Newry: Coming Home

After leaving Dublin for the second time, grandma and I headed up to Newry in County Down, the place where her several-greats great grandfather's family was from. We always knew that we had ancestors from Ireland but when we discovered the exact town there was no question - we just had to visit. We had no idea what we would find when we got there but we hopped on yet another bus and headed north. 

Newry is one of the biggest towns in County Down, which is in Northern Ireland, and has been known for some time as the 'Gateway to the North.' It has been continuously settled in since at least 4000 B.C.  and was originally named Iuir Cinn Tra, which translated means The Head of the Strand. Legend has it that the name came from a yew tree that was planted by St. Patrick at the head of a lake - Carlingford Lough (Lake). Whether or not the legend is based in truth, Newry remains one of the oldest towns in all of Ireland.

The first thing we saw as we walked out onto the street from the bus station was this beautiful cathedral. Newry Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Colman, was built in the early 1800s.

The cathedral acts as the seat of the Bishop of Dromore, a faction of Catholicism that was founded in the 6th century by Colman of Dromore. The original cathedral was burned down in the mid-1600s and was later rebuilt. Then, just over 200 years ago, the seat was transferred to Newry and has remained there ever since.

Many parts of the city center have fallen into disrepair, however it was fun to walk around and see all the different pubs, shops, and the millions of hair salons. Who knew Irish people were so into hair! The accents were also definitely more noticeable there - understandable but with more of a brogue.

 Newry City Hall

 Cannon we found across the street from City Hall, near a memorial for people who died in WW1

 Proof that grandma was there! :)

 The River Clanrye runs right through the city center (which is a common feature in Irish towns) and actually forms the historic border between County Down and County Armagh. In the past Newry grew as a market town and was eventually made into a port town in the early to mid 1700s. A canal linked the River Clanrye to a nearby lake and helped the town gain status as an important trade center, connecting Belfast and Dublin.

Here's grandma on the bridge above the River Clanrye

 Even though much of the town has seen better days, the beauty that must have attracted ancient settlers was pretty clear. Newry is located in the center of both the Mourne Mountains and The Ring of Guillon, a rare volcanic area forming a geological ring through Northern Ireland. The area has countless archaeological monuments and has even been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. So while it may have been cold and gloomy while we were there, summer must be a totally different story. We may not have hiked the mountains and discovered ancient monuments but it was really an amazing feeling to know that we had gone to see where our ancestors were from.

Proof I was there! :)