Warrenpoint

Warrenpoint
Irish: *An Phointe*
Warrenpoint Irish: An Phointe;
Population	6,981
Irish grid reference	J145180
• Belfast	44 miles
District	Newry and Mourne;
County	County Down;
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NEWRY
Postcode district	BT34
Dialling code	028, +44 28
Police	Northern Ireland
Fire	Northern Ireland
Ambulance	Northern Ireland
UK Parliament	South Down;
Website	[1]
	List of places UK Northern Ireland Down

Warrenpoint Warrenpoint is the youngest town in South Down being a mere two hundred years of age. Despite its comparatively recent birth even its name has been a matter of some controversy. At one stage it was generally supposed that the town got its name from the existence of a rabbit warren on the flat land where Osbourne Point juts out into Carlingford Lough .Hence the name Warren Point.

When a coat of arms was being designed for the town in the last century it was this interpretation that persuaded the town fathers to include some rabbits on the design .And yet no evidence of the existence of a rabbit warren in the area has been discovered.

Modern thinking about the derivation of the name is more inclined to link it to the existence in the district of a family named Warren or Waring .Thus in 1744 the district was referred to as Waringspoint and in 1795 as warrenspoint and in the middle of the last century as Warrenpoint. Native Irish speakers in Omeath referred to it simply as AN POINTE (the point). Its official title today is WARRENPOINT although it is referred to as “The Point” over most of south down. (source Dr. Liam Bradley's book WARRENPOINT origins and developments 1998)

It is known for its scenic location, the Maiden of the Mournes festival, the Blues on the Bay music festival and the the nearby Narrow Water Castle dating from the 1660s.

In the 2001 Census it had a population of 7,000.

History

What is now Warrenpoint long consisted of a small number of basic dwellings inhabited by people reliant on fishing for their survival and sustenance.

Its scenic beauty and coastal location instigated rapid development so that the population in 1824 was 500 and in 1831 was 1,000. In 1836 there was a school, a court house, a savings bank and a farming society. In 1846 the population was 683.

Fairs were held once a month and a market every Friday. In the mid-19th century, Newry merchants obtained a government grant to create a tidal dock at the village, as prior to 1850 ships of above 150 tonnes could not get further up the lough than Narrow Water.

A railway connection opened on 9 May 1849,^[1] increasing Warrenpoint's popularity as a holiday destination. and Warrenpoint became popular as a resort town. Thousands flocked to the resort every year, where most took the passenger ferry to Omeath in County Louth. The Warrenpoint railway station closed in January 1965. The Ferry remains in operation but only in the summer months from May to September.

A bandstand in the town park provided concerts and a swimming pool was built in 1908. The baths were opened by Captain Roger Hall on Whit Monday, the 8th of June in that year, but they are now closed.

Demographics

Warrenpoint is classified as a small town by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 4,500 and 10,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 7,000 people living in Warrenpoint. Of these:

26.7% were aged under 16 years and 16.8% were aged 60 and over
48.3% of the population were male and 51.7% were female
90.0% were from a Catholic background and 8.5% were from a Protestant background
4.3% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

Places of interest

Narrow Water Castle just outside the town is a three-storey tower house built in 1560 to protect the entrance to the Newry river estuary. Across the road is the new Narrow Water Castle built in 1840.

Today a small passenger ferry service operates out of Warrenpoint to the village of Omeath in County Louth. The trip takes about fifteen minutes. Other cruises include trips to Narrow Water Castle and Bay & Harbour Cruises.

Two small inland lakes , the "Mill Dam" and the "Waterworks" offer a variety of fishing opportunities. A permit is needed to fish these lakes, which are located about 1km from the town centre.

Warrenpoint Promenade was used as a backdrop for Bundoran in the film The Butcher Boy, especially the exterior of the Star of the Sea Convent and the Edwardian swimming baths.

Education

People

Irish literary critic Denis Donoghue was brought up in Warrenpoint.
Social Democratic and Labour Party politician Carmel Hanna is from the town.
Actor Patch Connolly also lived in Warrenpoint.
Golfer Ronan Rafferty was born here.[2]
Musician Vedran Smailović lives here.
Northern Irish writer and literary critic, Forrest Reid, died in Warrenpoint in 1947.

References

^ "Warrenpoint station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-09-07.

External links

[1] "Warrenpoint station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-09-07.

[1]