Newry#Education

{{Short description|City in Armagh and Down, Northern Ireland}}

{{Other uses}}

{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}

{{Infobox UK place

| official_name = Newry

| irish_name = Iúr Cinn Trá/An tIúr

| scots_name = Newrie[http://www.northsouthministerialcouncil.org/annual_report_2010_ulster_scots.pdf 2010 annual report in Ulster-Scots] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227120523/http://www.northsouthministerialcouncil.org/annual_report_2010_ulster_scots.pdf |date=27 February 2013 }} North/South Ministerial Council.[http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/inchabbeyus.pdf Guide to Inch Abbey in Ulster-Scots] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131025115645/http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/inchabbeyus.pdf |date=25 October 2013 }} Department of the Environment.

| static_image_name = Newry City, Northern Ireland (collage).jpg

| static_image_alt =

| static_image_caption = Top: Newry skyline, Middle: Buttercrane, The Quays, Newry Town Hall, Bottom: Drumalane Mill, Newry Cathedral

| static_image_width =

| map_alt =

| coordinates = {{coord|54.176|-6.349|display=inline,title}}

| population = 27,913

| population_ref = (2021 census){{cite web |title=Newry |url=https://explore.nisra.gov.uk/area-explorer-2021/N10001003/ |work=Census 2021 |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) |access-date=18 March 2023}}

| irish_grid_reference = J085265

| unitary_northern_ireland = Newry, Mourne and Down

| country = Northern Ireland

| historic_county =

| post_town = NEWRY

| postcode_area = BT

| postcode_district = BT34, BT35

| dial_code = 028

| constituency_westminster = Newry and Armagh

| constituency_westminster1 =

| constituency_westminster2 =

| constituency_westminster3 =

| lieutenancy_northern_ireland = County Armagh and County Down

| website = [http://www.newrymournedown.org/ www.newrymournedown.org]

}}

Newry ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|nj|ʊər|i}};{{Cite web |last=Dictionary.com |title=Dictionary.com – Newry |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/newry |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823151309/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Newry |archive-date=23 August 2011 |access-date=26 January 2012}} {{Irish derived place name|An Iúraigh}}{{Cite web |title=Newry and Mourne (C. Dunbar) |url=http://www.ulsterplacenames.org/PDF%20Files/Newry%20and%20Mourne%20%28C.%20Dunbar%29.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141212115438/http://www.ulsterplacenames.org/PDF%20Files/Newry%20and%20Mourne%20(C.%20Dunbar).pdf |archive-date=12 December 2014 |access-date=26 September 2011 |quote=Newry (town), County Armagh/County Down. The modern Irish name of Newry is An tIúr 'the yew tree' being an abbreviation of Iúr Cinn Trá 'yew tree at the head of the strand'. The anglicised form comes from An Iúraigh an oblique form of An Iúrach 'the grove of yew trees' (PNI vol. I).}}) is a city{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/statesmansyearbo00barr_2 |title=The Statesman's Yearbook 2006: The Politics, Cultures and Economies of the World |date=2006 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |editor-last=Turner |editor-first=B |location=Basingstoke |page=1655 |isbn=9781403992765 |url-access=registration}} in Northern Ireland, standing on the Clanrye river in counties Down and Armagh. It is near the border with the Republic of Ireland, on the main route between Belfast (34 miles/55 km away) and Dublin (67 miles/108 km away). The population was 27,913 in 2021.

Newry was founded in 1144 as a settlement around a Cistercian abbey.[https://www.britannica.com/place/Newry Britannica website, Newry][https://www.northern-ireland-info.co.uk/country/article/1931/newry-county-down-northern-ireland-s-fourth-largest-city Northern Ireland Info website, Newry, County Down - Northern Ireland's Fourth Largest City] In the 16th century the English dissolved the abbey and built Bagenal's Castle on the site. Newry grew as a market town and a garrison, and became a port in 1742 when the Newry Canal was opened, the first summit-level canal in Ireland. A cathedral city, it is the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dromore. In 2002, as part of the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II, Newry was granted city status along with Lisburn.{{Cite news |title=BBC report |date=14 March 2002 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/1872287.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030306081447/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/1872287.stm |archive-date=6 March 2003 |access-date=15 September 2004}}

Name

The name Newry is an anglicization of An Iúraigh, an oblique form of An Iúrach, which means "the grove of yew trees".{{Cite web |title=Placenames NI: Newry |url=http://www.placenamesni.org/resultdetails.php?entry=14767 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510084712/http://www.placenamesni.org/resultdetails.php?entry=14767 |archive-date=10 May 2017 |access-date=20 December 2016}}Compare the similar Derry, An Doire meaning the grove of oak trees.

The modern Irish name for Newry is An tIúr ({{IPA|ga|ənʲ ˈtʲuːɾˠ|pron}}), which means "the yew tree". An tIúr is a shortening of Iúr Cinn Trá ({{IPA|ga|ˌuːɾˠ ˌcɪn̠ʲ ˈt̪ˠɾˠaː|lang}}, "yew tree at the head of the strand"), which was formerly the most common Irish name for Newry. This relates to an apocryphal story that Saint Patrick planted a yew tree there in the 5th century.

The Irish name Cathair an Iúir (City of Newry) appears on some bilingual signs around the city.Welcome sign in Newry, Northern Ireland, in English and Irish

History

File:Merchants Quay, Newry.jpg

File:Hill Street, Newry, County Down (31007700052).jpg

File:Trevor Hill, Newry (7226524512).jpg

There is evidence of continual human habitation in the area from early times. During the Bronze Age, the Newry area had a community that made very detailed jewellery for garments in abundance. Three of these Newry Clasps can be found in the Ulster Museum, and a massive arm clasp from the same period was also found in Newry.H. E. Kilbride-Jones Craftmanship in Bronze, free to read in Google books Three miles south of Newry is Clontygorra Court Cairn which has large portal stones at its entrance. Excavations revealed pot sherds, hollow scrapers, a polished axe and the cremated remains of one person. Nearby is another, smaller court cairn.{{cite book |last=Meehan |first=Cary |date=2004 |title=Sacred Ireland |url= |location=Somerset |publisher=Gothic Image Publications |page=55|isbn=0 906362 43 1 |access-date=}}

In AD 820, Vikings landed in the Newry area, "from whence they proceeded to Armagh, taking it by storm, and plundering and desolating the country around".Anthony Mamions Ancient and Modern History of the Maritime Ports of Ireland (1855)

=Early history=

A Cistercian abbey was founded at Newry in 1144; in 1157 it was granted a charter by Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn, king of Tír Eoghain and High King of Ireland.{{cite journal |last1=Dawkes |first1=Giles |title=Before Bagenal's Castle: Evidence of the Medieval Cistercian Abbey at Newry |journal=Ulster Journal of Archaeology |date=2009 |volume=68 |pages=124–126, 137–139}} It might have been a Benedictine monastery before this. Newry Abbey (now the area around Newry Museum) would have been a sprawling complex of buildings and the heart of a monastic settlement. It existed for four centuries. The abbey was dissolved by the English in 1548, when it was recorded that it consisted of a church, steeple, college, chapter house, dormitory, a hall, a graveyard, two orchards and one garden. Modern archaeologists unearthed thirty-three burials from part of the former graveyard, and further bones were found in charnel pits. They included remains of men, women, and several youths, and some of the individuals suffered violent deaths. It is believed this was a graveyard for the lay community from when the abbey was still in existence.

In April 1552, Nicholas Bagenal, Marshal of the English army in Ireland,{{cite news|newspaper=Newry Journal|date=10 April 2021|author=John McCullagh|title=Nicholas Bagenal 1509-1590|url=http://www.newryjournal.co.uk/2006/06/20/nicholas-bagenal-1509-1590/|access-date=12 June 2016|archive-date=7 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807211641/http://www.newryjournal.co.uk/2006/06/20/nicholas-bagenal-1509-1590/|url-status=live}} was granted ownership of the former abbey lands. He built a fortified house known as Bagenal's Castle on the site of the abbey and its graveyard, re-using some of the abbey buildings. Bagenal also had an earthen rampart built around his Castle and the small town of Newry.

During the Irish Rebellion of 1641, Newry was captured by Irish Catholic rebels led by the Magennises and McCartans.Liam Kennedy & Philip Ollerenshaw. Ulster Since 1600: Politics, Economy, and Society. Oxford University Press, 2013. p.29 In May 1642, a Scottish Covenanter army landed in Ulster and seized Newry from the rebels. James Turner, one of the Scottish officers, recounted that Catholic rebels and civilians were taken to the bridge over the Newry River and "butchered to death ... some by shooting, some by hanging ... without any legal process".{{Citation| surname1 = Royle | given1 = Trevor|year=2004 |title=Civil War: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1638–1660 |publisher=London: Abacus |isbn=0-349-11564-8}} p. 142 The Scottish general, Robert Monro, said that sixty townsmen and two priests were summarily executed.{{cite book|last=Stevenson|first=David|title=Scottish Covenanters and Irish Confederates|publisher=Ulster Historical Foundation|year=1981|page=106}} Turner also said that Scottish soldiers drowned and shot about a dozen Irishwomen before he stopped them killing more.{{cite book |last1=Whelan |first1=Bernadette |editor1-last=Lenihan |editor1-first=Padraig |title=Conquest and Resistance: War in Seventeenth-Century Ireland |date=2001 |publisher=Brill Publishers |pages=321–322 |chapter=Women and Warfare 1641–1691}}

During the 1689 Raid on Newry, Williamite forces under Toby Purcell repulsed an attack by the Jacobites under the Marquis de Boisseleau. At the period of the Battle of the Boyne, the Duke of Berwick set fire to the parts of the town which he had restructured to defend it.

=Modern era=

{{further|The Troubles in Newry}}

By 1881 the population of Newry had reached 15,590.{{Cite web |title=Banbridge / Newry and Mourne Area Plan 2015 District Proposals: Newry City Background |url=http://www.planningni.gov.uk/index/policy/dev_plans/devplans_az/bnm_2015/bnm_district_proposals/bnm_proposals_newry/bnm_newry_city/bnm_newrycity_background.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090401191249/http://www.planningni.gov.uk/index/policy/dev_plans/devplans_az/bnm_2015/bnm_district_proposals/bnm_proposals_newry/bnm_newry_city/bnm_newrycity_background.htm |archive-date=1 April 2009 |access-date=6 March 2009 }}

During the Irish War of Independence there were several assassinations and ambushes in Newry. On 12 December 1920, British reinforcements travelling from Newry to Camlough were ambushed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA), who opened fire and threw grenades from MacNeill's Egyptian Arch. Three IRA members were fatally wounded in the exchange of fire.Lawlor, Pearse. The Outrages: The IRA and the Ulster Special Constabulary in the Border Campaign. Mercier Press, 2011. pp. 78–81

When Ireland was partitioned in 1921, Newry became part of Northern Ireland. From the 1920s to the 1960s, Newry Urban District Council was one of the few councils in Northern Ireland which had a majority of councillors from the Catholic/Irish nationalist community. The reason, according to Michael Farrell, was that this community formed such a large majority in the town, around 80% of the population, making it impossible to gerrymander. Also an oddity was that for a time it was controlled by the Irish Labour Party, after the left wing of the Northern Ireland Labour Party defected to them in the 1940s.Michael Farrell Northern Ireland: The Orange State

Newry saw several violent incidents during the conflict known as the Troubles, including a triple killing in 1971, a bombing in 1972, and a mortar attack in 1985. These continued into the late 1990s and even in 2010 – such as bomb scares and car bombs.

See also: The Troubles in Killeen, for information on incidents at the border and customs post at Newry on the border with the Republic of Ireland and close to Newry. In 2003, the British Army's hilltop watchtowers overlooking Newry were taken down. The British Army withdrew from the area on 25 June 2007 when they closed their final base at Bessbrook.{{Cite web |title=British army has pulled out of its base at Bessbrook in County Armagh |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/mobile/bbc_news/northern_ireland/623/62355/story6235514.shtml?= |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018123923/http://news.bbc.co.uk/mobile/bbc_news/northern_ireland/623/62355/story6235514.shtml?= |archive-date=18 October 2015 |access-date=18 February 2009}}{{Cite web |title=Soldiers depart Bessbrook Mill for the final time |url=http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/DefencePolicyAndBusiness/SoldiersDepartBessbrookMillForTheFinalTime.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211202941/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/DefencePolicyAndBusiness/SoldiersDepartBessbrookMillForTheFinalTime.htm |archive-date=11 February 2009 |access-date=18 February 2009}}

Geography

Newry lies in the most southeastern part of both Ulster and Northern Ireland. About half of the city (the west) lies in County Armagh and the other half (the east) in County Down. The Clanrye River, which runs through the city, from Carnmeen (north of the Carnbane Industrial Estate) until Middlebank (start of Warrenpoint Road), partly forms the historic border between County Armagh and County Down.

The city sits in a valley, between the Mourne Mountains to the east and the Ring of Gullion to the south-west, both of which are designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Cooley Mountains lie to the south east. The Clanrye River runs through the centre of town, parallel to the Newry Canal. The city also lies at the northernmost end of Carlingford Lough, where the canal enters the sea at Victoria Locks.

=Townlands=

Newry is within the civil parishes of Newry and Middle Killeavy. The parishes have long been divided into townlands, the names of which mainly come from the Irish language. The following is a list of townlands in Newry's urban area,[http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/ Ordnance Survey Ireland: Online map viewer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829114800/http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/ |date=29 August 2012 }} (choose "historic" to see townland boundaries) alongside their likely etymologies:{{Cite web |title=The Northern Ireland Place-Name Project |url=https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/9b31e0501b744154b4584b1dce1f859b}}

class="wikitable" style="margin:0; border:1px solid darkgrey;"

|+ County Armagh

style="width:200px;"|Townland

! style="width:300px;"|Origin (Irish unless stated)

! style="width:200px;"|Translation

Altnaveigh
Aghnaveigh (alternate local name)

|Alt na bhFiach
Achadh na bhFiach

|glen of the ravens
field of the ravens

Ballinlare

|Baile na Ladhaire

|townland of the fork/gap

Carnagat

|Carn na gCat

|cairn of the cats

Carnbane

|Carn Bán

|white cairn

Derry Beg

|Doire Beag

|little oak wood

Drumalane

|An Droim Leathan

|broad ridge

Lisdrumgullion

|Lios Droim gCuilinn

|fort of the holly ridge

Lisdrumliska

|Lios Druim Loiscthe

|fort of the burnt ridge

class="wikitable" style="margin:0; border:1px solid darkgrey;"

|+ County Down

style="width:200px;"|Townland

! style="width:300px;"|Origin (Irish unless stated)

! style="width:200px;"|Translation

Ballynacraig

|Baile na gCreag

|townland of the crags

Carneyhough

|origin unclear

|—

Cloghanramer

|Clochán Ramhar

|thick stone structure/causeway

Commons

|an English name that first appeared in 1810{{Cite web |last=Placenames NI – The Northern Ireland Place-Name Project |title=Townland of Commons |url=http://www.placenamesni.org/resultsdetail.phtml?entry=17467 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111116110203/http://www.placenamesni.org/resultsdetail.phtml?entry=17467 |archive-date=16 November 2011 |access-date=27 September 2011}}

|—

Creeve

|Craobh

|tree/bush

Damolly

|probably Damh Maoile

|house of the round hill

Drumcashellone

|probably Droim Caisil Eoghain

|the ridge of Eoghan's cashel

Greenan

|Grianán

|eminent or sunny place

Demography

{{bar box

|title = National Identity of Newry residents (2021){{cite web |title=National Identity (Irish) |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=NAT_ID_IRISH_AGG3&%7ESETTLEMENT15=N11000537 |website=NISRA |access-date=18 August 2023}}{{cite web |title=National Identity (Northern Irish) |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=NAT_ID_NORTHERN_IRISH_AGG3&%7ESETTLEMENT15=N11000537 |website=NISRA |access-date=18 August 2023}}{{cite web |title=National Identity (British) |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=NAT_ID_BRITISH&%7ESETTLEMENT15=N11000537 |website=NISRA |access-date=18 August 2023}}

|titlebar=#ddd |left1=Nationality |right1=Per cent |float=right

|bars =

{{bar percent|Irish|DarkOrchid|61.3}}

{{bar percent|Northern Irish|grey|22.8}}

{{bar percent|British|Blue|9.1}}

}}

=2011 Census=

On Census day (27 March 2011) there were 26,967 people living in Newry, accounting for 1.49% of the NI total.{{Cite web |title=Census 2011 Population Statistics for Newry Settlement |url=https://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/public/AreaProfileReportViewer.aspx?FromAPAddressMulipleRecords=Newry@Exact%20match%20of%20location%20name:%20@Exact%20Match%20Of%20Location%20Name:%20%20Newry@23? |access-date=12 August 2019 |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)}} 30px This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under the [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ Open Government Licence v3.0]. © Crown copyright. Of these:

  • 21.46% were aged under 16 years and 12.74% were aged 65 and over.
  • 51.02% of the usually resident population were female and 48.98% were male.
  • 88.27% belong to or were brought up in the Catholic religion and 8.47% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' religion.
  • 56.12% had an Irish national identity, 27.27% had a Northern Irish national identity and 12.65% indicated that they had a British national identity (respondents could indicate more than one national identity).
  • 35 years was the average (median) age of the population.
  • 19.60% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaeilge) and 2.37% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots.

=2021 Census=

On Census day (21 March 2021) there were 28,530 people living in Newry.{{Cite web |title=Preview data for Population{{!}} NISRA Flexible Table Builder |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/viewdata?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&~SETTLEMENT15=N11000537 |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=build.nisra.gov.uk}} Of these:

  • 21.32% were aged under 16, 29.12% were aged between 16 and 65, and 14.51% were aged 66 and over.{{Cite web |title=Preview data for Age {{!}} NISRA Flexible Table Builder |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/viewdata?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=AGE_BAND_AGG3&~SETTLEMENT15=N11000537 |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=build.nisra.gov.uk}}
  • 50.87% of the usually resident population were female and 49.13% were male.{{Cite web |title=Preview data for Sex (MS-A07) {{!}} NISRA Flexible Table Builder |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/viewdata?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=UR_SEX&~SETTLEMENT15=N11000537 |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=build.nisra.gov.uk}}
  • 86.52% (24,685) belong to or were brought up Catholic, 8.07% (2,302) belong to or were brought up Protestant (including other Christian-related denominations), 1.24% (353) belong to or were brought up in an 'other' religion, and 4.17% (1,190) did not adhere to or weren't brought up in any religion.{{cite web |title=Religion or religion brought up in |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=RELIGION_BELONG_TO_OR_BROUGHT_UP_IN_DVO&%7ESETTLEMENT15=N11000537 |website=NISRA |access-date=16 August 2023}}
  • 61.29% indicated they had an Irish national identity,{{Cite web |title=Preview data for National Identity (Irish) {{!}} NISRA Flexible Table Builder |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/viewdata?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=NAT_ID_IRISH_AGG3&~SETTLEMENT15=N11000537 |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=build.nisra.gov.uk}} 22.76% indicated they had a Northern Irish national identity,{{Cite web |title=Preview data for National Identity (Northern Irish) {{!}} NISRA Flexible Table Builder |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/viewdata?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=NAT_ID_NORTHERN_IRISH_AGG3&~SETTLEMENT15=N11000537 |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=build.nisra.gov.uk}} and 9.13% indicated they had a British national identity,{{Cite web |title=Preview data for National Identity (British) {{!}} NISRA Flexible Table Builder |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/viewdata?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=NAT_ID_BRITISH&~SETTLEMENT15=N11000537 |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=build.nisra.gov.uk}} and 13.30% indicated they had an 'other' national identity.{{cite web |title=National identity (person based) - basic detail (classification 1) |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=NAT_ID_BASIC&%7ESETTLEMENT15=N11000537 |website=NISRA |access-date=16 August 2023}} (respondents could indicate more than one national identity)
  • 20.50% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaeilge) and 2.64% had some knowledge of Ulster Scots.{{Cite web |title=Preview data for Knowledge of Irish (MS-B05) {{!}} NISRA Flexible Table Builder |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/viewdata?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=IRISH_SKILLS_INTERMEDIATE&~SETTLEMENT15=N11000537 |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=build.nisra.gov.uk}}{{Cite web |title=Preview data for Knowledge of Ulster-Scots (MS-B08) {{!}} NISRA Flexible Table Builder |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/viewdata?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=ULSTER_SCOTS_SKILLS_INTERMEDIATE&~SETTLEMENT15=N11000537 |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=build.nisra.gov.uk}}

Climate

As with the rest of Northern Ireland, Newry has a temperate climate, with a narrow range of temperatures, regular windy conditions, and rainfall throughout the year.

{{Weather box

|location = Newry, United Kingdom (Glenanne climate station at 161m elevation) 1981–2010 normals

|single line = Y |metric first = Y

|Jan high C = 6.8

|Feb high C = 7.1

|Mar high C = 9.2

|Apr high C = 11.5

|May high C = 14.5

|Jun high C = 17.0

|Jul high C = 18.7

|Aug high C = 18.3

|Sep high C = 15.9

|Oct high C = 12.4

|Nov high C = 9.1

|Dec high C = 6.9

|year high C =12.3

|Jan low C = 1.7

|Feb low C = 1.8

|Mar low C = 2.8

|Apr low C = 4.2

|May low C = 6.5

|Jun low C = 9.3

|Jul low C = 11.2

|Aug low C = 11.1

|Sep low C = 9.2

|Oct low C = 6.7

|Nov low C = 4.0

|Dec low C = 2.2

|year low C = 5.9

|Jan rain mm = 108.9

|Feb rain mm = 74.9

|Mar rain mm = 84.5

|Apr rain mm = 74.5

|May rain mm = 68.3

|Jun rain mm = 64.6

|Jul rain mm = 74.7

|Aug rain mm = 82.7

|Sep rain mm = 77.5

|Oct rain mm = 104.8

|Nov rain mm = 100.0

|Dec rain mm = 103.2

|year rain mm = 1018.7

|unit rain days= 1.0 mm

|Jan rain days = 16.2

|Feb rain days = 12.4

|Mar rain days = 15.4

|Apr rain days = 13.0

|May rain days = 12.4

|Jun rain days = 12.0

|Jul rain days = 12.8

|Aug rain days = 13.2

|Sep rain days = 12.5

|Oct rain days = 15.8

|Nov rain days = 15.8

|Dec rain days = 15.2

|year rain days = 166.6

|source 1 = metoffice.gov.uk{{cite web

| url=https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gceks193k

| title=Climate Normals 1981–2010

| publisher=Met Office

| access-date=25 February 2021

| archive-date=14 June 2021

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614235821/https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gceks193k

| url-status=live

}}

| date=25 February 2021

}}

Economy

Newry has traditionally been considered a merchant's town,{{r|quinn20081218}} and has maintained a reputation as one of the best provincial shopping-towns in Northern Ireland, with the Buttercrane Centre and The Quays Newry attracting large numbers of shoppers from as far away as Cork.{{Cite news |date=1 January 2009 |title=David McKittrick: The great nappy rush (no, not rash) |work=The Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/david-mckittrick-the-great-nappy-rush-no-not-rash-1219998.html |url-status=live |access-date=7 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091206050058/http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/david-mckittrick-the-great-nappy-rush-no-not-rash-1219998.html |archive-date=6 December 2009}}

In 2006 Newry house prices grew the most across the whole United Kingdom over the previous decade, as prices in the city had increased by 371% since 1996.{{Cite news |title=Halifax House Price Survey |date=27 October 2006 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6090972.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061107212249/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6090972.stm |archive-date=7 November 2006 |access-date=5 November 2006}} The city itself has become markedly more prosperous in recent years. Unemployment has reduced from over 26% in 1991 to scarcely 2% in 2008.Article by Frances McDonnell, Belfast Briefing, page 21, Irish Times, 9 December 2008, quoting Dr Gerard O'Hare

Since the 2008 financial crisis, residents of the Republic of Ireland have increasingly been cross-border shopping to Newry to buy cheaper goods due to the difference in currency. The harsh budget in the Republic of Ireland in October 2008, and the growing strength of the euro against the pound sterling and VAT reductions in the United Kingdom, compared with increases in the Republic of Ireland, are among the reasons. This remarkable increase in cross-border trade has become so widespread that it has lent its name to a general phenomenon known as the Newry effect. In December 2008, The New York Times described Newry as "the hottest shopping spot within the European Union's open borders, a place where consumers armed with euros enjoy a currency discount averaging 30 percent or more".{{Cite news |last=Quinn |first=Eamon |date=18 December 2008 |title=A Northern Ireland Town Is a Shoppers' Paradise |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/world/europe/18ireland.html |url-status=live |access-date=7 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012210221/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/world/europe/18ireland.html |archive-date=12 October 2011}}

However the increased flow of trade has led to resultant tailbacks, sometimes several miles long, on approach roads from the south. This has created huge traffic and parking problems in Newry and the surrounding area. It has also become a political issue, with some politicians in the Republic of Ireland claiming that such cross-border shopping is "unpatriotic".Irish Times, 9 December 2008, op cit{{r|quinn20081218}}

Newry is the global HQ of First Derivatives Plc.{{Cite news |title=First Derivatives Plc | newspaper=The Irish Times |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_company=First+Derivatives |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622214819/https://www.irishtimes.com/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_company=First+Derivatives |archive-date=22 June 2019 |access-date=22 June 2019}}{{Cite web |title=First Derivatives Plc offices |url=https://www.firstderivatives.com/contact-us/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401193831/https://www.firstderivatives.com/contact-us/ |archive-date=1 April 2019 |access-date=22 June 2019}}

Governance

=Local government=

The city of Newry is part of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. The 2019 Newry, Mourne and Down District Council election resulted in 3 Sinn Féin, 2 SDLP and 1 Independent councillors being elected in the Newry electoral area, only change from the 2014 result was Kevin McAteer who went from SDLP to Independent in 2015 stood down in 2017 to be replaced by Michael Savage. Individually Roisín Mulgrew replaced her party colleague Liz Kimmens, while independent Davy Hyland was replaced by another independent, Gavin Malone.

{{Multi seat members begin

|constituency = District electoral area

|title = Council members from 2023 election

}}

{{Multi seat constituency

|name = Newry

|seats = 6

|member4 = {{sortname|Aidan|Mathers|nolink=1}}

|party4 = Sinn Féin

|member2 = {{sortname|Cathal|King|nolink=1}}

|party2 = Sinn Féin

|member5 = {{sortname|Valerie|Harte|nolink=1}}

|party5 = Sinn Féin

|member1 = {{sortname|Geraldine|Kearns|nolink=1}}

|party1 = Sinn Féin

|member6 = {{sortname|Doire|Finn|nolink=1}}

|party6 = Social Democratic and Labour Party

|member3 = {{sortname|Michael|Savage|nolink=1}}

|party3 = Social Democratic and Labour Party

}}

{{end}}

{{Multi seat members begin

|constituency = District electoral area

|title = Council members from 2019 election

}}

{{Multi seat constituency

|name = Newry

|seats = 6

|member4 = {{sortname|Charlie|Casey|nolink=1}}

|party4 = Sinn Féin

|member2 = {{sortname|Roisin|Mulgrew|nolink=1}} †

|party2 = Sinn Féin

|member5 = {{sortname|Valerie|Harte|nolink=1}}

|party5 = Sinn Féin

|member1 = {{sortname|Gavin|Malone|nolink=1}}

|party1 = Independent politician

|member6 = {{sortname|Gary|Stokes|nolink=1}}

|party6 = Social Democratic and Labour Party

|member3 = {{sortname|Michael|Savage|nolink=1}}

|party3 = Social Democratic and Labour Party

}}

{{end}}

{{Multi seat members begin

|constituency = District electoral area

|title = Council members from 2014 election

}}

{{Multi seat constituency

|name = Newry

|seats = 6

|member1 = {{sortname|Charlie|Casey|nolink=1}}

|party1 = Sinn Féin

|member2 = {{sortname|Liz|Kimmins|nolink=1}}

|party2 = Sinn Féin

|member3 = {{sortname|Valerie|Harte|nolink=1}}

|party3 = Sinn Féin

|member4 = {{sortname|Davy|Hyland}}

|party4 = Independent politician

|member5 = {{sortname|Gary|Stokes|nolink=1}}

|party5 = Social Democratic and Labour Party

|member6 = {{sortname|Kevin|McAteer|nolink=1}}

|party6 = Social Democratic and Labour Party

}}

{{end}}

=Northern Ireland assembly=

Newry is part of the Assembly constituency of Newry and Armagh. In the 2017 elections, the following were elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly: Megan Fearon, Cathal Boylan, Conor Murphy (all members of Sinn Féin), Justin McNulty of the SDLP and William Irwin of the DUP.

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
Election

! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MLA
(Party)

! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MLA
(Party)

! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MLA
(Party)

! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MLA
(Party)

! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MLA
(Party)

! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MLA
(Party)

1996
Forum election

! style="background-color: {{party color|Sinn Féin}}" rowspan=10|

| Maria Caraher
(Sinn Féin)

! style="background-color: {{party color|Sinn Féin}}" rowspan=10|

| rowspan=2|Patrick McNamee
(Sinn Féin)

! style="background-color: {{party color|Social Democratic and Labour Party}}" rowspan=2|

| Frank Feeley
(SDLP)

! style="background-color: {{party color|Social Democratic and Labour Party}}" rowspan=10|

| rowspan=2|Seamus Mallon
(SDLP)

! style="background-color: {{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}}" rowspan=8|

| Jim Speers
(UUP)

| style="background-color:#FFFFFF" colspan=2| 5 seats
1996–1998

1998

| rowspan=4|Conor Murphy
(Sinn Féin)

| John Fee
(SDLP)

| rowspan=7|Danny Kennedy
(UUP)

! style="background-color: {{party color|Democratic Unionist Party}}" rowspan=9|

| rowspan=2|Paul Berry
(DUP)

2003

| Davy Hyland
(Sinn Féin)

! style="background-color: {{party color|Sinn Féin}}" rowspan=8|

| Pat O'Rawe
(Sinn Féin)

| rowspan=5|Dominic Bradley
(SDLP)

2007

! rowspan=7|Cathal Boylan
(Sinn Féin)

| rowspan=3|Mickey Brady
(Sinn Féin)

! rowspan=7|William Irwin
(DUP)

2011
July 2012
co-option

| rowspan=4|Megan Fearon
(Sinn Féin)

June 2015
co-option

! rowspan=4|Conor Murphy
(Sinn Féin)

2016

! rowspan=3|Justin McNulty
(SDLP)

2017

| style="background-color:#FFFFFF" colspan=2 rowspan=2| 5 seats
2017-present

January 2020
co-option

! Liz Kimmins
(Sinn Féin)

Note: The columns in this table are used only for presentational purposes, and no significance should be attached to the order of columns. For details of the order in which seats were won at each election, see the detailed results of that election.

=Westminster=

Together with part of the district of Newry, Mourne and Down, Newry forms the constituency of Newry and Armagh for elections to the Westminster Parliament. The Member of Parliament is Dáire Hughes of Sinn Féin. He won the seat in the 2024 United Kingdom general election.{{Cite news |title=Newry and Armagh - General election results 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/N05000011 |access-date=2025-04-24 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}

Transport

  • The Newry Canal opened in 1742. It is the oldest Canal in Ireland or Britain and when functioning as an inland transport waterway, it ran for {{convert|18|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} to Lough Neagh. In 1777, Newry was ranked the fourth largest port in Ireland.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} Some surviving 18th and 19th century warehouses still line the canal, and now many houses, shops and restaurants.
  • In 1885 an electric tramway was opened between Newry and Bessbrook.
  • MacNeill's Egyptian Arch is a railway bridge located near Newry. It was selected for the design of the British one pound coin to represent Northern Ireland for 2006.
  • Newry is served by an Ulsterbus bus station in the city centre. It is situated along The Mall, suspended over the Clanrye River. Services in Newry include local, regional and cross-border transport, with a free shuttle bus service to the local train station and services to local schools around Newry and Mourne.
  • Newry railway station, just off the Camlough road, offers cross-border services on the Dublin-Belfast line as well as some regional services around areas of County Armagh and County Down. Transport to other places generally requires a change in either Belfast or Dublin. Planning permission for the construction of a new station to the east of the current station, was granted in May 2006 and the new station opened on 7 September 2009 by Northern Ireland Railways.
  • Newry is on the main M1/A1 route from Dublin to Belfast. Originally the route passed through the town centre, but in the 60s was bypassed by the Abbey Link. This remained the sole relief road until 1996{{Cite web |date=29 July 2010 |title=New £150m Newry bypass opens |url=http://www.u.tv/News/New-%C2%A3150m-Newry-bypass-opens/7afdae52-9da9-4d54-9ff1-c21f4fe58474 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731092609/http://www.u.tv/News/New-%C2%A3150m-Newry-bypass-opens/7afdae52-9da9-4d54-9ff1-c21f4fe58474 |archive-date=31 July 2010 |access-date=12 May 2011 |publisher=UTV}} when it was superseded by a single carriageway bypass round the western side of the town. By 2008 the road on either side of the town had been upgraded to motorway/high quality dual carriageway standard (southwards from Cloghogue) and low quality dual carriageway (northwards from Beechill). In July 2010 a new high quality dual carriageway with motorway characteristics was opened to bridge the gap, thus connecting Dublin with Belfast by motorway/dual carriageway for the first time. The opening of this section of road meant that motorists could travel from Clogh in County Antrim to Midleton, County Cork by dual carriageway/motorway. Part of this older bypass is still in use between the Camlough Road (A25) and the Belfast Road (A1). Newry suffers from very heavy traffic with shoppers coming from across the border.{{Cite web |title=Northern Ireland Assembly debates, 9 March 2009, 2:45 pm |url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/ni/?id=2009-03-09.5.51 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605082606/http://www.theyworkforyou.com/ni/?id=2009-03-09.5.51 |archive-date=5 June 2011 |access-date=1 December 2009 |publisher=mySociety}} Newry is connected with Warrenpoint by a lower quality dual carriageway, some {{convert|7|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on}} to the south.
  • Newry is linked to Belfast via National Cycle Route 9, via Portadown, Lisburn and Craigavon.{{cite web | title = Route 9 | url = https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/route-9/ | publisher = Sustrans | access-date = 8 April 2021 | archive-date = 2 March 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210302172024/https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/route-9/ | url-status = live }} The route is planned to eventually extend to Dublin.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

Notable buildings

File:Newry Cathedral - geograph.org.uk - 1497482.jpg

Saint Patrick's Church was built in 1578 on the instructions of Nicholas Bagenal, who was granted the monastery lands by Edward VI, and is considered to be the first Protestant church in Ireland.

The Cathedral of SS Patrick and Colman on Hill Street was built in 1829 at a cost of £8,000. The structure, which consists of local granite, was designed and built by Thomas Duff, arguably Newry's greatest architect to date.{{Cite web |title=Newry Cathedral |url=http://www.newryandmourne.gov.uk/tourism/attractions/historical/newry_cathedral.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013213420/http://www.newryandmourne.gov.uk/tourism/attractions/historical/newry_cathedral.asp |archive-date=13 October 2006 |access-date=25 June 2008 |publisher=Newry and Mourne District Council}}

Incidentally, Thomas Duff also was the architect for the Cathedral in Dundalk, a town just over the border in County Louth, and it is said that he mixed up the plans for both cathedrals and sent Dundalk Cathedral to the builders in Newry, and Newry Cathedral to the builders in Dundalk.

Newry Town Hall is notable for being built over the River Clanrye which is the historic boundary between the counties of Armagh and Down.{{cite web|url=https://apps.communities-ni.gov.uk/Buildings/buildview.aspx?id=13199&js=false|title=Town Hall, Bank Parade, Newry, Co. Down (HB 16/28/018 B)|publisher=Department for Communities|access-date=4 May 2021|archive-date=19 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719194127/https://apps.communities-ni.gov.uk/Buildings/buildview.aspx?id=13199&js=false|url-status=live}}

The Craigmore Viaduct lies just north of the city on the Northern Ireland Railways Belfast-Dublin mainline. The bridge was designed by Sir John MacNeill with construction beginning in 1849. The bridge was formally opened in 1852. The viaduct consists of eighteen arches the highest being 126 feet, the highest viaduct in Ireland. It is around {{convert|1/4|mi|m|abbr=off|spell=in}} long and was constructed from local granite. The Enterprise train link from Belfast to Dublin crosses the bridge.

The Newry Reporter every week highlights a historic building in Newry and the surrounding area, giving a brief outline of its history.

=Hospitals=

=Churches=

==Roman Catholic==

  • Cathedral of Saints Patrick and Colman, Hill Street (1825–29)
  • Church of the Sacred Heart and St Catherine, Dominic Street (1875)
  • St Brigid's, Derrybeg (1970)
  • St Mary's, Chapel Street (1789; formerly Newry Cathedral)
  • Church of the Sacred Heart, Cloghogue (1916)
  • Church of the Assumption, Drumalane (1954)
  • Church of the Immaculate Conception (Parochial House), 44 Barrack Street

==Protestant==

  • St Patrick's Church of Ireland (1578) -- possibly the first Protestant church ever built in Ireland. It was destroyed by fire and rebuilt.{{Cite web |last=Newry and Mourne District Council |title=Newry City, The town's history |url=http://www.newryandmourne.gov.uk/tourism/towns/towns.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070916215443/http://www.newryandmourne.gov.uk/tourism/towns/towns.asp |archive-date=16 September 2007 |access-date=16 January 2008}}
  • St Mary's Church of Ireland (1819)

Methodist Church, Sandy's Street

Newry Baptist Church, Downshire Place

First Presbyterian Church (Non-Subscribing), John Mitchel Place

Downshire Road Presbyterian Church, Downshire Road (1843)

Sandy's Street Presbyterian Church, Sandy's Street

Riverside Reformed Presbyterian Church, Basin Walk

The Salvation Army, Trevor Hill

Metropolitan Church, Edward Street

==Other==

Notable people

{{More citations needed section|date=December 2009}}

=Arts and media=

=Groups=

=Religion=

=Academia and science=

  • Leonard Abrahamson (1896–1961), cardiologist
  • Joseph Barcroft (1872–1947), respiratory physiologist
  • W. J. Barre (1830–1867), architect{{Cite web |title=Frequently asked questions |url=http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/ulsterhall/faqs.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090720094542/http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/ulsterhall/faqs.asp |archive-date=20 July 2009 |access-date=6 March 2009 |publisher=Belfast City Council}}
  • Elizabeth Gould Bell (1862–1934), doctor

=Politics and diplomacy=

  • Sir Trevor Corry (1724–1780), British diplomat[https://archive.org/details/journalforyear32asso_0 Journal of the Association for the Preservation of Memorials of the Dead in Ireland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810010011/https://archive.org/details/journalforyear32asso_0 |date=10 August 2016 }} (1898), p. 255
  • Isaac Corry (1753–1813), Member of Parliament for Newry (1776), Irish Chancellor of the Exchequer (1799–1802)
  • Sir William Hill Irvine (1858–1943), Australian politician
  • Alfred Ludlam (1810–1877), New Zealand politician and philanthropist
  • John Martin (1812–1875), Irish nationalist
  • John Mitchel, Irish patriot{{Cite web |title=Culture Northern Ireland |url=http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/town_Home.aspx?co=7&to=165&ca=0&sca=0&navID=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930180919/http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/town_Home.aspx?co=7&to=165&ca=0&sca=0&navID=1 |archive-date=30 September 2007 |access-date=6 May 2006}}
  • Pádraig Ó Cuinn (1898–1974), Irish Republican Army
  • Charles Russell, Baron Russell of Killowen (1832–1900), Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales

=Sport=

  • Terence Bannon, mountaineer
  • Michael Cusack (1847–1906), founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association{{Cite web |title=Down to celebrate the Michael Cusack Connection |url=http://www.hoganstand.com/county/down/article/index/118470 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212031619/http://www.hoganstand.com/county/down/article/index/118470 |archive-date=12 December 2017 |access-date=1 December 2017}}
  • Pat Jennings, football goalkeeper
  • Willie Maley (1868–1958), football manager
  • Danny McAlinden, heavyweight boxer
  • Shay McCartan, footballer
  • Ryan McGivern, footballer
  • Peter McParland, footballer
  • Seán O'Neill, Gaelic footballer
  • Ronan Rafferty, golfer
  • Charlie Smyth, NFL kicker and former Gaelic footballer
  • Kane Tucker, Irish international boxer{{Cite web |author=Joe O'Neill |url=http://www.irish-boxing.com/kane-tucker-school-middleweight/ |title="Basically professional" Kane Tucker ready to reap the rewards of full-time boxing |publisher=Irish Boxing |date=31 January 2018 |access-date=21 November 2024}}

=Other=

Sport

=Football=

Until 2012, Newry City F.C. played at the Showgrounds before being liquidated. A phoenix club named Newry City AFC was formed to play in amateur leagues in 2013, and was promoted to the NIFL Premiership in 2018.

=Gaelic Athletic Association=

=Rugby Union=

Newry RFC (also known as Newry Rugby Club, Newry RFU or Newry) is an Irish amateur rugby union club, founded in 1925. The club is a member of the Irish Rugby Football Union's Ulster branch. The club currently fields three senior teams and several junior teams ranging from under-12 to under-18 and a women's team for the first time in 2010–2011 season. The club's home ground is known as Telford Park. The team currently has two playing fields located at this ground along with the clubhouse on the outskirts of Newry.

Education

Primary Schools

  • Cloughoge Primary School
  • Killean Primary School
  • St Clare's Convent Primary School
  • St. Colman's Abbey Christian Brothers' Primary School
  • St Joseph's Convent Primary School
  • St Malachy's Primary School
  • St. Patrick's Primary School, Newry|St Patrick's Primary School
  • Windsor Hill Primary School
  • St Ronan's Primary School{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}

Post-Primary Schools

Further Education

See also

References

{{Reflist|30em}}