Editing Downpatrick (section)

==History==

===Pre-history===
An early [[Bronze Age]] site was excavated in the Meadowlands area of Downpatrick, revealing two [[Roundhouse (dwelling)|roundhouses]], one was four metres across and the other was over seven metres across.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Mallory, J.P.  |author2=McNeill, T.E.| year=1991 |title=The Archaeology of Ulster from Colonization to Plantation | publisher=Institute of Irish Studies, QUB | location=Belfast | page=95}}</ref> Archaeological excavations in the 1950s found what was thought to be a Bronze Age hillfort on Cathedral Hill, but further work in the 1980s revealed that this was a much later [[Rampart (fortification)|rampart]] surrounding an early Christian monastery.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Duffy |editor-first=Seán |title=Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopaedia |first=T. E. |last=McNeill |contribution=Downpatrick |pages=133|publisher=Routledge |year=2005}}</ref>

===Early history===
[[File:Mound of Down.jpg|thumb|The remains of the 'Mound of Down'.]]
[[File:St Patrick's Grave Downpatrick - older photo.jpg|thumb|right|Reputed grave of St Patrick]]
Downpatrick is one of Ireland's oldest towns. It takes its name from a ''dún'', a medieval royal fort, which stood on a [[drumlin]] overlooking the [[River Quoile]]. In the Middle Ages, the river was an estuary that would have surrounded the drumlin on most sides.<ref name="MacDonald">MacDonald, Philip (2012). [https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/communityarchaeology/PDFFileStore/Filetoupload,508691,en.pdf "Geophysical Survey and Excavation at the Mound of Down, County Down"]. [[Queen's University Belfast]]. pp.5–14, 33–35.</ref> It is believed that there was a [[ringfort]] on the site in the [[History of Ireland (400–800)|early Middle Ages]]. This may have been the site called ''Ráth Celtchair'' (later anglicized Rathkeltair), the 'fort of [[Celtchar]]', after a hero in the [[Ulster Cycle]] of [[Irish mythology]].<ref name="MacDonald"/>

A small [[Celtic Christianity|Christian]] [[monastic settlement]] was also built on the neighbouring drumlin to the south, now known as 'Cathedral Hill'.<ref name="MacDonald"/> Nearby [[Saul Monastery]] was associated with [[Saint Patrick]]. The saint is said to have been buried on Cathedral Hill in the 5th century, and his reputed grave is still a place of pilgrimage. Down Cathedral was later built on this spot.<ref name="MacDonald"/>

In the early 11th century, a much bigger fort with earthen ramparts was built on the northern drumlin, now known as the 'Mound of Down'.<ref name="MacDonald"/> This was the capital of the [[Dál Fiatach]], the main ruling dynasty of [[Ulaid]]h (Ulster), who held the title "Rí Uladh", "King of Ulster".<ref name="MacDonald"/> Deirdre Flanagan suggests that the older name ''Dún Lethglaise'' referred to Cathedral Hill, while ''Dún da Lethglas'' was the name of this new royal residence.<ref name="MacDonald"/>

The [[Kingdom of Norway (872–1397)|King of Norway]], [[Magnus Barefoot]], was killed in an ambush near Downpatrick in 1102. It is believed his grave is marked by a mound at Horse Island, southwest of Cathedral Hill.<ref>McCormick, Finbar. "[http://www.jstor.org/stable/41406683 The grave of Magnus Barelegs]". ''Ulster Journal of Archaeology'', vol. 68, 2009. pp. 102–109.</ref>

[[Saint Malachy]] became the [[Bishop of Down]] (''Dún da Lethglas'') in 1137. He administered the diocese from [[Bangor Abbey|Bangor]] and introduced a community of [[Augustinians]] (canons) to ''Dún da Lethglas'' dedicated to St John the Evangelist. Malachy and his successors repaired and enlarged Down Cathedral.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rankin |first1=Fred |title=Down Cathedral: The Church of Saint Patrick of Down |date=1997 |publisher=Ulster Historical Foundation |pages=20–21}}</ref>

In the late 12th century, the area was conquered by [[Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland|Anglo-Normans]] led by [[John de Courcy]], becoming part of his [[Earldom of Ulster]]. In February 1177, a Norman army of 300 men and 20 knights marched north from Dublin and took the town by surprise. The King of Ulster and Dál Fiatach, [[Ruaidrí mac Duinn Sléibe]] (Rory MacDunleavy), tried to retake the town, but was forced to withdraw after a fierce battle.<ref>{{cite book |last=Martin |first=Francis Xavier |author-link=F. X. Martin |editor=Art Cosgrove |title=A New History of Ireland, Volume II: Medieval Ireland 1169–1534 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |chapter=Chapter 4: Overlord becomes feudal lord, 1172–85|page=115}}</ref> The Normans began building a [[Motte-and-bailey castle|motte]] (fortified mound) inside the older royal fort, but abandoned it when de Courcy made [[Carrickfergus]] his capital in 1178.<ref name="MacDonald"/>

In 1183, de Courcy brought in [[Benedictine]] monks from the abbey of [[St Werburgh]] in [[Chester]] (today [[Chester Cathedral]]), England. He built a friary for them at Downpatrick; this building was destroyed by an earthquake in 1245.<ref>{{cite book |author1=DeBreffny, D  |author2=Mott, G| year=1976 |title=The Churches and Abbeys of Ireland | publisher=Thames & Hudson | location=London | pages=60–61}}</ref> He also re-dedicated the cathedral to Saint Patrick, giving it the name ''Ecclesia S. Patricii Duni'' in Latin.<ref name="MacDonald"/> It is claimed that de Courcy miraculously found the bones of St Patrick, St [[Brigid of Kildare|Brigid]] and St [[Colmcille]] at Downpatrick. In the presence of the Papal Legate, Vivian, the relics were reburied inside the cathedral on 9 June 1196. This story of their discovery is thought to have been crafted by de Courcy for political reasons.<ref>Rankin, pp.33–34</ref> In the Anglo-Norman and later medieval era the town's name in Latin and English documentation is variously 'Dunum', 'Dun' or 'Down'. The oldest surviving record of the name 'Downpatrick' is in the [[Bodley Survey]] of the early 1600s.<ref name="MacDonald"/>

In 1260 [[Brian O'Neill (High-King of Ireland)|Brian O'Neill]], King of [[Tír Eoghain]] (Tyrone) and claimed [[High King of Ireland]], marched to Downpatrick, which was then part of the Anglo-Norman earldom of Ulster. Allied with a Connacht force under Hugh O'Conor, he fought the Anglo-Normans in the [[Battle of Down]]. O'Neill was killed and the Irish were defeated.<ref>Rankin, p.69</ref> The death of O'Neill and defeat of the Irish was lamented in a poem by the [[Cenél nEógain]] bard [[Giolla Brighde Mac Con Midhe]] (1210–1272).

The earldom collapsed in the 1300s, but the English retained a foothold in Lecale. In 1375, Niall O'Neill of Tyrone defeated the English at Dundalethglas.<ref>Rankin, p.70</ref>

===Reformation and aftermath===
[[File:A view of the old Abbey of Downpatrick, before it was rebuilt, anno 1790 (continued) (IA jstor-20608798) (page 3 crop).jpg|thumb|A view of the old Abbey of Downpatrick, before it was rebuilt, anno 1790]]
Under orders from [[Henry VIII|King Henry VIII of England]], Downpatrick's [[Dissolution of the monasteries|monastic community was dissolved]] by the English around 1540, and the Cathedral fell into ruins. In 1600, the cathedral was allegedly burnt by English forces led by [[Edward Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell|Edward Cromwell]].<ref>Rankin, pp.79–84</ref> A painting from 1788 shows the abbey ruins and its [[Irish round tower|round tower]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Blair |first1=Philip |title=J W Hanna'a Lecture and Exhibition of 1851 |journal=Lecale Review |date=2022 |issue=20}}</ref>

The [[Archbishop of Armagh]], composer of [[Irish bardic poetry]] and [[Christian poetry]] in the [[Classical Gaelic]] [[literary language]], and [[Franciscan]] [[Counter-Reformation]] theologian [[Aodh Mac Cathmhaoil]] was born outside Downpatrick in 1571. On 21 January 1575, Franciscans John Lochran, Donagh O'Rorke, and Edmund Fitzsimon were hanged by Protestants at Downpatrick.

After his 25 April 1681 assassination by his foster brother, Art McCall O'Hanlon near [[Hilltown, County Down]], [[rapparee]] leader Count [[Redmond O'Hanlon (outlaw)|Redmond O'Hanlon]]'s [[beheading|severed head]] was [[head on a spike|displayed spiked]] upon Downpatrick Gaol. The Count's body was buried in the Roman Catholic cemetery at [[Ballynabeck]], on the road between [[Tandragee]] and [[Scarva]].<ref> Stephen Dunford (2000), ''The Irish Highwaymen'', Merlin Publishing. Pages 103–104.</ref>

Cathedral Hill was the subject of an archaeological investigation in Series 5 of the Channel 4 ''[[Time Team]]'' programme.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/programmes/time-team/on-demand/24053-007|title=Time Team – on Demand – All 4|access-date=2 May 2016|archive-date=7 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507083205/http://www.channel4.com/programmes/time-team/on-demand/24053-007|url-status=live}}</ref>

===18th century===
Four main thoroughfares are shown converging on a town plan of 1724, namely English Street, Scotch (now Saul) Street, Barrack (now Scotch) Street, and Irish Street. The landscape limited the growth of the town. The early-18th-century street plan continued largely unchanged until 1838 when Church Street was built, followed by Market Street in 1846.

The condition of the town was greatly improved in the 18th century by a land-owning family named Southwell. The first Edward Southwell was responsible for building a [[slaughterhouse#History|shambles]] in 1719 and paving of the streets, which started in 1727. In 1717 he built a quay and grain store at Quoile Quay, contributing to the economic growth of the town. The second Edward Southwell was responsible for building Southwell School in 1733.

Down County Infirmary was established in a house in Saul Street in October 1767, where it operated for seven years. It was moved to Barrack Lane (now Fountain Street) where the former Horse Barracks was bought in 1774 for £150 by [[Bernard Ward, 1st Viscount Bangor]] for use as the [[wikt:infirmary|Infirmary]]. It was used until the new Infirmary (later known as the [[Downe Hospital]]) was opened in 1834.

In June 1778, [[John Wesley]], the founder of [[Methodism]], preached in the new preaching house in Downpatrick and in The Grove beside the ruins of Down Cathedral, which he called a "noble ruin".

[[File:Countynstables! (8241200776).jpg|thumb|Downpatrick in the late 19th century]]

===19th century===
On 21 October 1803, a co-founder and leader of the [[United Irishmen]], [[Thomas Russell (rebel)|Thomas Russell]], was hanged outside Downpatrick Gaol for his part in trying to raise local United Irishmen and [[Defenders (Ireland)|Defenders]] in support of [[Irish rebellion of 1803|Robert Emmet's rebellion]] in July of that year.  Russell is buried in the graveyard of the Anglican parish Church of Downpatrick, St Margaret's, in a grave paid for by his friend [[Mary Ann McCracken]], sister of leading Belfast United Irishman [[Henry Joy McCracken]] who had been hanged in 1798.

In his role as barrister, [[Daniel O'Connell]], "The Liberator", was called away from London to Downpatrick to attend the County Down Assizes, as counsel in a case heard on 1 April 1829.<ref>Selected reports from the Belfast Newsletter</ref> As the leading campaigner for [[Catholic Emancipation]], he had been in London for the parliamentary passage of the [[Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829]] which lifted the sacramental test bar to Catholics entering the British Parliament. On 2 April 1829, O'Connell attended a public dinner at Downpatrick in his honour, along with "upwards of eighty gentlemen, of different religious persuasions".

On St Patrick's Day, 17 March 1848, a crowd of 2,000–3,000 Catholics set off from Old Course Road intending to parade to the reputed grave of St Patrick on Cathedral Hill. They were attacked by Protestant [[Orange Order|Orangemen]] at the Irish Street shambles and a riot ensued.

[[File:St Patrick's Catholic Church, Downpatrick - geograph.org.uk - 2446907.jpg|thumb|St Patrick's Catholic Church]]

===The Troubles===
There were many gun attacks and bombings in Downpatrick during [[the Troubles]]. The deadliest incident was the [[Downpatrick landmine attack]] on 9 April 1990. The [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] (IRA) detonated a massive [[Improvised explosive device|improvised]] [[land mine]] under a [[British Army]] convoy on Ballydugan Road, just outside the town. Four soldiers of the [[Ulster Defence Regiment]] (UDR) were killed<ref>{{cite book |last1=McKittrick |first1=David |title=Lost Lives: The Stories of the Men, Women and Children who Died as a Result of the Northern Ireland Troubles |date=2001 |publisher=Random House |page=1195}}</ref>