife and family behind. His son the 2nd Earl, Henry, rebuilt the castle in 1666 restoring the protective wall and adding a tower to the north. In 1667 the 2nd Earl married Lady Alice Moore. She soon discovered that if they didn't produce an heir the estate would be inherited by five other family members so she arranged for her father in laws will to be destroyed. In 1674 she persuaded her husband make a will of his own leaving the castle and estate to her, a year later he died of poisoning. After the death of Lady Alice in1677 the cousins became aware of the 1st Earl's will and pursued their rights to the estate from Lady Alice's brother. The matter took twenty years to resolve and it was only after a copy of the original will was found that the castle was rightfully theirs. By this time all the cousins had died but one of them; James of Neilsbrook, had been confident that justice would be done and in his will had left the estate to his relatives. In 1697 his two nephews William and Gawn gained the main house and his daughter Anne was awarded the gatehouse. William and Gawn made a new entrance to the castle and on their death's the castle passed to Gawn's descendents as William died childless. From 1849 the current owner Archibald Hamilton employed Sir Charles Lanyon to renovate and redesign elements of the castle which included adding the turrets. The gatehouse passed through marriage to the Baron's of Dufferin and Claneboye, and it was the 5th Baron Fredrick Temple Blackwood who in 1860 gave the gatehouse back to the Hamiltons. During the 1920's the castle was attacked by the IRA but remained with the family and has done ever since. The Arts The castle in the past has hosted concerts for Glen Hansard, Bap Kennedy and Van Morrison