Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has unveiled a new interpretative panel at the Gallows Hill in Downpatrick to draw attention to the important history associated with the site.

Today the area around the hill, with its beautiful vista over the town and surrounding countryside and views of the Mournes and Slieve Croob, is a popular walking area for many people in Downpatrick but its history lies in darker times. Hundreds of years ago this was the spot where the town’s gallows stood and where many people met their end.

Before the late eighteenth century when many new County Gaols were built, executions usually took place outside towns on elevated sites. The Downpatrick gallows was first recorded on a map in 1729 but may have been in use well before that. Known locally as the ‘three sisters’, the gallows was described as being made of one beam of wood laid across three upright wooden pillars.

The new interpretative panel will provide people with information on the history of the gallows, the stories of some of the people executed here, as well as providing visitors to the area with information on what buildings and sites can be seen from Gallows Hill. It is intended that the area will then be incorporated in a future Crime and Punishment trail through Downpatrick and be a starting or end point for guided walks on the theme.

Members of the Knocknashinna Residents Group welcomed the provision of the panel and are keen to encourage Downpatrick’s residents to visit to find out more about the fascinating history of the area and enjoy the great views that can be seen from the hill.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Michael Savage said, “I welcome the installation of this interpretative panel at the Gallows Hill. As the county town, Downpatrick was the home to at least four gaols - the ‘old gaol’ now Down County Museum, the ‘new gaol’ at the site of Down High School, the ‘House of Correction’ adjacent to the Courthouse and Castle Dorras at the site of the Down Reorder offices, as well as the much older execution site at the Gallows Hill. It has an important story to tell about how the justice system that operated in the past and a story that people are very much interested in. The new interpretation panel at the Gallows Hill will help visitors and local people to understand that story.’