diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/fetchurl/mirrors.nix b/pkgs/build-support/fetchurl/mirrors.nix
index b8925f89303..f65d7cc7fa5 100644
--- a/pkgs/build-support/fetchurl/mirrors.nix
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/fetchurl/mirrors.nix
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@ rec {
 
   # GNU (http://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html).
   gnu = [
+    # This one is the master repository, and thus it's always up-to-date.
+    http://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/
+
     # This one redirects to a (supposedly) nearby and (supposedly) up-to-date
     # mirror.
     http://ftpmirror.gnu.org/
@@ -33,8 +36,6 @@ rec {
     ftp://mirror.cict.fr/gnu/
     ftp://ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de/pub/gnu/
     ftp://ftp.chg.ru/pub/gnu/
-
-    http://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/
   ];
 
   # GCC.