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Myth and Legend
The Norman Invasion The O'Neills The town of Newry began to grow industrially and
commercially aided by a successful port. Hugh O'Neill became the English recognised "Earl
of Tyrone". Hugh's acceptance of English ways at first earned him
the nickname the "Queen's O'Neill". The Queen continued to overthrow the Gaelic system and eventually this infringed upon O'Neill's lands. Conflict followed and he was declared a traitor. Hugh renounced his English title and became O'Neill Mór (the Great O'Neill). O'Neill formed an alliance of Gaelic lords and war with the English ensued between 1593 and 1603. Hugh O'Neill was also fighting on behalf of the Catholic faith, against the protestant reformation, which increased his support among the Irish and meant that he could enlist help from Spain which was also fighting the English. Newry was the centre for the English forces with Bagenal in command. The Irish adopted ambushing tactics to inflict the greatest possible loss. In the many battles that followed the Irish armies often defeated the English forces and forced them to retreat back to Newry. The English sensing defeat, negotiated with Hugh O'Neill who retained a Gaelic Ulster but Newry was left in the hands of the Bagenal family. Newry was under siege and Bagenal reinforced his command. In an ensuing battle Henry Bagenal was killed and the English were overcome, leaving Newry susceptible to Hugh O'Neill. News of this victory over the English spread through Ireland and rebellion increased. Lord Mountjoy succeeded as lord deputy and pursued the battle with O'Neill. His strategy included the erection of forts to hinder the movement of the Irish, and the destruction of the Irish crops and livestock to bring famine to O'Neill's people. Mountjoy succeeded in breaking up the alliance of the Gaelic leaders. O'Neill desperately needed a Spanish landing. When this came it was at the wrong time and at the opposite side of the country at Kinsale, near Cork. O' Neill marched with other Gaelic forces to meet the invading Spanish. The battle that ensued on Christmas Eve in 1601, brought a severe defeat to the Irish and O'Neill retreated to Ulster to await his inevitable defeat. Mountjoy's battle tactics had left much of Ulster in a state of deprivation and famine. O'Neill surrendered and eventually O'Neill and some companions sailed for Spain. This has been termed the 'Flight of the Earls'. Plantation The plantation was, however, not as successful as
hoped and rather than replacing the indigenous population the new
settlers were scattered throughout, since enough settlers could not be
found. Differences and grievances between the native Catholics and
plantation Protestants about land and loyalties increased
underlying tensions and hatred. Rebellion broke out in 1641 in parallel
with rebellion between parliamentarians and monarchists in England, which resulted from discontent with Charles
I's rule.
By 1660 the English monarchy was restored, after the
civil war between the parliamentarians and monarchists. Irish Catholics
had hoped that the new King James II would restore the lands that had
been granted to the Cromwellian newcomers, but in 1688 William of Orange came to England to
challenge his father-in-law James II's claim to the English throne. Deep set fears resulted in new laws, introduced by the Irish Parliament following the defeat of the Jacobites. These 'Penal Laws' prevented Catholics from practising their religion, and excluded them from politics and property ownership. Following the destruction of the town in 1689 planning and rebuilding began focused around the quays and supported by Nicholas Bagenal and the wealthy families in the town. Bagenal died in 1712 and the ownership of Newry and Mourne was then passed on to Robert Nedham who encouraged commerce and was benevolent to the religious sensibilities of the inhabitants. Needham provided sites at nominal rents for the building of churches and encouraged the construction of warehouses and bridges. The
Canal
The canal never fulfilled its purpose of transporting coal from Tyrone but became the centre of trade of Ulster. Newry became the busiest port in the north of Ireland and created many wealthy merchants. Low lying marsh land along the river and canal was drained and reclaimed. Housing and business was built and the town expanded to Ballybot on the Armagh side of the river. However throughout Ireland in the Eighteenth century many young people left for new lives in the American colonies, fleeding the rising rents, the linen industry crisis and religious restrictions. By 1770 Newry possessed 1600 houses many of elegant style and decoration. The town had its own theatre and had attracted persons of such notoriety as George Frederick Handel and Jonathan Swift. On his visit Jonathan Swift commented 'High Church, Low Steeple; Dirty Streets, Proud People'. Industry grew around the canal, linen mills, breweries, saltworks, a sugar refinery and an iron foundry. All found success due to the accessibility the canal provided. The canal thus catapulted Newry from being a small port to an international trading centre, trading with America, Jamaica, the Baltics, Poland, France and England. The commercial growth of the town increased its political influence and Newry was set to become a major city of influence in the ninteenth century. During the late 1770's Isaac Corry was returned from Newry as MP to the Irish Parliament. This was a time of political discontent. Isaac Corry attached himself to Flood's 'Patriot Party' which was opposed to Irelands subordinate position to the British Parliament. This feeling was enforced when the American War of Independence was being fought. Irish politicians wanted more independence and an end to the 'penal laws'. The important American market was cut off due to the war of Independence and ships began to be hijacked around the British coast due to the actions of American rebels who took refuge in France - an ally to American independence. Ireland as a subordinate to Britain was expected to field troops in America leaving Ireland exposed. It was left to the merchants to raise volunteers and equip them, to defend the ports and coast from invasion. A large number of unattached young men joined the Newry volunteers. Being a volunteer ensured instant social status. Although the volunteers were never tested in battle they showed the abilities of the wealthy merchants to organise and administer a large armed force. During 1779 and 1780 restrictions on Irish trade to countries which were seen as a threat to English interests was removed, but the patriot party not only wanted economic freedom. The Volunteer Convention of 1782 called for an independent legislature and freedom from English influence, religious equality and freedom of trade. The Declatory Act of George I began a series of measures to return legislative power to the Irish parliament. Some envisaged this as the redemption of Ireland - but this was not to be so in reality. The Westminster government began to try and take the power and influence from the patriot party and did so by approaching Isaac Corry with the bribe of a new position and salary. Corry accepted and thus transferred his allegiance to British influence in Ireland. The United Irishmen
Drennan had the idea of
forming an organisation which would establish liberty, equality and
fraternity.
The defeat of the United Irishmen was followed by parliamentary union between Great Britain and Ireland and to achieve this William Pitts British Government entered a campaign of bribery to gain support for this act. Issac Corry was subject to this and in return for his support for the Act of Union he was promoted to the position of Chancellor of the Irish exchequer. In Newry, Corry received support from the citizens as they thought the Act of Union would lead to full Catholic emancipation. When the act of Union failed to fulfill this the citizens ceased to support the Act of Union and Isaac Corry. In the end, Corry built a road around Newry to avoid contact with the town's people - this is still called the 'Chancellors Road'. Meanwhile Newry's growth as a trade centre continued. A new customs house was built on Merchants Quay and in 1815 Newry's population was 13,500, an illustration of the attraction of this port drawing people in from the surrounding countryside. However, the port at Belfast was becoming evermore a rival to the port at Newry. Many important events occured at this time. The last of the Nedhams, William Nedham died in 1806. His estate was passed on to Viscount Kilmorey of Shropshire, and the Kilmorey family began to exert political influence on the town. In 1819 St Mary's on Hill Street was completed, having been built to replace St Patricks (The High Church). Although this initially caused a split in the Church of Ireland worshippers in the town, this was resolved when St Patricks was fully restored in 1866. Also in 1822 Newry Gaslight Company was established in order to light the streets of the town. This was to be of great social benefit, although initially some citizens viewed it as another 'English Intrusion'. At this time Newry still had no council or public administration to regulate public affairs. This was put to rights when the elevated Earl of Kilmorey proposed a Board of Commissioners responsible for lighting and cleaning the streets. The towns citizens were to pay rates to the Board for these services and thus the Earl of Kilmorey and others with shares in the gaslight company were to benefit directly. The Board of Commissioners consisted of 21 members, the majority of which were appointed by the Earl. The citizens of the town vehemently opposed this and thus it was rejected from parliament. By this time Catholics had become less restricted by the government and began to acquire wealth. This gave Catholics more influence particularly in Newry which was a predominantly Catholic town. This influence was used to build the Cathedral of Saints Patrick and Colman in Hill Street and was opened in 1829. This was the first Catholic cathedral following Catholic emancipation. The failure of the Earl of Kilmorey's attempts to set up a board of commisioners increased efforts to set up a municipal government for the town. In 1828 an act was passed establishing a board of 21 commissioners of police. Commissioners were elected and levied rates. They were responsible for the lighting and patrolling of the streets, and eventually the paving and sweeping of the streets.
Daniel O'Connell
dominated Irish politics in the half century following the act of Union
between Britain and Ireland. He created and moulded public opinion to gain
Catholic Emancipation in 1829. Public awareness of the lack of liberty and
equality grew. In the early 1840's O'Connell tried to gain repeal of the Act
of Union, but drew back at the risk of violent confrontation. During this
campaign, however, there emerged young men, such as John Mitchell, who
formulated ideas which have remained important to this day. Other parts of Ireland suffered more, for in Ulster there had grown up what was known as 'Ulster Custom'. Under this a little fairness prevailed with some fixure of rent and lease, thereby encouraging land improvements. In other parts, once a tenant had made improvements to his land he was liable to be evicted on the grounds that the property was more valuable and a new tenant would be prepared to pay a higher rent. Newry too was less affected by the famine due to the fact that its wealth was based on commerce. However, people who had been evicted were forced to leave their land due to starvation, and these people congregated in Newry while en route to England or on the 'coffin ships' to America. Passenger lists and ship details were recorded for ships leaving from Newry and Warrenpoint and are held in the public records office (PRONI) Balmoral Avenue, Belfast. During this time of social deprivation, several young
men came to prominence as influential political thinkers. Two of these
were from Newry, John Mitchel and John Martin. John Mitchel was the son of a Presbyterian minister
and as such was well educated, he met John Martin at school and the two
became friends. At this time Daniel O'Connell was seeking to achieve a
repeal of the Act Of Union. Mitchel often traveled to Dublin and with
his radical views soon became a member of a group calling themselves,
'Young Ireland'. He started writing and editing for newspapers with a
unique and passionate tone set in radical nationalism. Newry continued to prosper as a commercial centre and in 1845 the Richardson family of linen manufactures established the model town of Bessbrook. Bessbrook was the first planned 'model village' in the British Isles. John Cribb Richardson was a strict Quaker and deliberately left the village without a public house, a pawn shop or a police barracks. The village remains intact to this day but is now home to a British Army heliport, the largest in Europe. During the 1850's a large scale improvement programme was conducted on the canal in order that it could compete more effectively with the port at Belfast and utilise the new steam engines. The cargoes carried on the canal continued to grow and consisted of linen, coal, butter, meat and bricks. Quays were built at Warrenpoint in order to let larger ships dock there, and Warrenpoint also became a lively holiday resort. The next revolution to strike in Ireland was the development of the railways. Acts of parliament were passed in the 1840's to construct lines to link Newry to Enniskillen, Newry to Rostrevor and Portadown to Drogheda via Newry. The link to the railroad provided new means for prosperity and the transport of goods, and ultimately saved Newry when the decline of the canal set in. In 1875 John Michel returned to Ireland after
escaping exile in America. He stood for election in County Tipperary and
was returned twice after this election was nullified due to his being a
felon. He returned home to Newry but died on the 20th of March
1875, due to ill health. He was buried with his parents at the Old
Meeting House on High Street. At his funeral an old friend John Martin
caught a chill and died a few days later. By this time several acts had been passed which improved quality of life in the town. These were the Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act 1854, and the Impovement and Water Act. The Towns Improvement Act allowed a new local authority of elected town commissioners to levy rates and improve the town. They commissioned the building of Newry Town Hall in 1893. Unfortunately neither the canal improvements nor the
railway development were enough to save Newry from decline, as Belfast
continued to boom due to its deep water port with its ability to
accommodate larger ships. By 1880 Newry had reached the peak of its
growth, it still remained a busy port and market town, but was
overshadowed by Belfast. It retained its obsession with political events
and was soon to be a frontier town once again. Home Rule
Both the UVF and the Irish Volunteers recruited and drilled in Newry, both realising the importance of the town. However, these groups always sought to avoid open confrontation until such a time as a war was declared. The Home Rule bill continued through parliament to become law in August 1914- Unionists threatened rebellion and civil war seemed inevitable. However, with the outbreak of World War I, the British Government decided not to continue with the Home Rule Act while the country was at war. Many people on the Nationalist and Unionist sides enlisted in the army to fight in France. Those who did not enlist benefitted from increased trade. In 1917 to prepare for an election constituencies were changed and Newry was submerged into the larger South Down constituency.
Resistence in Newry increased but a truce occured when the war ended in Nov 1918, to be followed by an election in December. Sinn Féin wanted to win as many seats as possible for the Irish Parliamentary Party. The Sinn Féin candidate for South Down was Eamon De Valera. However in certain areas there was a fear that the nationalist vote could be split allowing a Unionist candidate to win. South Down and South Armagh were such constituencies. Following bargaining Sinn Féin decided to withdraw its candidates allowing the nationalists a free run. The result of the election was Sinn Féin 73 seats, Unionists 26 seats, Nationalists 6 seats.
Sinn Féin gathered in Dublin in January 1919
declaring themselves as Dáil Éireann - the Irish Parliament. A
government and constitution was formed to create an Irish Republic as
proclaimed in the Easter Rising of 1916. Open conflict followed. The
Republican forces were now called the Irish Republican Army (IRA) who
began a war of ambush and assasination. The custom house on
Merchants Quay was the first target of the IRA in Newry. Further
ambushes by the IRA were answered by the retaliatary measures of the RIC and
British army. In November 1920 an RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary)
officer was shot dead in Newry, reprisal consisted of the arrests of
suspects and destruction of Republican property. This 'ambush and
reprisal' became the pattern of things to come throughout Ireland. In
December the IRA attacked the RIC barracks in Camlough and ambushed
police reinforcements. In reprisal houses facing the barracks were
demolished and a pub and house were burned. This house was owned by
Frank Aiken the local IRA commander. Conflict and casualties increased, and a nine-o'clock curfew was imposed. An election was to be held in May 1921 and for the first time incorporated separate parliaments of 'Northern Ireland' and 'Southern Ireland'. Northern Ireland consisted of the six more Northeastern counties. In the other 26 counties Sinn Féin stood unopposed, but in Northern Ireland they met opposition. Eamon De Valera again stood in South Down and was returned. Having nothing to do with the Northern Ireland parliament, he represented the South Down constituency in the Dáil, in Dublin. The establishment of the Northern Ireland parliament
led to a more determined IRA campaign. Increased attacks during June and
July included the derailment of a troop train at Adavoyle. Negotiations
between the republican and British governments led to a truce in July
1921 while discussions took place in London. Michael Collins led these
negotiations on behalf of the Irish. These negotiations led to
the signing of 'the articles of agreement for a treaty between Great
Britain and Ireland'. A bitter debate and vote followed with the
articles being accepted 64 votes to 57, in the Dáil. The Boundary Commission reconvened in 1924 to review the border situation and listen to arguments which would affect the position of the new border. The problem was weighing up arguments between the wishes of the people and economic conditions. The commission accepted that the citizens of Newry, South Down and South Armagh favoured inclusion in the Irish Free State. The argument on economic grounds was that Newry was a
self-contained economic unit which was dependant on and depended on by
large areas around it including portions of the Free State and that it
and the surrounding areas should be transferred to the Free State. This meant South Down had to remain in Northern
Ireland, requiring Newry to also form part of Northern Ireland, and if
Newry were to lie in Northern Ireland then so too would South Armagh as
these areas were significantly interconnected.
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Many legends centre around the Red Branch Knights
(Curraidh na Craobhe Ruaide) who hailed from Emain Macha, near present day
Armagh. One of the best known stories is of the Cattle Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó
Cuailgne) initiated by Queen Maeve of Connacht.
The sole defender of Ulster against this attack was Cuchulainn. This was an adopted name. His given name was
Setanta.
Setanta as a boy traveled from Muirthemne to Emain Macha to join the Red Branch
Knights. After being invited to a feast at the home of Culain, the smith to King Conor
MacNessa, Setanta arrived to find the gate already locked.
Hugh de Lacy was later installed as Earl of Ulster by King John. He treasonably declared independence and King John led an invasion into Ulster from Carlingford (at which place he built a castle which still stands today). King John defeated de Lacy and returned to England. 
To accomplish
this measures were set in place to remove
Gaelic dress, customs and language. The main measure was 'surrender and
re-grant' whereby the old Gaelic lords surrendered to the king and in
return were allowed to hold their lands from the king but under a new
English title. In 1542 the Great O'Neill accepted surrender and re-grant
and became Earl of Tyrone. By 1550 the monastery in Newry had been
forced to surrender to the English crown (under the Dissolution of the
Monasteries) and came under secular control. This passed to Nicholas
Bagenal, a marshal of the English army and an acquaintance of O'Neill.
Conn Bacach O'Neill died in 1559 and was succeeded by Shane O'Neill who
despised the Earl of Tyrone title. He claimed his historical rights in
Ulster, and gathered forces to resist the English. English control of
south Ulster depended on their hold of the town of Newry. After many
battles and a negotiation with the English Queen Elizabeth, Shane
O'Neill was left temporarily to reign in Ulster. He built a castle near
Newry and removed Bagenal. O'Neill's dominance in Ulster became a worry
to the English and in 1565 forces led by Bagenal re-entered Newry and
regained control. O'Neill's power began to fade and he was killed two
years later.
However Hugh O'Neill remained at
heart Gaelic and was to pose the greatest threat to English rule. Henry
Bagenal had succeeded Nicholas Bagenal and greatly resented Hugh
O'Neill's favour with the English Queen. This resentment was exacerbated
when Hugh fell in love with Henry's youngest sister Mabel. Sadly a few
years after they married Mabel died.
Charles was executed in 1649 and Oliver Cromwell sailed to
Ireland to suppress rebellion.
James sought refuge in
Ireland whence William pursued him. 
Battles between the Williamites and
Jacobites occurred which culminated in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, which
saw the defeat of James and the accession to the throne of William. The
subsequent peace allowed industry and commerce to be rebuilt and thrive.
These times saw the emergence of several wealthy families such as the
Needhams and Corrys in Newry. They are still remembered today in street
names and monuments.
What remained of the volunteers, led by William
Drennan, were hard-line and politically aware and were inspired by the
eruption of revolution in France in 1789.
This organisation was formed in 1791 under the name of the
High Society of United Irishmen and had a strong support in Newry.
Theobald Wolf Tone as the leader of the United Irishmen paid a visit to
Newry in order to reconcile and unite the different Catholic factions in
the area. An armed rising was planned. Newry was an Irish stronghold
and as such was subject to the government's policy of breaking up the
United Irishmen. This resulted in murder and atrocity. A gallows was
built beside St Patrick's church and so-called 'traitors' were hung and
beheaded. Rebellion broke out in May 1798, with a notable battle at
Ballynahinch, although Newry remained
largely uninvolved due to the treatment received from the government.
In 1830 the fever hospital and dispensary was
extended and reduced the number of cases of typhoid and cholera. This
then led to the construction of a large hospital on the Rathfriland Road
capable of treating 10,000 out-patients.
Poverty was still rife throughout Ireland due to the
system of land-leasing and this led many influential figures calling for
reform. This reform took the shape of the 'poor law'. Each of the
administrative areas in the country had a 'workhouse' to provide relief
for the poor. These workhouses were often seen as the 'last resort of
the desperate', due to the conditions within. They provided only the
basic necessities and were designed to be unattractive so that only the
most destitute souls would turn to them. The workhouses were pushed to breaking point with the onset of the Great
Famine.
This left the Irish
farmers with small amounts of land with which to feed their families-
the answer to this was the potato. The potato was capable of feeding a
family for a year on just one acre of land. The potato crop had allowed
Ireland's population to flourish to 8 million in 1841. The problem came
when the potato crop repeatedly failed between 1844 and 1849. One
million people dies over these five years and a further one million
emigrated. It is
important to note that Ireland could have fed itself despite the failure
of the potato, had the landlords had the compassion to let their tenants
keep the corn which they paid as rents.
Thomas Davis declared the concept of Irish nationality as embracing
everybody who lived in Ireland regardless of creed or origin. John
Mitchell revived the physical force tradition in Nationalism.
Mitchel was very
angry at the tragedies which had been imposed upon the Irish and soon
called for an active violent campaign to drive out the British. He found
support all over Ireland and especially in Newry. The insurrection of
1848, against a backdrop of famine, was unsuccessful and for his views Mitchel was condemned of Treason and sentenced
to Penal Transportation. The rest of his life was one of long,
frustrating exile in Bermuda and Australia. John Martin was also
sentenced and sent into exile but later returned to play a part in the
Home Rule party.
In 1885, Eighty-Five home
rule candidates were returned to parliament and Newry was dominated by
Home-Rulers. Parnell was elected and militancy increased. The Home
Rulers embarked on a policy of obstruction, to disrupt the British
Parliament and draw attention to Ireland's problems. In 1886 Gladstone introduced a bill to grant home rule to
Ireland, and this was met by Unionist resistance. At this time socialism
and the rise of trade unions were having a profound effect on social
change and political issues, not least of which was Home Rule. The
landlord system was under attack as demands increased for land reform. 
Michael
Davitt led farmers in a campaign to own the land they farmed. The 'Land
War' of 1871-1882 was waged with moral force, using large
demonstrations, 'boycotting' and supporting evicted tenants they
highlighted that the landlord system was no longer defensible.
Successive land acts enabled tenant farmers to buy their land and gave
rise to rural Ireland's characteristic as a land of independent small
farmers. 
This set the stage for Unionist opposition to Home
Rule squarely in Ulster, with Newry at the frontier. Unionist shows of
strength and parades were numerous especially in Newry, a predominately
nationalist town. A few years later the Irish Volunteers were formed to
protect the Irish interest in Home Rule, and defend against the
Unionists. The Irish Volunteers were composed of Home Rulers and
Republicans influenced by the IRB.
During the war the situation in Ireland was changing,
culminating in the Easter Rising in 1916, led by Patrick Pearce. 
The
people of Ireland were now demanding full independence. This increased
support for Sinn Féin throughout Ireland, and in Newry campaigning
between the Nationalist party and Sinn Féin for a by-election in 1918
culminated in a public rally with Eamon De Valera as a speaker. Although
Sinn Féin did not win this by-election they saw huge increases in
support.
Northern Ireland
was given the option of withdrawing from the Irish Free State and the
border was to be decided by a Boundary Commission. With the onset of the
war which followed this vote the Boundary Commission decision was
delayed until
1924. The bitter Irish Civil War which divided families and friends
between the pro- and anti-treaty factions caused much death and
destruction around the island. Michael Collins led the pro-treaty lobby
and became Commander-in-Chief of the Free State Army. In one of the
darkest days in Irish history Collins was killed by Republican forces in
his home county of Cork on 22 August 1922.