Newry, Mourne, and Down is a local government district in southeastern Northern Ireland. The Irish Sea forms the district’s eastern border, and the Republic of Ireland lies to the southwest. At the time of the 2021 census, the district’s population was 182,074. The district covers an area of 629 square miles (1,628 square kilometers). It has government offices in Newry and Downpatrick.
The district includes Strangford Lough and Dundrum Bay. The port city of Newry lies near the Mourne Mountains. Newcastle is a popular seaside resort. Ardglass has a herring industry, and the harbor at Kilkeel hosts a large fishing fleet.
Service industries—including education, health care, retail trade, and social work—employ more than 75 percent of the district’s workers. Construction, agriculture, and manufacturing are also important employment sectors. Traditional industries include textile production, meat processing, and the distilling of Irish whiskey. Quarries in the area produce granite. Ballynahinch is an important agricultural town. Barley and potatoes are important crops, and farmers also raise cattle.
The present district of Newry, Mourne, and Down covers parts of the historic counties of Armagh and Down. The counties ceased to be used as administrative areas when local government was reorganized into smaller districts in 1973. In 2015, the Down district joined with the Newry and Mourne district and a small part of the Banbridge district to form the Newry, Mourne, and Down local government district.
