Newry

Newry (; from Irish An Iúraigh) is a cathedral city in Northern Ireland, standing on the Clanrye River in counties Armagh and Down. It is near the border with the Republic of Ireland, on the main routes between Belfast (34 miles/55 km away) and Dublin (67 miles/108 km away). The population was 27,913 in 2021. Newry was founded in 1144 as a settlement around a Cistercian abbey. In the 16th century the English dissolved the abbey and built Bagenal's Castle on the site. Newry grew as a market town and a garrison, and became a port in 1742 when the Newry Canal was opened, the first summit-level canal in Ireland. It is the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dromore. In 2002, as part of the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II, Newry was granted city status along with Lisburn.