Bryansford is a small village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in County Down

County Down

-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. It sits at the northern side of Tollymore Forest Park

Tollymore Forest Park

Tollymore Forest Park was the first state forest park in Northern Ireland, established on the 2 June 1955. It is located at Bryansford, near the town of Newcastle. Covering an area of at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, the forest park offers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and the...

, roughly halfway between the towns of Newcastle

Newcastle, County Down

Newcastle is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 7,444 people recorded in the 2001 Census. The seaside resort lies on the Irish Sea coast at the base of Slieve Donard, one of the Mourne Mountains, and is known for its sandy beach and the Royal County Down Golf Club...

 and Castlewellan

Castlewellan

Castlewellan is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is beside Castlewellan Lake and Slievenaslat mountain, southwest of Downpatrick. It lies between the Mourne Mountains and Slieve Croob. It had a population of 2,392 people in the 2001 Census....

. The village is within the townland

Townland

A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...

s of Ballyhafry and Aghacullion. It had a population of 392 people in the 2001 Census

United Kingdom Census 2001

A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....

.

Places of interest

Kilcoo Parish Church was built in 1712 by the Annesley

Earl Annesley

Earl Annesley, of Castlewellan in the County of Down, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 17 August 1789 for Francis Annesley, 2nd Viscount Glerawly, with special remainder to his younger brother the Hon. Richard Annesley. He had previously represented Downpatrick in the Irish...

 family, whose family seat is in nearby Castlewellan. Percy Jocelyn

Percy Jocelyn

Percy Jocelyn was Anglican Bishop of Clogher in the Church of Ireland from 1820 to 1822. He was forced from his position due to claims of homosexual practices.-Early life:...

, the Bishop of Clogher from 1820 to 1822, is thought to have been buried in the Roden

Earl of Roden

Earl of Roden is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1771 for Robert Jocelyn, 2nd Viscount Jocelyn. This branch of the Jocelyn family descends from the 1st Viscount, prominent Irish lawyer and politician Robert Jocelyn, the son of Thomas Jocelyn, third son of Sir Robert Jocelyn,...

 familty vault in the church.

Tollymore Forest Park

Tollymore Forest Park

Tollymore Forest Park was the first state forest park in Northern Ireland, established on the 2 June 1955. It is located at Bryansford, near the town of Newcastle. Covering an area of at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, the forest park offers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and the...

, at the edge of the village, covers 630 hectares and was formerly owned by the Earl of Roden

Earl of Roden

Earl of Roden is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1771 for Robert Jocelyn, 2nd Viscount Jocelyn. This branch of the Jocelyn family descends from the 1st Viscount, prominent Irish lawyer and politician Robert Jocelyn, the son of Thomas Jocelyn, third son of Sir Robert Jocelyn,...

.

Sport

The village has a successful Gaelic football

Gaelic football

Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...

 team, Bryansford GAC. The team have won the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship

Ulster Senior Club Football Championship

The Ulster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football club competition played between the top clubs in Ulster. The trophy awarded to the winners is the Seamus McFerran Cup...

twice, in 1969 and 1970.

2001 Census

Bryansford is classified as a rural settlement by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)
On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 392 people living in Bryansford. Of these:

• 27.6% were under 16 years old and 14.8% were aged 60 and above
• 49.5% of the population were male and 50.5% were female
• 61.4% were from a Catholic Community Background and 34.3% were from a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' Community Background.
• 1.2% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.