Heritage Walks Festival: Explore the Stories of Downpatrick and Beyond
🗓️ 9–15 June
📍 Various Locations in and around Downpatrick
Step into the rich past of Downpatrick and the surrounding area during this year’s Heritage Walks Festival, running from Sunday 9 June to Saturday 15 June. This unique festival invites locals and visitors alike to uncover hidden tales, fascinating heritage, and scenic trails across one of Northern Ireland’s most historic regions.
Led by expert guides, each walk brings a new theme to life—from ancient settlements and medieval monasteries to Georgian merchants, old prisons, and prehistoric monuments.
2025 Programme Highlights
(All walks require pre-booking. Some are free, others cost £5 per person.)
- Town Stories Walk – Downpatrick
🗓️ Monday 9, Wednesday 11 & Friday 13 June | 🕛 12pm | ⏱️ 2 hours | Free
Discover Downpatrick’s evolution from its earliest roots to modern times on this engaging town walk.
- Quoile River Evening Walk
🗓️ Wednesday 11 June | 🕖 7pm | ⏱️ 2 hours | 💷 £5
Explore the old port, its bustling quays, and the lives of those who passed through.
- Crime and Punishment: Gaols of Downpatrick
🗓️ Thursday 12 June | ⏱️ 2 hours | 💷 £5
Uncover dark tales of prisoners and punishment from the medieval era to the 1800s.
- Ballynoe Stone Circle Tour
🗓️ Friday 13 June | ⏱️ 2 hours | 💷 £5
Discover one of County Down’s most significant prehistoric monuments and its mysterious past.
- Sketch & Stroll at the Quoile
🗓️ Saturday 14 June | ⏱️ 3 hours | 💷 £5
A creative outdoor session with a local artist—perfect for budding artists and nature lovers alike.
- Early Christian & Medieval Downpatrick
🗓️ Saturday 14 June | ⏱️ 2 hours | 💷 £5
Journey through sacred sites like the Abbey of Down and Downpatrick High Cross.
- Tobar Mhuire, Crossgar Walk
🗓️ Tuesday 11 June | ⏱️ Time TBC | 💷 £5
A peaceful guided walk through the historic grounds of Tobar Mhuire.
Plus, a guided walk around Tobar Mhuire, Crossgar on 11 June and walks of Downpatrick are available for school groups. Contact Saint Patrick Centre 028 4461 9000
Join guide Mairead Sweeney to explore the history of the Quoile river and pondage, from its site as the earliest settlements in Downpatrick, through its heyday as a bustling port and centre of industry.
Incorrigibles and Unfortunates: Gaols in Downpatrick Join Linda McKenna to explore Downpatrick's four seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth century gaol sites and the stories of their prisoners. The walk will finish at the Gallows Hill, the traditional execution site in Downpatrick where many 'incorrigibles and unfortunates' ended their days.
Discover more about this fascinating and important ancient monument
Join artist Martin McParland for a stroll and sketch along the Quoile river. Take in the sights of the beautiful Quoile and capture the scenery in your sketches.
Explore the fascinating history of Early Christian and Medieval Downpatrick
A guided walk through the beautiful grounds of Tobar Mhuire
