Downpatrick

County town of County Down, Northern Ireland, 45 km/28 mi southeast of Belfast; population (2001) 10,300. Local employment is mainly in service industries, but residents also commute to Belfast. Downpatrick has been an important settlement since prehistoric times, and its first church may have been founded by St Patrick in the 5th century.

Downpatrick has been the cathedral town of the (now Protestant) diocese of Down since the Middle Ages. A major borough in Anglo-Norman times, it became the market centre for the rich farming area of Lecale, but declined in importance during the 19th century. The Ulster Harp National horserace is held annually at the racecourse.

A granite stone, commissioned in 1900, with the name PATRIC engraved, stands outside the cathedral to mark the legend that St Patrick may be buried nearby. There is no historical evidence for this, although it is known that he died at Saul, 3 km/2 mi northeast of Downpatrick. A number of modern shrines in the area have become sites of pilgrimage.