Things to Do

Downpatrick's strongest sights are historical rather than showy. Start with the St Patrick sites in town, then add Inch Abbey or the older ritual landscape around Struell Wells and Ballynoe Stone Circle.

Guide

Things to Do

01

Castle Ward

Castle Ward is an 18th-century mansion and estate near Strangford, known for its split personality: one side is Palladian, the other Georgian Gothic. The …

Architecture
02

Down Cathedral

Hilltop cathedral traditionally marking the burial place of St Patrick.

Sight
03

Inch Abbey

Scenic Cistercian abbey ruins by the River Quoile north of Downpatrick.

Sight
04

Ballynoe Stone Circle

Large prehistoric stone circle south of Downpatrick, used from the Neolithic into the Bronze Age.

Sight
05

Down County Museum

County museum in Downpatrick's old jail, with the original Down High Cross.

Museum
06

St Patrick Centre

Modern exhibition centre explaining Patrick, myth-making, and Ireland's patron saint.

Museum
07

Struell Wells

Ancient holy wells and stone bath houses linked to pilgrimage and St Patrick traditions.

Sight
08

Audleystown Court Cairn

Audleystown Court Cairn is a roofless Neolithic burial monument near Strangford Lough. Its long stone gallery and forecourts give a clear sense of the …
09

Downpatrick and County Down Railway

Heritage railway running short steam and diesel trips from Downpatrick toward Inch Abbey.

Museum