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Rooney’s Meadow remained open land during the early part of the 1900s. In 1932 a large retarding reservoir was built to prevent flooding caused by the Derrybeg River. The scheme provided employment for distressed workmen, who were in receipt of outdoor relief from the Newry Board of Guardians. Eighty married men with families were to be employed in its construction.
The Northern Ireland Housing Trust acquired Rooney’s Meadow to build much needed housing in 1945. The scheme comprised four-room ‘kitchen’ type houses and five-room ‘parlour’ type houses. The ‘’kitchen’ type houses were to have a living-room, scullery, larder, fuel store and utility on the ground floor, with a door at the front and back of the house. Upstairs had three bedrooms and a bathroom with a hot-press. Six-hundred families lodged applications to become tenants and the first were finally able to move in in December 1947. Some of the successful families had left condemned housing or had been living in rooms in other houses.
Around the same time, twenty prefabricated aluminium bungalows were erected in Clanrye Avenue, with a grant from the Ministry of Health and Local Government. In the post-war housing shortage, these were seen as means of quickly increasing housing stock. The bungalows contained three bedrooms, living-room, bathroom and WC. They were all electric, apart from one small fuel-burning fire.
The new housing was not without its problems. In 1950 a Tenants’ Association was formed, the first of its kind in the area, to protect the interests of the community and foster a community spirit. Their first issue was dealing with the problem of wandering animals, with inadequate fencing unable to keep out wandering cows, goats, dogs and horses, resulting in the destruction of gardens and lawns.
The Association also provided social activities for residents. In January 1951 over 200 children from the estate attended a party in Malocca’s Café on Hill Street. Delighted children were treated to tea, sandwiches and ice cream, followed by a concert programme by local artistes. Another event in July 1951 saw music provided by the Hunter Moore Flute Band and a group of Irish dancers from the Burns Schools of Dancing.
New services and amenities followed the building of the estate, with a new bus service into the town and a telephone kiosk. The area remained popular for sports activities. In 1951 Newry Technical Instruction Committee was given permission to use the retarding basin as a sports field for the boys at the school. The Meadow League was established in the mid-1950s, followed by the Carnbane League in the summer of 1968. Jennings Park, constructed by Newry and Mourne District Council, was opened by Pat Jennings in July 1976. The swimming pool had also been completed and opened to the public in January 1971.
The spiritual and educational needs of the residents were also met. On St. Patrick’s Day 1959 the foundation stone was laid for a new boy’s primary school, St. Patrick’s, which opened in January 1960. In December 1958, a temporary corrugated iron and wooden oratory was erected, with the completed St. Brigid’s Church opening on the 18th of October 1970.
The area saw one of the biggest Civil Rights rallies in the early days of the Troubles. The week following Bloody Sunday in Derry, Newry Civil Rights Association held a peaceful march on the 6th of February 1972. Under the gaze of the world’s media, thousands of marchers left Derrybeg housing estate for Margaret Square. As marches were illegal at the time, approximately 500 police and 2,000 troops had effectively barricaded the town centre. To avoid any confrontation with security forces, before reaching a barricade in Monaghan Street, a planned detour took the participants back to Rooney’s Meadow. During the rally, speeches were made by MPs, including Bernadette Devlin and Civil Rights leaders.
After seeing much development throughout the 20th century, the Meadow area and its community continues to grow and thrive.
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.visitmournemountains.co.uk
