Saint Patrick Centre, Downpatrick, February 2010 (01)

Saint Patrick Centre, Downpatrick, February 2010 (12)

St Patricks Day Parade, Downpatrick, March 2010 (60)

The Saint Patrick Visitor Centre is a modern exhibition complex located in

Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Its cathedral is said to be the b ...

, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a permanent interpretative exhibition centre featuring interactive displays on the life and story of Saint Patrick, the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of Ireland. It provides the only permanent exhibition centre in the world devoted to Saint Patrick. It is situated in the town centre, below

Down Cathedral Down Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of Ireland cathedral located in the town of Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. It stands on Cathedral Hill overlooking the town. It is one of two cathedrals in th ...

and the site of Saint Patrick's grave and is open all year round. It was established using Millennium Project funding from the National Lottery, cost £6.3m and opened in 2001. In the exhibition, entitled ''Ego Patricius'', Saint Patrick's own words are used to illuminate the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and its development through his mission. It also reveals the artwork and metalwork which were features of the Early Christian period, as well as the major impact of Irish missionaries in this period in Europe. The exhibition uses a multi-media approach and state-of-the art technology to focus on the historical Saint Patrick and not on the legends, as well as a film shown in the purpose-built cinema. The design involves bold glass walls, life-size figurines, videos and voice recordings. Apart from the permanent exhibition, the Centre also features a tourist information centre, craft shop, cafe and art gallery. The Centre also has an Education Initiative reaching out to local schools. The Centre has a cross community ethos of working in the ‘Spirit of Saint Patrick’ and has worked over the years with the

Ancient Order of Hibernians The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH; ) is an Irish Catholic fraternal organization. Members must be male, Catholic, and either born in Ireland or of Irish descent. Its largest membership is now in the United States, where it was founded in N ...

, the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin and the

Ulster-Scots Agency The Ulster-Scots Agency (''Tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch'') is a cross-border body for Ireland which seeks to "promote the study, conservation and development of Ulster-Scots as a living language, to encourage and develop the full range of its atten ...

to support studies of local traditions. Support for the Centre has been growing from parents, schools, academics, artists, politicians and people in industry and commerce thanks to the people from a variety of academic disciplines who are presently planning its future. A range of scholars and political leaders from Europe and the United States are committed to supporting the continuing work of the Centre. Since 2008 a series of 501c3 charities called the Friends of Saint Patrick Centre has created Chapters to support the work of the Centre in Milwaukee, Minnesota, Arizona, Albany and Toronto. Since that date they have supported the Centres’ Young Ambassadors' Programme, which hosts up to twelve American and Canadian university students, coming to learn about the people of Northern Ireland and feedback their discoveries to their families and friends and fellow students back at home.

The building

Awards

The Centre was highly commended in the Information and Communication Category in the 2004 Northern Ireland Tourism Awards.

Visitor Numbers

The Centre attracted 80,000 visitors in its first two years of operation and in 130,000 in 2018.

References

External links

Saint Patrick CentreSaint Patrick's CountryVirtual tour of Saint Patrick Visitor Centre
– Virtual Visit Northern Ireland {{coord , 54.326, -5.718, type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures in County Down Downpatrick Saint Patrick Religious museums in the United Kingdom Biographical museums in the United Kingdom Religious museums in Ireland 2001 establishments in Northern Ireland Museums established in 2001 Visitor centers