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When the Carlingford Lough Greenway opens fully, hopefully in early 2025, going for a bicycle spin from Carlingford or Omeath to Newry will be so much easier, not to mention safer. The question is - Is Newry ready!
Currently work is continuing on the final link between the border and Victoria Lock. The boardwalk structure will mean that cyclists will no longer need to take their bikes on to the Omeath road and taking your children with you northbound on a bike spin to Newry or beyond will be a much more attractive proposition.
With that in mind Newry.ie met up in Newry last week with Richard Lewis from On Yer Bike - Carlingford Greenway Bike Hire to cycle round the city and check out some of the places to visit and venues to stop for a coffee or food. Richard is based at Carlingford Marina, directly on the Greenway and as well as hiring E-Bikes and standard bikes it is a perfect place for advice on potential trips and tourism information.
The fact that Newry Canal which runs the length of the city is the oldest canal in Ireland should be a good enough reason to visit our city. Stopping for a coffee at Grounded on Merchants Quay at the side of the canal, it was the perfect place to have a brief rest and watch the world go by.
On Yer Bike organise tours and two things they are always looking out for are places to park the bicycles and a facility where e-bikes can be charged. Currently Newry's only bike park is located on Catherine Street, unfortunately not somewhere convenient. Local businesses could certainly encourage visits from cyclists by providing a plug where bikes could be charged from or directing cyclists to a safe convenient place to put their bike.
With coffee on board we took a spin to check out two of Newry's most iconic buildings, Sands' Mill designed by William Watson in and Riverside Church designed by William Barre in 1865. See storymaps.arcgis.com for an online guided tour around some of Newry's best architecture. The present car park at Basin Quay was formerly a canal basin where barges could turn around and head back towards Portadown.
Finishing off we visited Ireland's first Protestant church, St Patrick's on Church Street and a dander into Heather Park and a look at the locked entrance to the Gallows Hill tunnel which was used to take prisoners up to the Gallows there in the 18th century. Lindsay Hill also got a glance, recalling the story of Lord Haw Haw the infamous WW2 German propaganda announcer, who apparently could tell the exact number of steps on the Newry walk.
Time for a delicious lunch at Synge and Byrne and then it was back on the Greenway Carlingford bound. It is certain that 2025 will see many more visitors cycling through and around the city. The new Newry Inner City Greenway mentioned last week, 14 November by Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd that hopefully will link the Carlingford Lough Greenway to the Newry Canal Towpath cannot happen soon enough while the new park at Albert Basin that is expected to open in 2027 will also be a massive added draw.
Check out www.onyerbike.ie
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When a New Year arrives many are filled with hope and expectation of a year that is better than the last one, While no-one can be sure of that there are some signs that several long awaited and much needed projects in Newry City might at long last start to progress at a pace.
Pairc an Iur
Newry City needs a proper park and while the community campaign for it has been going on for over ten years, progress has been incredibly slow. Plans to have the park completed by May 2027 as stated need diggers on the ground and fast. Optimism is our middle name though and Newry.ie understand that the next step, an application for full planning permission for the park (albeit phase one) is to be submitted in February 2025. If that manages to be passed this year we should see some progress at last on the site before year end.
Theatre
Regarding the new Theatre on the site of the Sean Hollywood Arts Centre, Planning Permission has been approved for renovation of the Town Hall and the provision of an around 255 seater Theatre (double the capacity of the old arts centre). This should see proper progress being made in the next few months on that site barring other complications. A first stage that involves demolition of the Sean Hollywood Arts Centre is a bitter pill to swallow for many. Since the arts centre was closed due to Covid and not re-opened, the city has seriously suffered from a lack of arts infrastructure and this needs to be fixed and soon. One of the consequences of the theatre planning process has been that groups have been unable to book the Town Hall facility more than a month or so in advance resulting in Newry losing out to the Armagh Market Place when Newry Youth Performance Arts moved their productions to there.
Greenway
The final piece in the Carlingford Lough Greenway route between Victoria Lock and the border will open at some stage in 2025, though when exactly is unknown. Progress is continuing with the provision of a 1km boardwalk along the mouth of the Newry River but there remains much to do. What is known though is that the route will be incredibly popular and we look forward very much to having a safe route to Omeath for cyclists and walkers.
Housing
Housing in the City Centre has progressed in 2024 with Ogle House completed and apartments at Sugar Island nearing completion. Extensive works also continue on the site of St Clare's. All that is needed is for the Merchant's Quay/ Cornmarket development to get under way in 2025, something that would bring much needed optimism to a run-down part of the city. More people living in our city centre will contribute to making the area safer and more attractive to further progress.
City Centre
Hill Street especially can feel like an unwelcoming place in the evenings and on Sunday's with most properties including restaurants closing at 5pm. It is really good to see Loft 27 and Pepper and Salt opening in Hill Street on Sunday's. Local businesses need your support to survive in 2025 and that includes service providers, shops, bars, coffee shops and restaurants. Make a point of making a night of it out and about in your own city.
Play Your Part
If we want Newry to become a better place to live in, all of us need to play a part, by engaging in our community, supporting businesses and events and helping progress our wonderful city. There is no point in waiting for others to do it.
#NewryDeservesBetter and there's no better time than 2025 to start making it happen.
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Opinion
The GAA prides itself on being more than just a sporting organisation. It’s a pillar of community life across Ireland, a place where young people learn about teamwork, discipline, and respect. But like any community institution, it must balance its commitment to inclusivity and second chances with the responsibility to uphold moral and ethical standards. This balancing act came into sharp focus recently when GAA President Jarlath Burns intervened after Kildare club Naas appointed Derry native Rory Gallagher as a coach, despite serious allegations of domestic abuse made against him by his former partner.
Burns's request for the club to reconsider their decision was not just appropriate—it was essential. Even though Gallagher has not been charged with a crime, the allegations are harrowing and demand careful consideration. His former partner publicly detailed years of alleged abuse, giving voice to a painful and deeply personal experience. While the legal system did not find sufficient grounds to pursue charges, public institutions like the GAA operate in a broader moral arena. Burns’s intervention signals that the association cannot turn a blind eye to these serious allegations, even in the absence of a criminal conviction.
Burns’s decision reflects an understanding of the GAA’s broader role in Irish life. The GAA is not just about winning matches—it’s about fostering values and creating safe spaces for individuals and families. Allowing someone with unresolved allegations of abuse to take on a high-profile coaching role risks undermining those values.
Critics might argue that Burns’s intervention strays too far into the territory of judgement without trial. However, this is is not about presuming guilt but about ensuring that the GAA maintains its credibility as a moral authority in Irish society. Gallagher’s appointment, especially in a position where he would mentor young athletes, could send the wrong message to survivors of abuse and to the community at large—that serious allegations can be dismissed or overlooked for the sake of sporting success.
Burns’s leadership stands out in an era when institutions often shirk responsibility in the face of controversy. It takes courage to make decisions that may be unpopular with some factions of the GAA or with those who believe sports should be separate from social issues. However, Jarlath recognises that every decision a club or its leaders make has implications beyond the football or hurling pitch. By stepping in, he demonstrated that the GAA will not prioritise convenience or reputation over ethical considerations.
This move also serves as a reminder that accountability does not end with legal judgments. Many survivors of domestic abuse struggle to find justice within the legal system, but their voices are no less valid. By asking Naas GAA to reconsider Gallagher’s appointment, Burns has ensured that these voices are not ignored.
For Naas GAA and other clubs grappling with similar issues, this controversy should prompt reflection. What kind of message do they want to send to their members and the wider community? Is winning worth more than protecting the integrity of their institution? The Association's reputation as a force for good in Irish life depends on how its leaders and clubs navigate these difficult questions.
In the end, Jarlath's intervention is a win for the GAA as a whole. It reinforces the idea that the organisation is about more than sport; it’s about fostering values that resonate far beyond the sporting areas. By standing up for those values, Burns has set an important precedent for how the GAA should address similar controversies in the future.
Let this be a moment for the GAA to reflect, not only on its policies but also on the kind of community it aspires to build. Jarlath Burns has shown the way forward. It’s now up to clubs like Naas GAA to follow his lead.
Seán Ó Sirideán
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The Department for Infrastructure are currently holding a Consultation on Active Travel with their plans for Newry, Mourne and Down open for perusal.
The Active Travel Delivery Plan sets out how the Department for Infrastructure plan to prioritise and deliver high-quality active travel infrastructure, for shorter everyday journeys within urban and rural settlements, over the next 10 years. The plan will be instrumental in ensuring that the infrastructure is consistently designed to be safe, accessible, and interconnected, encouraging more people to walk, wheel, or cycle as part of their daily routine.
In a personal capacity I have submitted my comments on their plans and would urge anyone interested in getting better infrastructure for Cycling and walking in Newry to reply to the consultation. You can reply at active-travel-delivery-plan-consultation
All replies need to be in by 5pm Friday 28 February.
My Submission
Connections within town centres
Connections within town centres - Connections in town/ city centres should be first. There's no point in directing cyclists into the centre of a town to then have nowhere safe to cycle from street to street.
Specifically for Newry City - A priority should be a central off-road linkage between the existing Newry Canal Towpath and the Carlingford Lough Greenway
Do you agree with the Priority Routes for Newry?
No
If you wish to expand on your answer above or if you have any alternative routes that you feel may bring more benefit to the local community and should be prioritised above those identified, please do so
I don't agree with the priority route for Newry.
It is an indirect route and while I can see the benefits of being able to get to the leisure centre more safely, other options would be much more beneficial especially connecting schools. Your priority route doesn't even go close to one of the largest education colleges the SRC.
I would suggest that the priority route should be based on the 'existing' route from Fiveways to Canal Street.
Currently your map is out of date as you have the route from Fiveways up to the turn-off for Newry Railway Station as a 'Future Route' when in actual fact DfI completed that route in 2024.
This route would take you from the same starting point to the same destination as your suggested priority route BUT it would serve a much larger proportion of schools. St Colman's, St Joseph's and Our Lady's are directly on the route and St Patrick's The Meadow PS and St Joseph's Convent PS are a very short distance away. Also it would serve the many developments based along the route including the 180 new homes beside Fiveways.
Linking Armagh Road/ Canal Street with a City Centre route that connects Newry Canal Towpath and Carlingford Lough Greenway would safely transport people through the city centre and to bus station and easy links could be made from this down Monaghan Street to the SRC, across Margaret St to Hill St and down Catherine St from both ends to Newry Leisure Centre. An existing active travel route on Carnbane way to Fiveways Roundabout also links in Abbey Grammar School (albeit that a route on the Ashgrove Road or Belfast Road would ultimately serve them and Newry High better.)
I'm also suggesting that this should be the priority route because the supposed 'existing' route is not an active travel route at all and is extremely unsafe. It is a white dotted line painted on the road and its narrow size ensures that the Highway Code's statement that cars should leave a 1.5 metre gap between them and cyclists is impossible. Also travelling the short distance from Sugar Island up to where the current 'route' terminates is possibly one of the most dangerous places for cyclists, meaning that many choose to cycle on the footpath instead, with the dangers that come from that.
Any active travel route in Newry needs to be separated from traffic.
A secondary priority route should also be based on completing the existing Warrenpoint Road/ Kilmorey St/ River Street route from Greenbank to Newry City Centre which is one route that would be an easy and inexpensive fix as it is mostly in place already.
Do you have any additional comments about the proposals for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council?
Safety is paramount. No cyclist wants to cycle on a busy road if there is an alternative. The lack of cycling infrastructure in Newry City means that most people would not use a bicycle as it is too unsafe.
A good yardstick when working out if a route is safe is to ask yourself "Would you be happy to allow your 10 year old child to travel to school on their own via this route" If the answer is no you are doing something wrong.
Newry City needs to be prioritised above other settlements in the area as it is by far the largest population centre.
Again your map is out of date as there is no mention of the Carlingford Lough Greenway that starts at the Albert Basin, one of the busiest routes already existing.
There really is no point in commenting on the suggestions for 'future' routes as you have marked them as 10 years plus - Why would you even bother! It's not a four lane motorway we are talking about so none of these routes should take anywhere near 10 years.
This consultation sounds as if getting it done is an end in itself as if it was a genuine attempt to change our town and city centres, a priority route would not take 0-10 years! Yes it is extremely unambitious and the timeline needs to be updated to much much sooner. Also money needs to be put in to these active travel projects rather than advancing more new roads.
Rebalancing the Street
To accommodate safe, high-quality active travel infrastructure, we may need to re-balance the space within our streets. This could involve narrowing carriageway widths in areas where the focus has shifted from maximizing motor traffic to ensuring safe and efficient movement for everyone. We may also explore options to reduce or relocate parking and review existing bus stop placements to ensure equal and convenient access to local amenities and services for all.
Rethinking Traffic Management
There may be places where we can introduce traffic management measures that can help to make walking, wheeling, and cycling more attractive. This could include lowering speed limits or implementing one-way systems to reduce risks associated with motor traffic, especially in areas with high pedestrian and cyclist interaction. We may also restrict motor vehicle access in places where there is desire to create places that are predominantly people focussed.
Strongly agree on both of these
City/ town Centres should be people first and not what they are at the moment car first
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Blog
When I look back on the Christmas to Newry Year period in the 1980's when I was in my 20's it seems incredible that I could manage so many nights out in a row and still find the time and energy to go to work!
Going out then was certainly very different to now, perhaps no better or worse, just different. If you are twenty something at present and your hectic social life gives you a few spare minutes to put your thoughts on the state of play currently I'd love to hear from you.
Thinking back, I do wonder how my parents coped with this person that was constantly running, living under the same roof as them? I certainly wasn't unique and I'm sure all my friends had similar. Dad's call of "could you not stay in for one night" was always destined to fall on deaf ears. There is no doubt there is much selfishness attached to the social butterfly status of the teen/ twenty something. I look back now with some regret but being brutally honest staying in over Christmas was just never going to happen with the lure of friends pulling you in so many directions.
Coming as I did from a rural home 'ten miles from anywhere' it seems, looking back, that there were just so many more options than if I had lived in the 'centre' of things. With the privilege of a wonderful circle of friends our cars were never off the road. My Eleven Lane Ends home (closest town Markethill) with hindsight was actually the centre of everywhere. The Imperial - no problem, Loughgilly, Whitecross, Lislea, Longfield Road and bobs your uncle. The Nuremore ... yes please - Lislea, Crossmaglen, Culloville and a few tight corners later you're there. Glencairn ... it would be wrong not to - Markethill, Keady and there it is!
Even Christmas Eve was ripe for a night out with if I recall the Drumsill opening - and that was just the beginning. One place that didn't feature an awful lot over Christmas was Newry, although I have made up for that in recent years. The 80's was a time when you felt a little more comfortable south of the border even if you did have to go through army checkpoints.
What a choice of nightclubs we had and if you wanted to know what was on when and where there was only one go-to publication - The Armagh Down Observer, with pages upon pages of exciting entertainment possibilities.
My destinations included the Drumsill and Hughes in Armagh, Nuremore and Oasis in Carrickmacross, Glencairn in Castleblaney, Hillgrove in Monaghan, Imperial in Dundalk, Coach in Banbridge, Glenavon and Clubland in Cookstown, Rosnaree in Drogheda and of course Laceys, they were all well visited. I thought I was much too young and cool for the 'newly weds and nearly deads' venue though, but did discover it along the way.
It's a good job I kept a diary. Christmas 1988 seemed a 'quiet' one when I look back, with me out just 5 nights out of 7!
Midnight Mass in Armagh won out that Christmas Eve, then Christmas Night was Laceys. St Stephens Day didn't start off too well with diary entry 'not feeling 100%' but ended with 'Went out to Nuremore, a great nights crack, home 4.45am' - what an incredible recovery I must have made. Tuesday 27 was off to The Imperial, Thursday 29 was back to Laceys and Friday 30 off we go to The Glenavon. Surprise surprise though I stayed in New Years Eve.
What a great nightspot Laceys was. Always packed and you were always guaranteed to know lots of people. In Dundalk itself It was a time of your free chicken in a basket in The Imperial followed by hanging around the Chinese vans in Clanbrassil Street. It was also the time of not heading out till well after 11.
Unfortunately the phrase 'they still have their communion money' never applied here, but at least the money I spent has left me with memories that money literally couldn't buy - at least the ones I can remember! Perhaps fortunately a photographic record of such nights is scarce.
Would love to hear some of your memories of your nights out.
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Opinion
Newry City has been extremely short of optimism in 2025 but there is grounds for hope that 2026 will see the start of the long awaited and much anticipated Newry City Park at the Albert Basin, a project that will be the catalyst that will kick start Newry's renewal.
Infrastructure timetables in Newry have been known to sustain a certain 'slippage' and the Newry City Centre Regeneration scheme projects are prime examples but currently Newry.ie understands that June 2026 is the date set for park construction to begin meaning that of the three council projects, ie Theatre, Civic Hub and Park it will most likely be the first completed.
That's a far cry from 30 June 2023 when time scales were published in the Minutes of the Newry City Centre Regeneration Programme Board meeting. According to the timetable first to be completed would be the Civic Hub with a commencement date of April 2024 and a completion Date of August 2025. Second to be completed would be the Theatre/ Conference Centre billed to start April 2024 and be completed January 2026. The last one to be completed was the Newry City Park which they gave a timetable of works commencing July 2025 and completed in May 2027. It certainly doesn't reflect well on our council that the most popular element, the park was the one they planned to leave to last but it seems that is all now turned on its head.
It's a long 11 years since community group Newry 2020 started the campaign for a 15 acre city park at the derelict site on the Albert Basin and 8 years since Council unanimously voted to build it in November 2017 but with the planning permission application now hoped to be passed in early 2026 it's expected that this will facilitate work starting June 2026 with an expected completion date of March 2028.
Funding of £18.6m is already in place for Phase One of the park with Council only having to contribute £2.4m of this, the rest coming from NI Executive’s Complementary fund.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council explain on its website "In its 15-acre site at the Albert Basin, Newry City Park will be a destination leisure space for the people of Newry and beyond. Among the features in Phase One of the park development are changing places facilities, an inclusive play park, a sensory garden, an outdoor event space, water and urban sports areas, a plaza area for artisan markets and pop-up vending locations. These are complemented by green space, woodland areas, walking, cycling and running paths, with the park also upgrading links to Victoria Lock and the Greenway."
Let us hope there are no further delays to this essential infrastructure project and this time next year the earth (on site) has well and truly moved for us all.
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Opinion
On 20 March 2003 USA invaded Iraq, and on the same day Newry people held an anti war protest. On 24 April 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine and a couple of weeks later on 12 March Newry held a protest. On 7 October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel and Israel started their war in Gaza, Newry people held a protest 5 days later and in fact have been protesting ever since.
Nearly 3 weeks after USA/ Israel invaded Iran in potentially the most dangerous war most of us have lived through, there has not been a whimper of protest. Newry has a long history of standing against wars but this time it appears to be different.
What has changed - Have we got selfish or are we just disillusioned? Where are the protestors standing outside our town hall shouting from the rooftops about the atrocities taking place in not just Iran but Lebanon and Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and UAE and other countries. And despite the UK insisting it won't get involved in the war it obviously is, so we can't wash our hands of it.
Back in Newry all we seem to be worried about is how it is affecting us at the fuel pumps or keeping us warm in our homes, how it might put prices of everything else up or God forbid that refugees from the country we are playing our part in bombing to smithereens end up here. I'm sure you'd agree a minor inconvenience compared to being constantly worried about your family apartment being hit by a missile or being unsure of your future as you've had to leave your home!
Has Newry lost its core of campaigners or do people think that Iran and Lebanon deserve what they are getting, or do they think there is no point in protesting as it won't make a difference.
Nearly 170 primary school children were killed by a USA bomb and life went on as normal - just not for them! Are we at a stage that no matter what DT does that we just shrug our shoulders and walk on?
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