Celebrating the Sporting Stars from Newry and Mourne

The Newry and Mourne area has long been renowned for its rich sporting tradition which is embedded into the social and cultural fabric of the area.  Most people have played a sport at some stage in their lives or have followed the achievements of a club, team or sports personality.

Newry and its surrounding area have shaped a wealth of exceptional sporting stars over the years bridging many types of sport, traversing all over the world.  Probably the most famous sporting son of Newry is soccer player Pat Jennings who was a remarkable goalkeeper. Born in the Chapel Street area, Pat started his career at eleven playing for U19 Shamrock Rovers in a local Newry league.  Newry United was the club Pat played for next before progressing to the first team, Newry Town.  In 1963 Pat made the move across to England, signing for Watford and the following year got signed to Tottenham Hotspur, finally spending eight years with Arsenal. Pat won 119 international caps playing for Northern Ireland which brought him to two World Cups in an international career spanning 22 years.  He played more than 1000 games at the top level, being named Footballer of the Year in 1973, won five major trophies, received a CBE, an MBE and an OBE for his services to football and his charitable work.

Peter McParland from Newry, also had an impressive career in soccer.  He began his senior career with Dundalk scoring two goals on his debut as a 15-year-old.  He signed for Aston Villa at eighteen.  In 1957 he scored two goals helping his side win the FA Cup and in 1961 he again scored to clinch the first ever League Cup.  Peter received thirty-four caps on the international stage playing for Northern Ireland, with the undoubted highlight of scoring five goals at the 1958 World Cup Finals to progress the team to the Quarter Finals.

Norman Brown was an exceptional talent in the motorbike racing world.  In 1981 Norman was the winner of the Isle of Man TT Newcomers Race and in the following year, accomplished an amazing achievement by winning the Senior TT Race.  In 1983 Norman picked up more wins, most notably at the North West 200 and the Killinchy 150.  Unfortunately, later that year, in a tragic accident at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Norman lost his life at the age of twenty-four.  

Over the years, many outstanding Gaelic players have represented their clubs and counties, wearing Down’s red and black or Armagh’s orange and white, making it difficult to single out just a few. However, one player who has surpassed all expectations recently is Mayobridge man Charlie Smyth.  Elevated to international glory, Charlie was signed by NFL team, New Orleans Saints through an International Pathway Program, designed to identify special kickers from around the world.  The whole country continues to watch in anticipation as his career flourishes. 

Luckily for the Newry and Mourne area, this list could be infinite, but regrettably, all can’t be mentioned here, such as Ronan Rafferty, who had success on the European Tour in golf, or Geraldine Finnegan, described as one of the most medalled athletes in Ireland, along with many others whose achievements continue to reflect the depth of sporting talent across the region.

The Museum is currently offering free tours of the main exhibition galleries on Wednesdays at 2.00 pm. These must be booked in advance by calling our Education Officer at 0330 137 4422. 

Newry and Mourne Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10.00 am – 4.30 pm. Please call 0330 137 4422 or email museums@nmandd.org for further information.

Visit their website at www.visitmournegullionstrangford.com