The tour

our tour of the High Crosses and Round towers of County Down begins and ends in Downpatrick, and follows a clockwise, or ‘sunwise’ route (Ir. deiseal). you should start your visit at Down County Museum, where the Downpatrick High Cross will be on display from Julyne 2015, after conservation. A replica has been set up at the east end of Down Cathedral, where the original stood between 1897 and 2013.

Medieval crosses and other objects on display in Down County Museum’s Down Through Time exhibition in the central Governor’s Residence building.

The Downpatrick High Cross, before its removal to Down County Museum for conservation in 2013. 30

In the Museum you can see objects from a number of early Christian sites including saul, struell wells, Raholp, nendrum, Maghera, Derry and Dundrum, in addition to the shrine of st Patrick’s Jaw, on loan from st Patrick’s Church, belfast. Afterwards you can see the replica of the High Cross at the, east end of Down Cathedral, st Patrick’s Grave and the Cathedral itself (with the fragments of st Patrick’s Cross inside the entrance, and the socket stone re-used as a font) and st Patrick’s Grave on the Hill of Down.