Entering Newry from the South

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Newry nestles in a low river valley with the eastern end of the Ring of Gullion on its western side, and rocky outcrops of Newry granite on its eastern side. Along the shore towards Warrenpoint on the east side of the estuary is the only flat access road – except of course for the parallel road to Omeath and Carlingford just across the water.

Shoot the taximan!

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Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism may have found a novel tourist attraction.

‘Putting a few taxi drivers up against a wall and shooting them, as an example to others,’ is his solution to alleged rudeness and overcharging on their behalf. Perhaps surprisingly – or maybe not so, given his country’s human rights record – his suggestion has met with a muted response.

Throw another bottle!

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The former model and wife of Sir David Frost is recovering in hospital from the effects of an overdose.  Sir David found wife Lady Carina (50) unconscious at their Chelsea home after returning from a US interview with ‘President’ George W Bush.

Linenhall Square: Beginning

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As we have already for other estates, we will shortly list the tenants of Linen Hall Square  from another age. Meanwhile we reproduce here a short article that originally appeared two generations ago, extolling the new working class residences.

Workhouse in Living Memory 2

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Nancy remembers only two school-going children, both boys, in her time and that towards the end. The wardmaster took the able-bodied to fields between the Workhouse and the Paupers’ Graveyard to cultivate the plots of potatoes and vegetables. As one photograph included here shows, there were cultivated plots also between the Reception Area and the Hospital Road.


There was also a piggery.  The intention was as far as possible to be self-sufficient in food.

Workhouse 9

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 There were factors that featured on a national and wider scale, such as temporary agricultural recessions, government policies and the shift from cultivation to pasture.


The rising and falling trends of Workhouse admissions over Ireland can be traced to a combination of all of these. 

Workhouse in living Memory

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Notes compiled mainly from conversations (1990) between the author John McCullagh and Mrs Nancy Ferrier, former employee of Newry Workhouse.

Charter of Newry: The Context

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The town of Newry, we are told, was established in 1144 when Cistercian monks set up a monastery here.  Not so.

Some thirteen years later their position, wealth, power and influence were enhanced when the high king of Ireland, Murtagh McLoughlin, granted a Charter and bestowed lands on them, asking other temporal rulers to do likewise. It was not as simple as that.


 The context needs to be examined.

Entering Newry from the North

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The drumlins just referred to are another unique feature of our local physical scene, sometimes rather graphically referred to as a ‘basket of eggs’ topology.  Away from the mountains, and stretching in a broad band across north central Ireland from Down to Galway, these ridges of boulder clay give a clear indication of direction of retreat of the last Ice Age some 30,000-12,000 years ago.


 

Isaac Corry betrays Ireland

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Benedict Arnold is infamous in American history as that country’s most renowned traitor. Unfortunately Newry is better remembered for our home-grown traitors than for our several heroes. This article focuses on two of the more influential traitors. It is the present author’s opinion that their betrayal is comparable with that of Arnold’s.

That would be the fastest way!

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The local man was on the Cullaville Road in Crossmaglen when he was approached by an American tourist.

“Excuse me, sir”, said the latter, “But could you tell me the fastest way to Newry?”