Killynure () is a

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, lying on the south-east border of Carryduff. The townland is approximately 770 acres (3.1 km²) in area, and still consists mostly of farmland, although since the 1990s, the housing developments of Carryduff have begun to encroach on its north-west corner (including the Killynure Estate). The 'Church of the Yew' which gave the townland its name possibly existed in the 9th century, with the most probable site being at Flowe Farm on Killynure Road West. Local records record that a schoolhouse was constructed in 1795 on the site, re-using existing stone from a ruin in the field, which also contained several yew stumps. A couple of 3rd century Roman coins were also found nearby."Carryduff 2000" George A Bowsie & Graham Murphy Killynure Road runs north-south through the townland, connecting Carryduff and

Saintfield Saintfield () is a village and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is about halfway between Belfast and Downpatrick on the A7 road. It had a population of 3,381 in the 2011 Census, made up mostly of commuters working in both south a ...

, passing close to the summit of Ouley Hill. Use of the road is attested as far back as the 17th century, and it formed part of the main

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

route between

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

and Downpatrick. However, horses struggled ascending Ouley Hill, and in the latter half of the 19th century, a new road between Carryduff and Saintfield was constructed, bypassing the hill: this is still in use today as the modern A7. Killynure Road West leaves the Killynure Road at Ouley Hill and runs westward, to meet the

A24 road This is a list of roads designated A24. Roads entries are sorted in the countries alphabetical order. * A24 motorway (Austria), a road connecting Vienna and the A23 to Stockerau * A 24 motorway (Germany), a road connecting Hamburg and Berlin ...

(which connects Carryduff to

Ballynahinch Ballynahinch may refer to: Northern Ireland * Ballynahinch, County Armagh, a townland *Ballynahinch, County Down, a town Republic of Ireland *Ballynahinch (barony), in County Galway *Ballynahinch, County Galway, a townland in County Galway * Bally ...

). Killynure Avenue, a small road which runs between the Killynure Road and the A7, leading to Lisdoonan townland, is lined with numerous

ash tree ''Fraxinus'' (), commonly called ash, is a genus of flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45–65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous, though a number of subtropical species are evergree ...

s. The townland contains a few small streams which join the

Carryduff River The Carryduff River (Irish ''Abhainn Cheathrú Aodha Dhuibh'') is a minor river in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a direct tributary of the River Lagan and is not navigable. Course The river rises in Killinure townland, in the boggy ground ...

, ultimately flowing into the Lagan some miles north at Minnowburn.

References

{{coord missing, County Down Townlands of County Down Civil parish of Saintfield