In 1177, the Normans, who had conquered great swathes of Ireland, invaded eastern Ulster and captured territories along its coast. John de Courcy, who had led the invasion, began building Dundrum Castle in the early 13th century on top of an earlier fort, "Dun Rury" (Rudraige), which was a seat for the remaining Ulaid tribes east of the bann river, after the collapse of the kingdom in the 4th century. The castle was to guard the land routes from Drogheda to Downpatrick. In 1203, de Courcy was expelled from Ulster by fellow Norman Hugh de Lacy, 1st Earl of Ulster. Two years later, de Courcy tried to re-take the castle but failed. It was visited by King John in 1210, who spent money for minor works to the castle and paid for a garrison there.
In 1806, the 3rd Marquess of Downshire engaged engineers to develop the area. They recommended deepening the harbour to allow larger vessels to trade. By 1825 they had completed a new pier over 300 feet (91 m) long.[4] From 1866 a new iron screw steamer provided a service to Whitehaven, Cumbria and Dundrum became commercially important for both goods and passenges.[4] It later lost trade to the deeper harbours of Warrenpoint and Belfast but Dundrum remained a commercial port until 1984.[5]
Dundrum Cricket Club plays in the NCU Senior League. Dundrum also has a Gaelic football club whose senior men play in Down's division 4 league and junior championship.Dundrum also have a senior men's football club Dundrum United Fc who play in the Premier division of the Newcastle league.
Climate
Climate data for Murlough (12m elevation) 1981–2010
On Census Day (27 March 2011) the usually resident population of Dundrum Settlement was 1,555, accounting for 0.09% of the NI total.[3] Of these:
22.77% were under 16 years old and 13.50% were aged 65 and above;
48.04% of the population were male and 51.96% were female; and
60.51% were from a Catholic community background and 32.54% were from a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' community background.
41.03% indicated that they had a British national identity, 32.15% had an Irish national identity, and 33.12% had a Northern Irish national identity.
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