Dromore, County Down

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Caption Text

Dromore (Droim Mór) is a market town in the Lagan Valley, in County Down(An Dún), Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann).

The word 'Dromore' derives from the Irish language(Gaeilge) term "Droim Mór" meaning 'Big Ridge'.

It is 20 miles south-west of Belfast, on the A1 Belfast to Dublin road. 2001, the population of the urban district was approximately 6,000.

The town's centre is Market Square, which has a rare set of stocks. King William III fought a battle here on the 14th August 1689 (about a mile out on the Milebush Road)known as the 'Break of Dromore' on his way to the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

It is in the linen manufacturing district. The town is of high antiquity, and was the seat of a Diocese of Dromore, which grew out of an abbey of Canons Regular attributed to St Colman in the 6th century, and was united in 1842 to Down and Dromore.

The town and cathedral were wholly destroyed during the rebellion of 1641, and the present church was built by Bishop Jeremy Taylor in 1661, who is buried there. Also buried in the former cathedral is Thomas Percy, another famous bishop of the diocese, who laid out the fine grounds of the palace. A monument to Thomas Percy stands in the Town Park

Remains of a castle and earthworks are to be seen, together with a large rath or encampment known as the Priest's Mount - On the Maypole Hill.

Famous Residents

• Harry Ferguson -(1884-1960)- inventor of tractor.
• Jeffery Donaldson - Northern Ireland Politician
• David Humphreys (rugby player) - Irish rugby international

External link

• Dromore Information

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)