The ''Down Recorder'' is a weekly

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sport ...

published in

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 th ...

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to th ...

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. North ...

every Wednesday. It is owned by W.Y. Crichton & Co.

History

The paper, then known as ''The Downpatrick Recorder'', was first published on 31 December 1836. It was the first newspaper to be published in the town, and was owned by Conway Pilson, the son of a local historian. At that time, news from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and abroad came by boat to

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

in the evening. However, the boat rested for 12 hours at

Newry Newry (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Clanrye river in counties Armagh and Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011. Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery, although ...

, from Downpatrick. Pilson organised a horse relay to bring the news from there so he could publish it before any rival papers. The paper was renamed ''The Down Recorder'' in 1878 to reflect its wider circulation. In 1964, the production moved from the original offices in Irish Street to a former Post Office building on Church Street. In 1966, the actually printing was moved to more modern facilities in

Portadown Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...

References

External links

''Down Recorder''
Newspapers published in Northern Ireland Downpatrick Mass media in County Down {{NorthernIreland-newspaper-stub