Other County Down Sayings
The town of Ballynahinch where a battle was fought between the insurgents and the Government forces in 1798 has for its slogan “No Pope, no pinch, No Surrender in Ballynahinch.”
For those who like plenty of stir and movement a suitable place of residence would be:—
“Sweet Dromore, where they keep no Sunday,
And every day like an Easter Monday.”
Dromore would have had its antithesis in Banbury (England) the most Puritan of Puritan towns, in which according to a jest that obtained some circulation, men were in the habit of hanging their cats on Monday for catching mice on Sunday.
There used to be horse races held at Dromore (County Down) on Easter Monday, hence the saying. Ballyclare (County Antrim) also shares these advantages with the cathedral city. The prosperous little town has also another saying much less complimentary:—“Dirty Dromore, behind and before.” There is a district in County Down dubbed as “Moneyrea square and civil—one God, no divil—where they sned turnips on Sunday,” alluding to Arian belief so prevalent in the district and their indifference to the keeping of the Sabbath. This is pretty well matched by the neighbouring town of “Comber where they don’t love God.”