Things to do in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom: The Best Churches & Cathedrals

In the gable under the steeple of this church you will find the only pre-reformation stone statue of the Madonna and Child in Ireland. It dates to about the year 1300 and was restored in 1908 having been lost for centuries. It was carved at Greyabbey from Scrabo stone. It was part of the medieval church half a mile away when the area was the heart of the Diocese of Down. It was broken down by a Cromwellian soldier and lost after the Reformation. It was restored in 1908 by the antiquarian Francis Joseph Bigger. The church built in 1791 also includes other medieval fragments from three other churches. Above the porch is a carved cross taken from Ardtole which dates to the 900s. Also preserved are ballaun stones. Internally the church is simply decorated but has an impressive rose window.

A barn type Presbyterian Church dating back to 1660's. Rev Samuel Barber was the minister at the time of the Irish Rebellion. Family links with the First World War, Titanic and Rev John Wesley.

A ruinous church abandoned since the massacre of worshippers. Dedicated to St. Nicholas and overlooking the Irish Sea and Isle of Man. The story of this church was used in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. The stained glass found here dated to the 1300s and at the time of its discovery was the oldest in Ireland. A cross dating to the 900s from the graveyard is now inserted above door of St. Mary's Chapeltown and dates to the era of Viking plundering. Parking is available at the entrance on the Strangford Road.

This church was built on the site of St. Patrick's first church in 1932 to commemorate the 1500th anniversary of St. Patrick's at the Slaney river. The site has some remnants of the monastic site which formed here after the Saint's death. There is parking available at the Saul Road entrance and public toilets are available.