Newry Museum announces October talks

Newry Museum has announced two talks for October, with ghost stories from the north on 15 October and a look at the career of Newry-born architect William Joseph Barre on 17 October.

Dark historian Andrew Johnston of Alternative Ulstours returns to the Museum on Thursday 15 October with 'Eerieland: Ghost Stories of the North of Ireland'. He previously presented a talk on Burke and Hare at the Museum in January.

For Halloween, Andrew will take audiences on a virtual road trip through supernatural tales from the north and the border counties. The stories include a poltergeist that plagued a family, a mansion cursed by stolen Egyptian mummies and a remote farmhouse where two failed exorcisms led a widow to flee. The evening will also cover a spirit that escaped a priest's trap and haunted a hotel until it was destroyed by fire. The final story is set in one of Ireland's most notorious stately homes, where a phantom's touch left a burn mark.

The event begins at 7pm, with doors opening at 6.30pm. It runs for two hours, including an interval, and is recommended for ages 12 and over. Tickets cost £7.50 per person and can be booked through the Newry and Mourne Museum page on Ticketsolve at https://nmdmuseums.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173692509 or by email to Declan.Carroll@nmandd.org

Two days later, on Saturday 17 October at 2pm, architectural historian Gerry Ward will give a talk titled 'W.J. Barre: Newry Architect'. It will explore the brief but prolific career of the Victorian architect, who lived from 1830 to 1867.

Barre was born in Newry and was one of the most renowned architects of his day. He worked first on local landmarks, including Hill Street Unitarian Church and Riverside Presbyterian Church. He later moved to Belfast, where he won commissions for the Albert Memorial Clock Tower and the Ulster Hall. He served as a Council Member on the Board of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland and died at the young age of 37.

Mr Ward is an architectural historian who specialises in the builders of Belfast and beyond. He has published extensively on architects including Sir Charles Lanyon and W.J. Barre. He is a member of the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society and is Vice-Chair of the West Belfast Historical Society.

The talk is organised in partnership with the Old Newry Society. Tickets cost £2.50 per person, and spaces can be reserved by emailing Declan.Carroll@nmandd.org