Down was a district council area, a kind of local government area, on the southeastern coast of Northern Ireland from 1973 to 2015. The Down district lay in the southern part of historic County Down. The northeastern part of the district bordered Strangford Lough (Strangford Lake), and the southeastern part bordered Dundrum Bay and the Irish Sea.
Much of the area of the former Down district is agricultural. Barley and potatoes are the chief crops, and farmers also raise cattle. Ballynahinch is an important agricultural town, and Ardglass has a herring industry. The historic town of Downpatrick is a center for service industries, including government services. Newcastle is a popular seaside resort.
County Down was one of the six former counties of Northern Ireland. It ceased to exist as an administrative area in 1973, when local government was reorganized into smaller districts, including the district of Down. However, the historic county remains important both culturally and geographically. In 2015, the Down district was combined with the Mourne and Newry district, and a small part of the Banbridge district. Together, they formed the Newry, Mourne, and Down local government district.
See Down, County.
