Killynure () is a

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

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 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, lying on the south-east border of

Carryduff Carryduff ()Northern Ireland Placenames Project
is a small ...

. The townland is approximately 770 acres (3.1 km²) in area, and still consists mostly of farmland, although since the 1990s, the housing developments of Carryduff have begun to encroach on its north-west corner (including the Killynure Estate). The 'Church of the Yew' which gave the townland its name possibly existed in the 9th century, with the most probable site being at Flowe Farm on Killynure Road West. Local records record that a schoolhouse was constructed in 1795 on the site, re-using existing stone from a ruin in the field, which also contained several yew stumps. A couple of 3rd century

Roman coins Roman currency for most of Roman history consisted of gold, silver, bronze, orichalcum#Numismatics, orichalcum and copper coinage. From its introduction during the Roman Republic, Republic, in the third century BC, through Roman Empire, Imperial ...

were also found nearby."Carryduff 2000" George A Bowsie & Graham Murphy Killynure Road runs north-south through the townland, connecting Carryduff and

Saintfield Saintfield () is a village and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is about halfway between Belfast and Downpatrick on the A7 road (Northern Ireland), A7 road. It had a population of 3,588 in the 2021 Unite ...

, passing close to the summit of

Ouley Hill Ouley Hill is 180 m high and lies in County Down Northern Ireland between Carryduff and Saintfield. Its name is derived It was the site of a battle in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster ...

. Use of the road is attested as far back as the 17th century, and it formed part of the main

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

route between

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

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. Down Cathedral, Its cathedral is sai ...

. However, horses struggled ascending Ouley Hill, and in the latter half of the 19th century, a new road between Carryduff and Saintfield was constructed, bypassing the hill: this is still in use today as the modern A7. Killynure Road West leaves the Killynure Road at Ouley Hill and runs westward, to meet the A24 road (which connects Carryduff to Ballynahinch). Killynure Avenue, a small road which runs between the Killynure Road and the A7, leading to Lisdoonan townland, is lined with numerous

ash tree ''Fraxinus'' (), commonly called ash, is a genus of plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae, and comprises 45–65 species of usually medium-to-large trees, most of which are deciduous trees, although some subtropical species are evergr ...

s. The townland contains a few small streams which join the Carryduff River, ultimately flowing into the Lagan some miles north at Minnowburn.

References

{{coord missing, County Down Townlands of County Down Civil parish of Saintfield