The High Sheriff of
County Down
Profile
Lieutenant Colonel Peter Leckey VR
Lieutenant Colonel Peter Leckey VR has been appointed High Sheriff for the County of Down for 2025.
Born in Belfast and educated at Annadale Grammar School, Peter studied Modern History at Queen’s before obtaining a Regular Commission from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
He has since pursued a military and policing career spanning almost four decades. Whilst his early military and police service was spent largely in Northern Ireland, his latter career as an Army Reservist has taken him to Afghanistan, Ukraine, Uganda, Bangladesh, the USA and most of Europe.
Following several operational deployments overseas, he also participated in the military operation to support the NHS during Covid. He has been awarded a Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Operational Honours List (Afghanistan 2011) and the US Army Commendation Medal (Afghanistan 2017).
Peter retired from policing as an Inspector in 2015 to concentrate solely on the Army Reserve. In addition to Commanding a Rifle Company in Belfast he served as Second in Command of Queen’s University Officers’ Training Corps, on the Academy HQ Staff at Sandhurst, as a Deputy President at the Army Officer Selection Board, and on the Staff of 38 (Irish) Brigade.
He continues to serve in the Army Reserve, and is currently attached to UK Strategic Command at Northwood.
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County Down
County Down is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and is bounded by County Antrim to the north; Strangford Lough, the Ards Peninsula and the Irish Sea to the east; County Armagh to the west; and Carlingford Lough to the southwest. The River Lagan forms most of the border with County Antrim and the River Bann also flows through the southwestern areas of the county. Slieve Donard at 849 m (2,785 ft), is the highest peak in the Mournes (and in Northern Ireland) and the county covers an area of nearly 2500 square km with a population of nearly 550,000.
It takes its name from dún, the Irish word fort, which is a common root in Gaelic place names (such as Dundrum). The fort in question was in the historic town of Downpatrick, originally known as Dún Lethglaise ("fort of the green side”).
More information on Co Down's history, geology and tourist attractions can be found though these links:
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News
Past High Sheriffs
2020 - Present
- 2024 - Suzanne Wild of Comber
- 2023 - Prof William Michael Mawhinney MBE TD of Lisburn
- 2022 - James Matthew Smyth of Downpatrick
- 2021 - Kathleen Mary Spencer of Killinchy
- 2020 - Austin Richard Baird of Holywood
2010 - 2019
- 2019 - Henry Shields
- 2018 - Mrs Susan Cunningham
- 2017 - Henry John Stewart Catherwood
- 2016 - Philip Baxter
- 2015 - Patrick Cross
- 2014 - Simon Brien
- 2013 - Ivan Cunningham
- 2012 - Mrs Anne Frances Mackie
- 2011 - Ian Webb
- 2010 - David Corbett
2000 - 2009
- 2009 - Lady Augusta Nicholson
- 2008 - Dr Alan Raymond Gillespie CBE
- 2007 - John Dudley Francis Fisher
- 2006 - Mary Fionnuala Cook OBE
- 2005 - James Derek Shaw
- 2004 - Mrs Mary Gordon Haughey
- 2003 - David Graham Shillington JP DL
- 2002 - Nicholas Edward Lindsay
- 2001 - Richard John Gordon DL
- 2000 - The Hon Mrs Daphne Montgomery
Please note, this is not a definitive list of past High Sheriffs as the information has been gathered from various sources which have not all been verified at this time.
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