Killyleagh (; ) is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in County Down,

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. It is on the A22 road between Belfast and

Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Its cathedral is said to be the b ...

, on the western side of

Strangford Lough Strangford Lough (from Old Norse ''Strangr Fjörðr'', meaning "strong sea-inlet"PlaceNames N ...

. It had a population of 2,483 people in the 2001 Census. It is best known for its twelfth century

Killyleagh Castle Killyleagh Castle is a castle in the village of Killyleagh, County Down, Northern Ireland. It dominates the small village and is believed to be amongst one of the oldest inhabited castles in the country, with parts dating back to 1180. It follows ...

. Killyleagh lies within the

Newry, Mourne and Down Ulster Scots: ''Newrie, Morne an Doon'' , settlement_type = District , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_type1 = Constituent country , subdivision_type2 = , subdivision_type3 = , subdivisi ...

district.

Demography

Killyleagh is classified as an intermediate settlement by th
NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)
(i.e. with population between 2000 and 4000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 2,483 people living in Killyleagh. Of these: *22.5% were aged under 16 years and 20.3% were aged 60 and over *49.5% of the population were male and 50.5% were female *60.4% were from a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

background and 37.8% were from a Catholic background *4.4% of people aged 16–75 were unemployed. For more details see
NI Neighbourhood Information Service

Places of interest

is a private family residence that is said to be the oldest inhabited castle in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It has been the home of the Hamilton family since the 17th century Plantation of Ulster and acquired its fairy-tale silhouette in the 1850s when the turrets were added, but it is mostly the same castle that the second Earl of Clanbrassil rebuilt in 1666. The castle hosts occasional concerts. In the past performers have included Van Morrison,

Arlo Guthrie Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his father, Woody Guthrie. Gu ...

, Jackson Browne,

Glen Hansard Glen Hansard (born 21 April 1970) is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and actor. Since 1990, he has been the frontman of the Irish rock band The Frames, with whom he has released six studio albums, four of which have charted in the top te ...

and

Bap Kennedy Martin Christopher Kennedy (17 June 1962 – 1 November 2016), known as Bap Kennedy, was a singer-songwriter from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was noted for his collaborations with Steve Earle, Van Morrison, Shane MacGowan and Mark Knopfler, a ...

. * Delamont Country Park is just outside Killyleagh on the road to Downpatrick.

People

*It was the birthplace of Sir Hans Sloane, 1st Bt. He began collecting plants and birds' eggs on the shores of

Strangford Lough Strangford Lough (from Old Norse ''Strangr Fjörðr'', meaning "strong sea-inlet"PlaceNames N ...

and his accumulation grew into a priceless collection that formed the nucleus of the British Museum. He was also personal physician to King George II. *Reverend Edward Hincks, a renowned Assyriologist and

Egyptologist Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , '' -logia''; ar, علم المصريات) is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religiou ...

, was appointed Church of Ireland rector of Killyleagh in 1825, an office he was to hold for the remaining forty-one years of his life. *Killyleagh's adjacent townland, Moymore, was the birthplace of William Carr, who emigrated to Pittsburgh USA, became an entrepreneur and left his fortune "to his Irish relatives." * Henry Cooke was the minister of 1st Presbyterian Church, who went on to become Moderator of the General Assembly and a leading exponent of orthodox Presbyterianism in Belfast in the mid 19th century. His statue in Belfast, standing outside the

Royal Belfast Academical Institution The Royal Belfast Academical Institution is an independent grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the support of Belfast's leading reformers and democrats, it opened its doors in 1814. Until 1849, when it was superseded by what today is ...

, is known as "The Black Man". *Killyleagh is the home town of David Healy, the retired

football player. Healy is Northern Ireland's record goalscorer by a considerable distance, with 36 goals. The second highest total is 20 goals. He also holds the record for most goals scored in a European Championship Qualifying Phase, with 13 goals during the country's failed bid to reach

Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of Europea ...

. Healy's former Bury teammate

Trevor Carson Trevor Carson (born 5 March 1988) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club Dundee. Born in Killyleagh, Northern Ireland, Carson started his youth career with Killyleagh Boys before movin ...

is also from Killyleagh. * The present Duke of York, The Prince Andrew, also has the title Baron Killyleagh. * Robert Lowry (1824–1904), born in Killyleagh, emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and became a judge and U.S. Representative from Indiana. *

Thomas L. Young Thomas Lowry Young (December 14, 1832July 20, 1888) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Ohio. Young, a Republican, served as the 33rd governor of Ohio from March 2, 1877, to January 14, 1878. Early life Young was born in Killylea ...

(1832-1888), born in Killyleagh, served as Governor of Ohio from 1877 to 1878. *

Henry Blackwood Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Blackwood, 1st Baronet, GCH, KCB (28 December 1770 – 17 December 1832), whose memorial is in Killyleagh Parish Church, was a British sailor. Early life Blackwood was the fourth son of Sir John Blackwood, 2nd Baronet, ...

(1781–1830), born and buried in Killyleagh, vice admiral in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

Twin town

Killyleagh is twinned with Cleveland, North Carolina,

Civil parish of Killyleagh

The civil parish is mainly in the barony of Dufferin, with one townland in the barony of Castlereagh Upper. It also contains the village of Killyleagh.

Townlands

The civil parish contains the following townlands: * Ardigoa * Ballyalgan * Ballygoskin * Ballymacarron * Ballymacromwell * Ballytrim * Ballywillin * Clay * Cluntagh *

Commons The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons c ...

* Corbally * Corporation * Derryboy * Dodd's Island * Dunnyneill Islands * Gibb's Island * Island Taggart *

Killinchy in the Woods Killinchy () is a townland and small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is two miles inland from the western shores of Strangford Lough in the Ards and North Down Borough Council, Borough of Ards and North Down. It is situated in the to ...

* Kirkland and Toy * Lisinaw * Moymore * Mullagh * Pawle Island * Rathcunningham * Ringdufferin * Simmy Island * Toy and Kirkland * Tullykin * Tullymacnous * Tullyveery

Sport

* Killyleagh Youth F.C. play association football in the Northern Amateur Football League.

References

External links

Killyleagh Primary School
{{authority control Villages in County Down Former boroughs in Northern Ireland