Hilltown, County Down

Hilltown (Irish: "Baile Hill" ) is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. Hilltown is the main village of the Parish of Clonduff which also contains rural areas and another village named Cabra. It had a population of 899 people in the 2001 Census.

Hilltown has eight public houses in the high street, a legacy from 18th century smugglers who shared out their contraband here. The village has a livestock market on alternate Saturdays, the Boley sheep fair and festival in early July and a large sale of rams in September. The Georgian market house opposite St John's parish church (1766) adjoins the old inn, the Downshire Arms. The weathervane on the pretty cupola is a fish, a reminder of the good fishing in the River Bann and its tributaries.

History

While many people think that Hilltown obtained its name from the fact that it spreads out over at least two hills, it was actually named after Lord Hill, the founder of Hilltown and Hillsborough. He later became Marquess of Downshire. He created a large house for his residence. The Hills founded the village in 1766 so that people living in the area could find employment in the linen industry.

Demographics

Hilltown is classified as a small village or hamlet by the [http://www.nisra.gov.uk/ NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)] (ie with population between 500 and 1,000 people).On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 899 people living in Hilltown. Of these:
*27.0% were aged under 16 years and 14.4% were aged 60 and over
*48.8% of the population were male and 51.2% were female
*96.9% were from a Roman Catholic background and 2.8% were from a Protestant background
*5.1% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.

For more details see: [http://www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk/ NI Neighbourhood Information Service]

Places of interest

*Goward Dolmen is an impressive megalithic monument two miles from Hilltown on the road to Castlewellan. It is known locally as Pat Kearney's Big Stone or Cloughmore Cromlech. The huge granite capstone has slipped from its original horizontal position. [cite web | title=Goward Dolmen in Clonduff parish | work=Ros Davies' Co. Down, Ireland Genealogy Research Site | url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~rosdavies/PHOTOSwords/DolmenAll.htm | accessdate=2007-12-11]
*The St Johns Church of Ireland is situated in the centre of the village. It was built by The Marquess of Downshire in the 18th Century.

Education

*St. Patrick's Primary School - a small school, most of whose leavers further their education in Newry, Castlewellan or Warrenpoint.
*St. Paul's Primary School - an even smaller school located a few miles outside of Hilltown, most leavers also attend schools in Newry, Castlewellan or Warrenpoint.

ports

Clonduff GAC (Chluain Daimh CLG) is the local Gaelic Club in the area. It accommodates 23 teams in all sports ranging from Gaelic football, Ladies Gaelic Football, Hurling, Camogie and Gaelic Handball. The club also take part in Scór and Scór na nÓg events. It is the only club in the county to have teams competing in all five gaelic sports.

References

* [http://www.countydown.com County Down.com]
* [http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/town_Home.aspx?co=7&to=150&ca=0&sca=0&navID=1 Culture Northern Ireland]

ee also

*List of villages in Northern Ireland
*List of towns in Northern Ireland
*Market Houses in Northern Ireland