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Members of the Narrow Water Bridge Community Network are still in celebratory mode this weekend following the announcement on Tuesday 20 February, that funding was forthcoming from the Irish Government via their Shared Island Initiative to finally build the bridge.
Adrian O'Hare the Secretary of NWBCN believes the benefits to Newry will be enormous. O'Hare said "The Narrow Water Bridge Campaign, possibly the longest running community-led campaign of its type in Ireland, is finally drawing to a successful close. Tuesday’s announcement by An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar moves the project from a Groundhog Day-like tender process to the awarding of the contact next month - a contract to build arguably the most important piece of infrastructure ever in the South Down, North Louth area."
He continued "We at the NWBCN have often cited 1976 as essentially the first public utterance of a bridge at Narrow Water. This was when the then Chairman of Newry & Mourne District Council, Arthur Lockhart, with PJ O’Hare, his opposite number in Louth County Council. Mr Lockhart was quoted as saying back then that the bridge ‘would provide great opportunities for tourism.' Somberly adding, 'when the troubles die down.’ That took a while of course. However Brian McCalmont, NWBCN committee member and campaign archivist, has dug up a mention in the Newry Reporter from March 1905!"
O'Hare believes that when finally built in about three years time, the Narrow Water Bridge will transform the Three County Corner that is Carlingford Lough – not by providing a rat-run to Dublin Airport or to be thundered across by heavy lorries but by creating a bridge for the 21st Century - a people’s bridge.
"We at the NWBCN have always set our objectives for the bridge as the bringing together of scattered communities around the Lough, the fostering of sustainable and active tourism and critically in this era of dangerous climate change providing a nexus for meaningful active travel throughout the immediate area." said O'Hare.
'Newry will see enormous benefits'
He continued "With no new economic cycle in prospect, the Narrow Water Bridge will create profound and far-reaching changes. No longer will hotels, closed for decades continue to lie derelict. The crumbling into the Lough of Warrenpoint Baths, one of the finest examples of its type in Edwardian Ireland, will cease. Tourists, (real ones that is) sadly as rare as pine martins in Kilbroney, will visit. Newry, the major centre of population in the area, will also see enormous benefits from the Narrow Water Bridge. We at the NWBCN have always maintained that the Albert Basin begins at Narrow Water."
Adrian O'Hare concluded "The overwhelming feeling within the Narrow Water Bridge Community Network is one of relief. There will no doubt be time for celebration. Success, they say, has many fathers while failure is an orphan. The campaign has seen perhaps more than its fair share of naysayers, bandwagoners and Johnny-come-latelies and perhaps worst of all - cynical vote-seekers. However, it is perhaps appropriate at this time to acknowledge the true heroes of the campaign throughout its many twists, turns and heart-breaking setbacks. The NWBCN pays tribute to the late PJ Bradley and his daughter Sinead, former MLA, Dr Donal O’Tierney, Nichola Mallon former MLA and Minister for Infrastructure and Micheál Martin TD, former Taoiseach and current Tánaiste. A special and sincere thanks must go to our stalwart chairman, Jim Boylan who stood his ground when others walked away in 2013 and never ever gave up on the dream. Finally we remember John Grant, our meticulous treasurer for many years, who never lived to hear the good news on Tuesday. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam."
