Group vice-chair fears Downpatrick facing ‘slow and deliberate erosion’

Group vice-chair fears Downpatrick facing ‘slow and deliberate erosion’

24 September 2025

A SENIOR member of a high profile community group in Downpatrick says he fears the town is facing a “slow and deliberate erosion of its rightful place in the district”.

Mr Macartan Digney said he was “deeply frustrated, saddened and concerned” for the future of the town and took aim at Newry, Mourne and Down Council, accusing the local authority of playing a role in what he described as “Downpatrick’s neglect”.

Mr Digney is the vice-chairman of the Downpatrick Community Collective, which last Friday evening should have been at the heart of celebrating the town’s rich culture and heritage alongside many others across the island of Ireland as part of the annual Culture Night festivities.

The Downpatrick Community Collective has spearheaded the event for many years, but there were no celebrations this year after the local council axed the group’s funding.

Mr Digney said the decision was a “microcosm of a much wider malaise across the district which has the local council’s fingerprints all over it”.

This week, he has called on councillors to publicly oppose the construction of a new multi-million pound local authority headquarters in Newry and commit to retaining administrative functions at the Downshire Civic Centre in Downpatrick.

Mr Digney is also urging councillors to “protect and invest” in cultural institutions, including Culture Night.

“Downpatrick deserves more than being sidelined. It deserves leadership that respects its past, serves its present and invests in its future and stops the silent downgrade of the Ancient City of Down,” he said.

“Downpatrick is a town rich in historical, cultural and administrative significance which is now facing a slow and deliberate erosion of its rightful place within this district.

“For centuries, Downpatrick has been more than just a town — it has been the beating heart of County Down. Yet ever since the creation of the so-called “super council” in 2015, this historic town has faced repeated downgrades, underfunding and neglect by those who claim to represent it.”

Mr Macartan also fears that the town’s cultural identity is under attack.

He continued: “In 2012, the council threatened the closure of the St Patrick Centre through funding cuts. 

“This is an institution at the very core of Downpatrick’s global heritage and a cornerstone for tourism across the world. That decision sent a clear message that history and identity are expendable.”

Mr Digney said three years ago the Friends of Down County Museum raised alarm about severe cutbacks at the English Street complex which, it was claimed, could have crippled the award-winning cultural hub. 

He said had it not been for the tireless advocacy of volunteers, the doors might have closed.

“Now, in 2025, Downpatrick should have been united with other major towns and cities across Ireland to showcase the rich culture and heritage of their county and the island as a whole.

“The Downpatrick Community Collective was declined Culture Night funding and following the decision we reached out to all Downpatrick councillors seeking support to have the decision reversed, but our elected representatives were powerless to assist.”

Mr Digney also fears Downpatrick’s status as an administrative centre is being stripped away.

“The proposed move of the council headquarters from the Downshire estate to a proposed new-build facility in Newry is a betrayal of Downpatrick’s historic role and a financial mistake of generational proportions,” he continued.

“If this proceeds, this decision will erase a centuries-old civic legacy and centralise power further away from rural communities, sink the council deeper into unsustainable debt and force ratepayers — working families — to foot the bill through increased rate bills with all this during a cost-of-living crisis. Where is the logic? Where is the justice?”

He added: “What shocks and saddens me the most is that Downpatrick’s own elected representatives, particularly those from Sinn Féin and the SDLP, continue to vote in favour of these downgrades.

“They were elected on promises of community empowerment, social justice and local investment, yet their actions tell another story.”