City in County Down, Northern Ireland
Newry
Newry's town hall sits on a bridge across a river, its canal beat every other in the British Isles to a big engineering first, and its name comes from a yew tree.
Key information
- County
- County Down
- Nation
- Northern Ireland
- Population
- about 27,000, 2011 Census
- Known for
- The Newry Canal, a cathedral from 1829 and its position on the Belfast–Dublin corridor
- Famous people
- Pat Jennings, John Mitchel
- Football clubs
- Newry City AFC
About Newry
The city named after a tree
Newry's Irish name, An tIúr, means 'the yew', and the story goes that the tree was planted by St Patrick himself. Whatever the truth of that, the yew stuck. Old forms of the name refer to a yew at the head of the strand, where the Clanrye River runs down towards Carlingford Lough. That setting explains almost everything about the place. Newry sits in a gap between the Mourne Mountains and the Ring of Gullion, on the natural route between Belfast and Dublin. Armies, traders and cattle drovers have all squeezed through it. In 2002 Newry was one of the places made a city as part of the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations. It is still compact enough to walk across in a few minutes.
The canal that made engineering history
Newry's big claim to fame is water. The Newry Canal, which opened in 1742, ran from the town to the Lough Neagh area and is celebrated as the first summit-level canal in the British Isles. That means it climbed up to a high point and then dropped down the other side through locks, instead of following a river. Its job was to carry Tyrone coal towards Newry, and from there by sea to Dublin, where the growing city badly needed fuel. Later a ship canal linked the town to Carlingford Lough so larger vessels could reach the quays. Traffic faded long ago, but the old towpath is now a popular route for walkers and cyclists, and the canal's story is told proudly in the city.
A town hall built on a bridge
The best-known building in Newry is the Town Hall, completed in 1893, which is built right across the Clanrye River on a bridge. It is an odd and memorable sight: a grand civic building with water flowing beneath it. Nearby, the Cathedral of Saints Patrick and Colman dates from 1829 and was one of the early large Catholic churches built in Ireland after Catholic emancipation. Older layers lie beneath. A Cistercian abbey was founded here in 1157, and after the Reformation Nicholas Bagenal, an English soldier and administrator, built a fortified house on the site. Bagenal's Castle on Castle Street survives and now houses Newry and Mourne Museum. During the war of 1689, the retreating Jacobite army set Newry ablaze before Schomberg's forces arrived.
The goalkeeper and the rebel
Newry's most famous sporting son is Pat Jennings, born here in 1945. He became one of the great goalkeepers of the age, winning the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup with Tottenham before moving across north London to Arsenal. He won 119 caps for Northern Ireland. In the 1967 Charity Shield he even scored, with a huge clearance that sailed over the head of the Manchester United keeper. Another Newry name is John Mitchel, who grew up in the town. He became a leading Young Irelander and a fierce nationalist writer, and was sentenced to transportation in 1848. He was first sent to Bermuda, reached Van Diemen's Land in 1850, escaped in 1853 and eventually reached America. Local football is followed through Newry City AFC, while Gaelic games are hugely popular across the area.
Shopping, border runs and the mountains next door
Newry's position beside the Irish border has long shaped its high street. When exchange rates shift, shoppers from the Republic pour north for bargains, and the city's retail parks and shopping centres have thrived on that cross-border trade. Beyond the shops, the scenery is the reward. The Mournes rise to the east, Slieve Gullion looms to the west, and Carlingford Lough opens to the sea at the southern end of the canal. It is one of the easiest bases in Ireland for walking, kayaking and cycling. For food, the area leans on local produce: Ulster fry breakfasts with soda and potato bread, fresh fish and seafood from the lough, and hearty stews. The city's markets are a good place to see local traders at work.