Newry, County Down - Northern Ireland's Fourth Largest City

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Newry, County Down - Northern Ireland's Fourth Largest City

Until 2002 Newry - Co. Down was a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. In that year it was raised to that status of city. It is now the fourth largest city in Northern Ireland (after Belfast, Londonderry, and Lisburn). The river Clanrye runs through Newry. The Clanrye is the historic boundary between Counties Armagh and Down, but the city of Newry is entirely within County Down. Newry has been the seat of local government (Newry and Mourne Council) since the local government reorganization in the early 1970s. The majority population in the area are Nationalist in outlook. The council is dominated by SDLP and Sinn Fein representatives, but there is also a Unionist minority presence.

The town was founded in 1144 beside a Cistercian Monastery. This makes it one of the oldest towns in Ireland.

Newry has played its part in the economic development of Ireland. In 1742 the Newry Canal was built. This is 18 miles long and connects Newry (and the sea) to the inland Lough Neagh. It was the first summit canal in Britain and Ireland. This helped the town develop into an important port.

Newry is situated between Belfast and Dublin which has helped in the town's history as a trading center. The main railway from Belfast to Dublin passes near to Newry. Landmarks on the railway are the eighteen arch Craigmore Viaduct, the tallest viaduct in Ireland, and the unusual Egyptian Bridge. The Egyptian Bridge represents Northern Ireland on the British One Pound coin of 2006.

Newry - Co. Down suffered badly in the Troubles, but has undergone something of a revival. Its location as the first Northern Ireland town reached by travelers from Dublin to Belfast often now leads to an influx of cross-border shoppers from the Irish Republic. Although this influx varies depending on the exchange rate between the pound sterling and the euro it has helped the town reach a level of prosperity which would have been thought impossible just twenty years ago.

Check here for a wide selection of Newry hotels.

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