Newry

For other uses, see Newry (disambiguation).

Newry
Scots: Newrie
Irish: Iúr Cinn Trá or An tIúr
Gap of the North
Top: Newry skyline, Middle: The Buttercrane, The Quays, Newry Town Hall, Bottom Drumalane Mill, Newry Cathedral
Newry  Newry shown within Northern Ireland
Population	27,433 (2001 Census)
Irish grid reference	J085265
- Belfast	38 mi (61 km)
- Dublin	67 mi (108 km)
District	Newry and Mourne
County	County Armagh and County Down
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NEWRY
Postcode district	BT34, BT35
Dialling code	028
Police	Northern Ireland
Fire	Northern Ireland
Ambulance	Northern Ireland
EU Parliament	Northern Ireland
UK Parliament	Newry and Armagh
NI Assembly	Newry and Armagh
Website	newryandmourne.gov.uk
List of places UK Northern Ireland

Newry /ˈnjʊəri/ (from Irish: An Iúraigh) is a city (and a townland) in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, forms the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is 34 miles (55 km) from Belfast and 67 miles (108 km) from Dublin. Newry (together with Bessbrook) had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population of 87,058. Its believed that Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery, however there are many ancient references referring to earlier settlements in the abbey area,where it is believed the first religious foundation was that of St Patrick. There is no doubt that it is one of Ireland's oldest towns.

The city of Newry is one of the constituent cities of the Dublin-Belfast corridor and sits at the entry to the "Gap of the North", close to the border with the Republic of Ireland. It grew as a market town and a garrison and became a port in 1742 when it was linked to Lough Neagh by the first summit-level canal in Britain or Ireland. In March 2002, as part of Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee celebrations, Newry was granted city status alongside Lisburn. Despite being the fourth largest city in Northern Ireland, however, it is not the fourth largest settlement. Newry has long been an important centre of trade because of its position between Belfast and Dublin.

Name

The name Newry derives from an anglicisation of An Iúraigh, an oblique form of An Iúrach, which means "the grove of yew trees".

The modern Irish name for Newry is An tIúr (pronounced [ən̠ʲ tʲuːɾˠ]), which means "the yew tree". An tIúr is an abbreviation of Iúr Cinn Trá, which itself means "yew tree at the head of the strand". 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 welcome signs.

History

A view over Newry looking north

Marcus Square, Newry

Looking southwest over Newry, with Newry Cathedral in the centre of the picture

There is strong evidence of continual human habitation in the area from early times, where its seen during the Bronze Age that Newry had a factory type community who were producing in abundance very detailed jewelery for garments, three of these Newry Clasps can be found in the Ulster Museum, and a massive arm clasp from this same period was also found in Newry. In recent times the survey for the new bypass revealed a number of standing stones on a central area down the O Meath road, these like many other finds like that of ancient cave around the top of the Dublin Road area, have seemingly been noted and forgotten about. In 820, the Danes made one of their earliest irruptions at Newryabbey, from whence they proceeded to Armagh, taking it by storm, and plundering and desolating the country around. It was the first time since its foundation that the venerable city was in the hands of sacriligious foreigners. In A.D 835, according to O Halloarn's history of Ireland, the Danes again made a sudden incursion into Newry, ( A large body of Danes landed at Inbher-Chin-Tra-gha, or Newry), and committed, dreadful cruelties there. Then, they attacked Armagh, and set fire to the churches and university, plundering them of all their plate and riches and plundered all in his way setting fire to them, putting at the same time to the sword, above a thousand people, clergy and laity were slaughtered. Todd James Henthorn tells us more in his 1867 Volume, (Chronicles and memories of England and Ireland in the Middle ages) where he tells us the abbey was attacked in 824. The first mention of a charter for Newry comes in 1061 where in a Monk who was at the Celtic foundation of the same died. The small medieval town was enlarged in 1144 by Saint Malachy, with the rebuilding of Saint Patrick's older foundation. The Vikings attacked the Abbey many time, slaughtering its occupants The town was granted its first charter between 1153 and 1160 by High King of Ireland Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn. In 1162 the monastery was attacked and burned to some degree, by Irish clans. There is no evidence as to how much of the abbey was burned in this attack, it was not completely destroyed. De Courcy's lordship ensured a safe spell for the abbey after he had built several castles in and around Newry, the largest of these,is described by Joyce as ( Newry, the landing stage of the fortress)it was a typical Norman affair with a Motte and Bailey. The landing stage its self was situated in Killmorey street, from these early times it was the main pier and port of the town. It stayed as such untill the construction of the new canal took place. The abbey was later converted to a collegiate church in 1543, before being surrendered to the crown in 1548. The abbey is seen to be giving its earnings to the crown almost 200 years before this date. It is described as being one of the richest and largest in Ireland.

In 1550 an English mercenary, Nicholas Bagenal, fled to Ireland after murdering a man in Leek, in Yorkshire, apparently with the aid of his two brothers. After some time in the employ of the O Neill he reached a high status, was granted a pardon, and became Marshall of the army. He secured a 21-year lease on the property which was confiscated from the Cistercians, during the reformation. Bagenal restored the castle of Newry first built by de Courcy in 1198.

Harris (1735) recorded the site of the Great Catholic Church which was built by the Cistercians as being at the top of Hyde Market; he stated that some of the remains of this church were still standing. Bradshaw in 1820 wrote that the bell tower stair case of the church needed gunpowder to demolish it in 1800 because of its immense strength. The same words are now plagiarized and used in ref to the same building being a supposed Castle. Pictures of this church and its attached bell tower are found on all maps through out the ages, they tell no lies,no Castle ever sat on this church site, untill one suddenly appeared in 1996. The birth of which has turned the towns history on its head, along with this Castle came the redifing of Newrys ancient and modern history. If its to be believed then De Courcy must have built his Motte and Bailey after knocking down the great cistercian church,unless of course he built it on top of it, both ideas are so far fetched,and unbelievable, yet part of his Motte and Bailey still stands else where today. It could only happen In Newry.

Many of the old walls of the Abbey are still standing round the abbey fields. The nearby convent was also part of the Abbey,and is seen mentioned in the Bagenal patent. A small medieval church can be found in its grounds. It is an ancient place. The abbey site is mentioned in the rent rolls of 1575, said to consist of a 'church, a steeple, a cemetery, a chapter-house, dormitory and hall, two orchards and one garden, containing one acre, within the precincts of the college'. Part of the great church still stands today in the form of a Bagenal Castle and its attached museum, while the museum building dates from the Cistercian foundation, the other is seen to be much earlier, its construction is that with the Irish battered wall. This building contains an ancient stone stair case which leads into undercrofts (see Newry Mourne Bagenal Booklet)where it is believe that many ancient graves are located, its existence is rememberd in folk lore as, the little village. A glass floor has been placed over this entrance, and the existence of these undercrofts is now denied by the local council. The chapter house was pulled away in the late 19th century, by the Corry family who converted the dormitory and hall as mentioned above, into four Georgian-style residences in the abbey yard where he resided himself, many of the other Abbey buildings were refurbished at this date, and are now used by various sources.

During the Williamite War, the forces of King James II set fire to the town in 1689, while he was on a visit to Newry to mark the approach of King William of Orange {{}} An eye witness who was with King Billy on this campain tells us that the ancient square Castle of De Courcy and later that of the Bagenal's is still standing with 6 houses around it. While its believed that King Billy may have stayed at a Newry Castle,the story is a far fetched one, king Billy took a portable wooden bed room with him on this campain,which he called his coach, he refused to sleep in Castles or houses, prefering to be amongst his men. The main Castle of Newry at this date was an ancient abbey building, which stood at Mill Street corner, (the abbots house),it was a typical Cistercian tower house, which was castelated by the abbot Creely, it stood alone in the North end of the abbey complex, its remains were finally demolished in 1965. The other abbey buildings once used by Bagenal as pig sties and stables i.e the reformed Catholic Church, and the surrounding buildings lay neglected when King Billy passed through the town, for over 100 years they were nothing more thn great massives stores or sheds in the back ground and not concidered as part of the town. Evidence shows nothing of the English buildings of that period, however claims have been made in contemporary documents in regard to buildings supposedly being erected by the Needhams in the mid 1700s in Killmorey Street (Customs House, Bridewell) earlier documents prove that these were converted abbey buildings. How ever many fine English Georgian period houses can be seen in the town.

By 1881 the population of Newry had reached 15,590. Newry Urban District Council was unusual in that during the period from the 1920s to the 1960s it was one of only a handfull of councils in Northern Ireland which had a majority of councillors from the Catholic/Nationalist community. (The others were Strabane UDC and a handful of rural district councils.) The reason according to Michael Farrell was that this community formed such a large majority in the town, around 80% of the population, that it was 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.

The Troubles

Main article: The Troubles in Newry

Newry saw several violent incidents during the conflict known as the Troubles. These went on 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 hilltop watch towers were taken down. The Army withdrew from the area on 25 June 2007 when they closed their final base at Bessbrook. As there are no garrisons in the area the Army has had no official presence in Newry or South Armagh since the end of Operation Banner.

Geography

Newry lies in the most south-eastern 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 River Clanrye, which runs through the city, forms the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 made all of Newry, including the portion in County Armagh, part of the administrative County of Down. This act has since been repealed.

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 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, alongside their likely etymologies:

County Armagh (west of the River Clanrye)

Townland	Origin (Irish unless stated)	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

County Down (east of the River Clanrye)

Townland	Origin (Irish unless stated)	Translation
Ballynacraig	Baile na gCreag	townland of the crags
Ballinaire	Baile an Iubhair	settlement of the yew tree
Carneyhough	of uncertain origin
Cloghanramer	Clochán Ramhar	thick stone structure/causeway
Commons	an English name that first appeared in 1810
Creeve	Craobh	tree/bush
Damolly	probably Damh Maoile	house of the round hill
Drumcashellone	Droim Caisil Eoghain	the ridge of Eoghan's cashel
Greenan	Grianán	eminent or sunny place

Demography

Although officially a city, Newry is classified as a large town by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 18,000 and 75,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001), there were 27,433 people living in Newry. Of these:

• 26.2% were aged under 16 years and 16.0% were aged 60 and over
• 48.5% of the population were male and 51.6% were female;
• 89.6% were from a Roman Catholic background and 9.4% were from a Protestant background.
• 5.5% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.
• 99% of people are European.

Climate

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

Climate data for Newry, United Kingdom (1981–2010 normals)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	6.8 (44.2)	7.1 (44.8)	9.2 (48.6)	11.5 (52.7)	14.5 (58.1)	17.0 (62.6)	18.7 (65.7)	18.3 (64.9)	15.9 (60.6)	12.4 (54.3)	9.1 (48.4)	6.9 (44.4)	12.3 (54.1)
Average low °C (°F)	1.7 (35.1)	1.8 (35.2)	2.8 (37)	4.2 (39.6)	6.5 (43.7)	9.3 (48.7)	11.2 (52.2)	11.1 (52)	9.2 (48.6)	6.7 (44.1)	4.0 (39.2)	2.2 (36)	5.9 (42.6)
Precipitation mm (inches)	108.9 (4.287)	74.9 (2.949)	84.5 (3.327)	74.5 (2.933)	68.3 (2.689)	64.6 (2.543)	74.7 (2.941)	82.7 (3.256)	77.5 (3.051)	104.8 (4.126)	100.0 (3.937)	103.2 (4.063)	1,018.7 (40.106)
Source: Met Office (UK)

Economy

Newry has a reputation as one of the best provincial shopping-towns in Northern Ireland, with the Buttercrane Centre and The Quays attracting large numbers of shoppers from as far away as Cork.

In 2006 Newry topped the league of house prices increases across the whole United Kingdom over the last decade, as prices in the city had increased by 371% since 1996. The city itself has become markedly more prosperous in recent years. Unemployment has reduced from over 26% in 1991 to scarcely 2% in 2008.

Since the inception of the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, shoppers from the Republic of Ireland have increasingly been crossing the border to Newry in order to buy cheaper goods. This owes to a combination of factors: the harsh budget in the Republic of Ireland in October 2008; 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. 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".

However the increased flow of trade has led to resultant tailbacks, sometimes several kilometers 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".

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 18 miles to Lough Neagh. In 1777, Newry was ranked the fourth largest port in Ireland.^{[citation needed]} 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, located in the city centre. The bus station is situation 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 Country 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 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 bridege 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 Co. Antrim to Midleton, Co. 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. Newry is connected with Warrenpoint by a lower quality dual carriageway, some seven miles to the south.

Administration

The headquarters of Newry and Mourne District Council are in Newry. The area has a majority nationalist population, leading to a council dominated by Sinn Féin and the Social Democratic and Labour Party, but there are three Ulster Unionist and one Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) councillors. Former UUP member Henry Reilly was re-elected in 2011 as a UKIP candidate. Newry and Mourne District Council was scheduled to be merged with the adjoining Down District Council in 2011 as part of the reorganisation of local government in Northern Ireland but these plans were shelved.

As a result of the 2011 Northern Ireland Council elections the council is as follows:

Name	District Electoral Area		Party
John Feehan	Newry Town		Social Democratic and Labour Party
John McArdle	Newry Town		Social Democratic and Labour Party
Charlie Casey	Newry Town		Sinn Féin
Brendan Curran	Newry Town		Sinn Féin
Valerie Harte	Newry Town		Sinn Féin
Davy Hyland	Newry Town		Independent
Jack Patterson	Newry Town		Independent
Mickey Ruane	Crotlieve		Sinn Féin
Mick Murphy	Crotlieve		Sinn Féin
Peter Kearney	Crotlieve		Sinn Féin
Connaire McGreevy	Crotlieve		Social Democratic and Labour Party
Michael Carr	Crotlieve		Social Democratic and Labour Party
Sean O’Hare	Crotlieve		Social Democratic and Labour Party
Declan McAtteer	Crotlieve		Social Democratic and Labour Party
John Feehan	The Fews		Social Democratic and Labour Party
Jimmy McCreesh	The Fews		Sinn Féin
Pat McGinn	The Fews		Sinn Féin
Turlough Murphy	The Fews		Sinn Féin
Andy Moffett	The Fews		Ulster Unionist Party
David Taylor	The Fews		Ulster Unionist Party
Colman Burns	Slieve Gullion		Sinn Féin
Anthony Flynn	Slieve Gullion		Sinn Féin
Packie McDonald	Slieve Gullion		Sinn Féin
Terry Hearty	Slieve Gullion		Sinn Féin
Geraldine Donnelly	Slieve Gullion		Social Democratic and Labour Party
Sean Doran	The Mournes		Sinn Féin
Sean Rodgers	The Mournes		Social Democratic and Labour Party
James William Burns	The Mournes		Democratic Unionist Party
Harold McKee	The Mournes		Ulster Unionist Party
Henry Riely	The Mournes		UKIP

Notable buildings

Catholic Cathedral of SS. Patrick and Colman, Newry

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. 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.^{[citation needed]}

The Town Hall is notable for being built over the River Clanrye which is the historic boundary between the counties of Armagh and Down.

The city also boasts a museum, an arts centre and, in recent years, has seen a number of art galleries being opened.

The impressive 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 a quarter of a mile long and was constructed from local granite. The Enterprise Train link from Belfast to Dublin crosses the bridge. Every week, The Newry Reporter newspaper highlights a historic building in Newry and the surrounding area, giving a brief outline of its history.

Hospitals

• Daisy Hill Hospital

Churches

Roman Catholic

• Cathedral of Saints Patrick and Colman, Hill Street (1825–29)
• The 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)

Protestant Churches (or Churches from the Reformed faiths)

• St. Patrick's Church of Ireland (1578). Perhaps the first Protestant church ever built in Ireland. It was destroyed by fire and rebuilt.
• St. Mary's Church of Ireland (1819)
• First Presbyterian Church, Sandys Street
• Downshire Road Presbyterian Church
• Methodist Church, Sandy's Street
• Newry Baptist Church
• First Presbyterian Church (Non-Subscribing), John Mitchel Place
• Riverside Reformed Presbyterian Church, Basin Walk
• The Salvation Army, Trevor Hill
• Metropolitan Church, Edward Street

Notable people

• Joseph Barcroft, respiratory physiologist, (1872–1947)
• W. J. Barre (1830 - 1867), architect who designed the Ulster Hall in Belfast in the late 1850s.
• Daybreak host Christine Bleakley was born in Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry in 1979.
• Thomas Duff, Architect, (1792–1848) was born in Newry. Duff is renowned for having designed the Cathedral of St. Patrick and St. Colman in the town.
• John Dunlop, prominent Presbyterian churchman, was born in Newry in 1939.
• Julia Glover, an 18th and 19th century stage actress was born in the town.
• Frank Hall, broadcaster / satirist, RTE
• Seán Hillen, artist, was born and grew up in Newry, and made a large body of photomontage artworks related to the 'troubles', many of which are based on his own photographs taken in and around Newry. They include a series satirically titled "LondoNewry, a Mythical Town.."
• Sir William Hill Irvine GCMG (6 July 1858 - 20 August 1943), the 21st Premier of Victoria was born in Newry.
• Pat Jennings, a former goalkeeper and most capped player for Northern Ireland, was born in the town and played for Newry Town F.C.
• Michael Legge - actor, best known for his recurring role in the Channel 4 series Shameless and for his part in the film Angela's Ashes. He was born in Newry and attended St. Colman's Abbey Primary School and St Colman's College.
• Actor siblings John and Susan Lynch, were both born in Newry.
• Tom Kelly, Irish News Columnist; Media Commentator. Awarded OBE in 2006, Contribution to Greater Newry Award 2008 and Hon. Doctorate from University of Ulster 2012.
• Alfred Ludlam (1810 – 8 November 1877) A leading New Zealand politician and philanthropist
• John Magee, Roman Catholic Bishop of Cloyne and former private secretary to three popes, Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II.
• Willie Maley (25 April 1868–April 2, 1958), the first manager of Celtic was born in Newry.
• John Martin (8 September 1812 – 29 March 1875) an Irish nationalist was born in Newry.
• Ryan McGivern, Manchester City F.C. defender and has been capped for Northern Ireland.
• Peter McParland, a former soccer player, who scored for Northern Ireland in 1958 FIFA World Cup, was born in Newry.
• John Mitchel, a 19th century Irish patriot who inspired the Young Ireland Movement, is buried in the Old Meeting House cemetery in the town.
• Tomm Moore, Oscar nominated filmmaker was born in Newry before moving to Kilkenny at an early age.
• Actor Gerard Murphy was born in Newry, and was a prominent member of the Newpoint Players theatre group.
• Gaelic footballer, Seán O'Neill, regarded as one of the outstanding forwards in the game, was born in Newry.
• David O'Reilly aka Rigsy, a broadcaster with the BBC and popular DJ, was born in Newry on 6 December 1978 and lived in the city until he was ten.
• Ronan Rafferty (13 January 1964), golfer, was born in Newry.
• Charles Russell, Baron Russell of Killowen, (1832–1900), Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, was born in Newry on 10 November 1832.
• Matthew Russell, SJ - Irish Jesuit, poet and editor, was born in Newry in 1834. He established the Irish Monthly in 1873 and served as editor for nearly forty years. He also wrote many volumes of verse, and corresponded with the English Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins.

Groups

• The 4 of Us - rock band from Newry
• Luv Bug, pop group who represented Ireland at the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest also originated from Newry

Sport

Association football (soccer)

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

The local amateur league, the Carnbane League was established in 1968. As of 2011 the teams competing in these leagues at senior level are:

Premier Division

• Newry Celtic
• Rockview United
• Bessbrook United
• Windmill Stars
• Ballybot United
• Woodside
• Finn Harps
• Killeavey United
• Cleary Celtic
• Killowen Celtic
• Kilkeel Athletic
• Damolly United
• Crieve Rovers

First Division

• Grasshoppers
• Whitecross AFC
• North End Strollers
• Midway United
• Drumcashlone
• Millburn United
• Parkview
• Ashgrove Rovers
• Rostrevor Rovers
• Bohemians
• Villa Rovers
• Clanrye Athletic
• Newry Juventus
• Cartwheel United

Gaelic Athletic Association

The Down GAA team has its home ground at Páirc Esler in the city. Local clubs are Newry Bosco GFC, Newry Shamrocks GAC, John Mitchel GFC and Ballyholland GFC, all in Down GAA, and Thomas Davis GFC, Corrinshego and Killeavy St Moninna's GAC, both in Armagh GAA.

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.

Hockey

Newry Olympic HC is a field hockey team located at the north of the city. The men's first XI currently play in the ONE1918 Senior 1 league.

Education

Primary Schools

• Ballyholland Primary School
• Bunscoil an Iúir
• Cloughoge Primary School
• Killean Primary School
• Mullaglass Primary School
• St Clare's Convent Primary School
• St. Colman's Abbey Christian Brothers' Primary School
• St Colman's Primary School, Saval
• St Joseph's Convent Primary School
• St Malachy's Primary School
• St. Mary's High School
• St Patrick's Primary School
• Windsor Hill Primary School
• St Ronan's Primary School

Post-Primary Schools

• Abbey Christian Brothers Grammar School
• Newry High School
• Our Lady's Grammar School
• Sacred Heart Grammar School
• St Colman's College
• St. John's Primary School
• St Joseph's Boys' High School
• St. Paul's High School, Bessbrook

Further Education

• Southern Regional College

External links

• Destination Newry and Mourne
• Newry at the Open Directory Project
• Newry and Mourne District Council
• ActivNewry.com - Newry's business, events, and community directory
• Newry City.com
• Newry.ie - All things Newry with Events, Photograph Archive from the 80's and latest News
• NewryCity.eu
• in Newry.com
• Newry Memoirs