Introducing Newry
Newry has long been a frontier town, guarding the land route from Dublin to Ulster through the ‘Gap of the North’, the pass between Slieve Gullion and the Carlingford hills, still followed by the main Dublin–Belfast road and railway. Its name derives from a yew tree (An tIúr) supposedly planted here by St Patrick.
Advertisement
The opening of the Newry Canal in 1742, linking the town with the River Bann at Portadown, made Newry into a busy trading port, exporting coal from Coalisland on Lough Neagh as well as linen and butter from the surrounding area.
Newry today is a major shopping centre, with a busy market on Thursday and Saturday, and makes a good base for exploring the Mourne Mountains, South Armagh and the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
-
RE: What are the two most disparate nations that share a land border?
by Iolar 19 January 2012
You need to look up "nation" while you are busy googling furiously, FireArm. I see you have found several maps, but have you discovered…
-
RE: I'll be travelling to Northern Ireland from the UK in February
by Copepod 07 January 2012
Apart from the fact that you will not leave the UK when you land in Belfast - you might not like it, but the fact is that it's the United…
-
RE: Between Belfast and Dublin
by alan1972 04 April 2011
I also like Carlingford and the surrounding Cooley Peninsula. I'm not sure if you have a car though. If not you can still get to Carlingford…
