Newry

Newry is a town straddling the historic boundary between County Down and County Armagh in Northern Ireland, and five miles north of the border with the Republic of Ireland. In 2002 Newry was upgraded to a city but it continues to feel like a medium-sized town, with a population of 26,967 in 2011. The counties of Northern Ireland have been abolished, and since 2015, it's been governed as part of Newry, Mourne and Down District.

Understand
Mountains obstruct the route from Dublin north along the coast into Ulster, but at Newry there's a gap, so roads (and later a canal and railway) head inland up the valley towards Portadown before swinging east into Belfast. The gap is a U-shaped glaciated valley that deepens into the fjord of Carlingford Lough, so there's also sea access. This was more of a curse than a blessing in the first millennium since if there was one thing the Vikings enjoyed more than sailing into fjords, it was burning and pillaging the nearby settlements. The Normans put a stop to this, secured the area and founded an abbey. The town remained small until the 18th century when the growth of industry and transport made its position more important.

Ireland was divided into counties, which acquired local government councils in the 19th century, and Newry fell on the boundary of three. West of the river and fjord was County Armagh, east was County Down, and the town hall was symbolically built straddling the river. Five miles south was County Louth, which from 1921 belonged to a separate nation, the Republic of Ireland. Between them lay a higgledy-piggledy, porous and often dangerous border, with the main road checkpoint at Killeen, and for the rest of the 20th century this dominated Newry. There were killings and bombings during The Troubles from 1970, a heavy military presence, and a flight of industry and employment.

The turning point was the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which largely ended The Troubles, and rendered the crossing from Louth to Armagh as trivial and hassle-free as the crossing from Armagh to Down had been. Traffic sweeps past on the N1 / A1 with little more to denote the border than a sign advising that speed limits are in miles per hour, or in kph if you're driving south. In 2002 the town was re-awarded its city status, which nowadays is just ceremonial. It draws a lot of cross-border traffic and is even a commuter town for Dublin, with trains taking little over an hour. The big uncertainty is the effect of Brexit upon the border, as the Republic of Ireland remains within the EU.

Get in
Newry is midway between Dublin and Belfast, so you can use either city's airport or ferry port and travel onward by train or bus. By car follow M1 / A1: there's a toll at Drogheda to the south.

The Enterprise Train runs eight times M-Sa, five times Sunday, taking 70 min from Dublin Connolly via Drogheda and Dundalk, and an hour from Belfast Lanyon Place via Portadown. Commuter trains between Bangor, Belfast and Portadown extend to Newry in rush hour.

is a mile northwest of town centre. The railway comes into the station over the Egyptian Arch Bridge (it's supposed to resemble a pharaoh's head-dress, you'll need to use your imagination) and continues north over the 18-arch Craigmore Viaduct.

Goldline Express Bus 238 runs hourly from Belfast Europa bus station via Hillsborough and Banbridge, taking 75 min to Newry.

Expressway Bus X1 runs every couple of hours from Dublin Busáras and Airport to Newry, 90 min, and continues to Banbridge, Sprucefield Shopping Centre near Lisburn and Belfast Europa.

Ulsterbus 63 runs every couple of hours from Portadown, taking an hour to Newry. Bus 240 runs every couple of hours from Downpatrick via Newcastle, taking 70 min.

is on The Mall in town centre.

plies across the opening of the lough between Greencastle in County Down and Greenore in the Republic east of Dundalk. A car with all passengers is £12, a foot passenger, cyclist or motorbike is £2.25. It sails hourly Apr-Sep daily 9AM-8PM, Oct-Mar Sa Su 10AM-5PM, and the crossing takes 15 min.

Get around
Newry is relatively small, and can easily be explored on foot.

Bus 160 plies between Newry, Killeen and Dundalk every couple of hours, taking 35 min.

Taxi firms in town include Clanrye (+44 28 3026 2222) and Border Taxis (formerly TW Taxis). Uber is also available.

National Cycleway 9 runs from Belfast to Lisburn, Craigavon, Portadown, Scarva and Newry. Route 91 branches west to Armagh, Monaghan and Enniskillen.

Alas, the narrow-gauge horse-drawn tram between Warrenpoint and Rostrevor was washed away in a storm in 1915 and never re-instated.

Further out

 * is a mountain of 573 m / 1880 ft rising sharply southwest of town. Its Irish name Sliabh gCuillinn has a long mythological derivation or a short prosaic one: it means "steep hill". It's the central stump of the Ring of Gullion, the collapsed and fractured walls of an ancient volcano caldera, though the present peak is geologically more recent. It's usually climbed from the car park on the west flank, allow 4 hours and expect much mud. Great views from the top when it's not raining. Near the summit is a small lake with two burial cairns. The larger southern cairn is a passage tomb from circa 3000-3500 BC, the smaller northern cairn may be Bronze Age: both were damaged in World War II when the mountain was a US Army training range. Also on the slopes above Killeavy Castle (see "Sleep") is a ruined medieval convent. You can hike the 58 km trail round the lesser hills of the entire Ring, but most visitors are content to drive the 6 mile loop road.
 * is a village 7 miles south of Newry at the head of Carlingford Lough. It has accommodation and eating places. Narrow Water Castle is a 16th century turret, which you can't go in. By the castle was the Warrenpoint Ambush of 1979, when 18 British soldiers were killed. A narrow channel separates Warrenpoint from Omeath in the Republic: a bridge is under construction, but the ferry no longer sails.
 * is a village a couple of miles further east along the coast. It's got accommodation including a caravan park, and eating places. The Mourne Mountains rise to its east, with a woodland of sessile oak. The Invisible Tree at the woods entrance is a 200-year-old oak which was notoriously omitted from a 2019 environmental assessment for a local development application. Higher up, the Cloughmore Stone is a teetering 50-ton granite boulder, a glacial deposit. Some half a dozen nearby peaks are easy hikes, such as Slieve Martin. The Fairy Glen is the valley rising north to Kilbroney, where there's a ruined 12th-century church and graveyard. (Local fairies were the Brooneys, an unpleasant species.) The lane continues north to Hilltown, giving access to hikes in the west Mournes such as the Hen, Cock and Pigeon route.
 * is four miles east of Rostrevor, on a lane above A2 just west of Lisnacree. It was constructed some time before 1000 BC, with a capstone weighing the best part of 40 tons. But the dolmen is low-set and resembles a municipal sculpture, or a block stone to stop stolen cars being driven into the portals of the underworld.
 * is a fishing village, where you can visit the lobster hatchery, open M-Sa 10AM-5PM. The ruined church is 14th century. There's accommodation in Kilkeel, and shops for stocking up before heading into the wilds. "Baron Kilkeel" is a title conferred on Prince Harry in 2018 when he married Meghan Markle (remember her, the one who was going to diversify British royalty?) The village is also said to be the burial place of William Hare, as in Burke and Hare who in 1827 / 28 supplied remarkably fresh corpses to the Anatomy Rooms of Edinburgh. Both men were from Ulster and it's possible Hare sought to return, but he was last seen fleeing from Dumfries towards England and his final years are unknown.

Do

 * Sean Hollywood Arts Centre puts on various shows. It adjoins Town Hall, box office +44 28 3031 3180.
 * Newry Arts Festival event is held in February.
 * Newry Musical Feis is a series of events between Feb and May, often as competitions for young performers. It includes ballet & theatre dance, Irish dance, Irish trad music, other music, and speech & drama.
 * Newry Canal: Hike or bike along it, and you can even sail along its lowest stretch. It was built 1731-41 to bring coal from Tyrone via Lough Neagh to Newry and the sea at Carlingford Lough, though it mostly carried grain and general goods. It was managed as badly as it was built, and fell into disrepair even before the railways took away its business in the 1850s. The inland section from Newry to Portadown and Lough Neagh is long abandoned, but has a good firm towpath for hiking or cycling with multiple access points. Enough water trickles down its reedy bed for angling and for wildfowl. It lies parallel to Newry River, forming an island strip which in town broadens into Sugar Island. The lower broader section (known as the "ship canal") runs 5 miles south from Newry to Victoria Lock where it joins the tidal river. This stretch has been restored for navigation, craft maximum is 61-m length by 10-m beam by 3.4-m draught with no height limit.
 * Omniplex Cinema is on The Quays.
 * is on Cecil St west side of town. There's a gym, sports complex and 25-m swimming pool.
 * Football: were relegated in 2024 and play soccer in the NIFL Championship, Northern Ireland's second tier. Their home stadium The Showgrounds is on the east river bank a mile south of town; it has a nominal capacity of 7900 but is restricted to 2275. City play in the same colours and at the same ground as their predecessor Newry City FC, who went bust in 2012. (Their most famous player was goalkeeper Pat Jennings, b 1945, later of Watford, Spurs and Arsenal.)
 * Warrenpoint Town FC play six miles south. They play in the third tier, the Premier Intermediate League.
 * Gaelic games: County Down GAA play Gaelic football and hurling at Páirc Esler (capacity 25,000) on Warrenpoint Rd about a mile south of town.
 * Fiddlers Green Festival is held in Rostrevor in July.

Buy
New Variety Market is on Thursday and Saturday 9AM-5PM, east bank of the river off St Mary's Street.

Newry's modern retail strip is along the west bank of the canal. Downstream of William St / Bridge St, where the canal broadens into Albert Basin, is The Quays. The strip upstream to the next bridge at Mill St is The Buttercrane. All the big "High Street" names are here, ie the ones you seldom nowadays see on High Street.

Dalmolly retail park is a mile north of town at the junction of A27 and A28.

Newry draws many cross-border shoppers. Sometimes this is driven by VAT differences on goods, and sometimes by swings in currency, whenever the Republic's euro buys more against the UK pound.

Drink

 * Rostrevor south along the coast has lively pubs. Try any or all of Kilbroney Bar & Grill, Cloughmore Inn, Corner House and Killowen Bar, all central.
 * Distillery: Killowen makes whiskey, gin, poitín, rum and liqueurs, and offers tours. It's along the coast road between Rostrevor and Kilkeel.
 * Rostrevor south along the coast has lively pubs. Try any or all of Kilbroney Bar & Grill, Cloughmore Inn, Corner House and Killowen Bar, all central.
 * Distillery: Killowen makes whiskey, gin, poitín, rum and liqueurs, and offers tours. It's along the coast road between Rostrevor and Kilkeel.
 * Rostrevor south along the coast has lively pubs. Try any or all of Kilbroney Bar & Grill, Cloughmore Inn, Corner House and Killowen Bar, all central.
 * Distillery: Killowen makes whiskey, gin, poitín, rum and liqueurs, and offers tours. It's along the coast road between Rostrevor and Kilkeel.
 * Rostrevor south along the coast has lively pubs. Try any or all of Kilbroney Bar & Grill, Cloughmore Inn, Corner House and Killowen Bar, all central.
 * Distillery: Killowen makes whiskey, gin, poitín, rum and liqueurs, and offers tours. It's along the coast road between Rostrevor and Kilkeel.
 * Distillery: Killowen makes whiskey, gin, poitín, rum and liqueurs, and offers tours. It's along the coast road between Rostrevor and Kilkeel.

Sleep

 * Bed and Breakfasts around Newry are closed for the 2020 season.
 * Lough and Quay (formerly Boathouse Inn) on Marine Parade Warrenpoint is a small mid-range hotel overlooking the harbour.
 * Kilbroney Caravan Park is in Rostrevor, open Apr-Oct.
 * Bed and Breakfasts around Newry are closed for the 2020 season.
 * Lough and Quay (formerly Boathouse Inn) on Marine Parade Warrenpoint is a small mid-range hotel overlooking the harbour.
 * Kilbroney Caravan Park is in Rostrevor, open Apr-Oct.
 * Lough and Quay (formerly Boathouse Inn) on Marine Parade Warrenpoint is a small mid-range hotel overlooking the harbour.
 * Kilbroney Caravan Park is in Rostrevor, open Apr-Oct.

Connect
To call a number in Northern Ireland from the Republic, use area code 048 with no country code. The +44 28 versions given above will work but incur international rates.

Newry has a good mobile and 4G signal with all UK carriers. As of Oct 2021, 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

 * The Mourne Mountains rise close to town, but are low hills hereabouts.
 * Newcastle is a better base for the highest of the Mournes, including Northern Ireland's highest peak Slieve Donard.
 * Armagh has long been the ecclesiastic capital of all Ireland, with two cathedrals and a prehistoric "fort" that was clearly a religious centre.
 * Dundalk, south across the border in the Republic, is little more than a transport hub. Continue south for historic Drogheda and the Boyne Valley.