Explore the history of Newry City on the Newry Heritage Trail, and don't miss the 19th-century Cathedral of St Patrick and St Colman for a glimpse into its religious and architectural heritage. Newry City is steeped in history with roots dating back to the 12th century.
A Short History of Newry from the First Settlement (16th Century)
The first recorded footsteps in the Clanrye Valley were those of St. Patrick who is reputed to have planted a ‘yew tree at the head of the strand’. Translated into Gaelic this reads ‘Iubhair Cinn Tragh’ and is how the town derives its name. The town traces its historical origins to the Cistercian Abbey founded in 1144 and confirmed by a charter granted by the High King, Murtagh McLoughlin, in 1157.
The Bagenal Dynasty (16th to 18th Century)
The Abbey was dissolved in 1545 and the English adventurer Nicholas Bagenal, who rose to be Marshal of the Army, occupied the Abbot’s House and fortified the town. The seventeenth century was a period of political and military flux with the town falling briefly to Con Magennis in 1641, surrendering to Cromwell’s Colonel Venables in 1649 and being burned by Berwick in the Williamite wars of September 1689. The last of the Bagenals died in 1712.
A Town Rebuilt (18th Century)
A new town plan was laid out by the Earls of Hillsborough, later Marquis of Downshire, which reorientated the town away from the hillsides down to the valley floor and marshlands. Hill Street formed the central spine and was punctuated by two well-proportioned squares, named Margaret Square and Marcus Square. A proposed third square evolved into what became known as the Hyde Market and is now St. Colman’s Park. The tall, elegant buildings erected along Hill Street and around the squares were in contrast to the more rugged warehouses built along the river and canal quays.
Newry Canal (1742)
In 1742 the inland canal to Lough Neagh, the first in the British Isles, was completed bringing with it a period of commercial success as Newry traded the produce of a large hinterland. Many of the private, public and commercial buildings which expressed the wealth of this era are still standing and can be enjoyed on the trail. By 1777, Newry ranked as the fourth largest port in Ireland. Its linen trade flourished, and fine glassware was manufactured. There was a thriving printing industry which served, not only local need, but European writers also. Voltaire and Jean Jacques Rousseau had their works printed in Newry.
Industrial Newry (19th Century)
The coming of the railways to Ulster favoured the development of Belfast as a major port and this led to the decline of traffic on Newry’s inland canal. Deepening of the ship canal and the building of the Albert Basin, however, allowed Newry to attract trade, particularly in coal, across the sea. In the mid 19th century, Newry and Bessbrook were able to develop a flax spinning industry due to a dramatic slump in cotton production caused by the American Civil War.
Newry in the 20th Century
By 1881 the population of Newry had reached its 19th century zenith of 15,590 but from the turn of the century until the 1960s there was a period of decline as the inland canal, the mills, the tramway and the railways all closed. After the 1970s, and despite the Troubles, an injection of public capital greatly improved communications, health and education facilities and ignited flames of individual initiative which have produced international successes like Norbrook Laboratories and Glen Dimplex. Outside the Town Hall, a crowd of 15,000 greeted the New Millennium with hope and confidence.
What is Newry like these days?
The Newry of today, with a population of 28,000 (approx), and with modern vibrant streets, shopping centres, hotels and a skilled innovative people, continues to grow. City status, conferred in 2002, is a sign of an exciting regeneration as new technologies and ideas have enabled Newry to position itself at the heart of Ireland’s economic core.
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