Down

Names prominent in this county include: Alinden, Audley, Campbell, Cartan, Colgan, Colter, Copeland, Coulter, Delvany, Devaney, Donegan, Donlevy, Dunlevy, Fitzsimon, Garvey, Gilmore, Guinness, Hanvey, Hanvy, Hoey, Jordan, Kinel, Lavery, Lawlor, Lowry, Lynch, MacAlinden, MacCartan, MacDunlevy, MacGuinness, Macken, Mahon, Mandeville, McAlinden, McCartan, McDunlevy, McGirvern, McGuinness, McMurray, McRory, Murray, Murtell, Neil, Neill, O'Garvey, O'Kelly, O'Loughnan, O'Moore, O'Moran, O'Rogan, O'Colter, O'Devaney, O'Donegan, O'Garvey, O'Gowan, O'Hanvy, O'Hoey, O'Lavery, O'Neil, O'Neill, O'Rooney, Riddell, Rooney, Russell, Savage, Smyth, Staunton, White, Whyte

In the far east of Ireland, Down faces the Irish Sea. However, although the sea has always shaped the lives of its inhabitants --offering a living to fisherfolk, bringing invaders and visitors, and later offering the beckoning promise of new homes and a different world-- the history of County Down is writ large on the land. Home to the Mourne mountains, Down is also home to some of Ireland’s earliest man-made earthworks. A thousand years later early Christian missionaries --including St. Patrick-- left their mark on the land and Down became a center of learning by the late 7th century. - notes by Sarah Nagle

One of a series of Irish District tartans designed (and copyrighted) by Polly Wittering of the House of Edgar in 1995. This is not an 'officially sanctioned' District tartan but has proven popular.