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Dundrum
(in Irish: Dún Droma, ie fort of the ridge) is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland, lying by Dundrum Bay. It is situated 4 miles outside Newcastle on the A2 road. The town is best known for its ruined Norman castle. It had a population of 1,065 people in the 2001 Census. Dundrum is situated in the Down District Council area. |
Coal was a major import into Dundrum, where the East Downshire Steamship Company was based. Dundrum ceased to be a commercial port in 1984.
The SS Great Britain, one of the first iron ships and designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was on its way from Liverpool to New York in 1846, when it ran aground during bad weather in Dundrum Bay. The captain, James Hosken, miscalculated the steamer's speed, and with poor charts, mistook the St John's Point lighthouse for the Chicken Rock lighthouse. He tried to turn to starboard and North after passing the wrong lighthouse. |
Medieval Dundrum Castle with its circular keep and massive walls is set high on a hill overlooking the sea. It was built shortly before 1210, on an earlier fortified earthwork, from which the place-name element 'dun' derives. The building was begun by John de Courcy, who led the 1177 Norman invasion of East Ulster. The castle was to guard the land routes from Drogheda via Greencastle to Downpatrick. It was visited by King John in 1210, who spent money for minor works to the castle and paid for a garrison there. Subsequently the castle was held by the Earls of Ulster and, from the middle of the 14th century, by the Magennises of Mourne. In 1517 it was captured by the Earl of Kildare and later by Lord Deputy Grey in 1538. The castle was surrendered to the Crown in 1601 by Phelim Magennis, granted to Edward Lord Cromwell and sold to the Blundell family. The Magennises took the castle briefly in 1641, but the Blundells returned after the war and built the house on the south edge of the castle.
The Murlough nature reserve is situated between Dundrum and Newcastle. The rugged sand dunes and beach are National Trust property.
The thriving village of Dundrum is dominated by the wonderful Norman Dundrum Castle. The village has several award winning restaurants, pubs which serve food, antique shops and art galleries as well as a small supermarket, Post Office, garage and chemist. Seafood can be purchased locally from the oyster farm or from the seafood restaurant.
The village is on the main bus route between Newcastle and Belfast. Dublin in the South of the island is easily accessible by car or train, journey time about one hour 30 minutes. |
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