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Home , Armagh County Museum, Bessbrook, Charabanc, Dromintee, Hamiltonsbawn, John de Courcy

The world has become smaller: through the ages in and Motorised charabancs were a popular form of transport for outings in the Front cover: Sketch of Barkston Lodge in the of Carnmeen, 1910s and 1920s. This image shows such an outing in south c.1920. produced by Foster and Company of . Horses were the main mode Courtesy of Cathy Brooks of transport before the introduction of motorised vehicles in the early 20th century. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection Introduction

This exhibition and accompanying booklet looks at aspects of transport in the Newry and Mourne area over the centuries. It begins by examining the importance of water transport in the Mesolithic period and how transport by land became more important in later prehistoric times.

The influence of the establishment of churches and monasteries in the Early Christian period, and of political developments in the Middle Ages on the at Millvale crossroads in April 1940. formation of the road network is highlighted. The Photograph by W.A. Camwell from The Bessbrook and Newry Tramway (The Oakwood Press, 1979). exhibition also reveals how routeways established during these periods continue in use today.

Travel by sea is seen as underpinning the growth of Newry as a wealthy mercantile centre in the 18th and 19th centuries. The impact of the arrival of the railways in the area in the mid 19th century, especially with regard to the emergence of and as holiday destinations is stressed.

The exhibition also explores how the introduction of motorised vehicles in the 20th century revolutionised transport for everyone. It explores how better links were established between rural areas and towns by the growing development of routes and how transport of goods by lorry was seen as more economical than by rail. The effect of increased private ownership of motor cars in the 1980s and 1990s on and road network is also assessed and how the volume of traffic on public roads in the early st21 century is leading to a rejuvenation of by bus and rail.

A selection of local railway and tramway tickets. Newry and Mourne Museum Cars in Hill Street, Newry in the late 1960s before the construction of the Abbey Way bypass. Part of the Hill Street area was pedestrianised at this time, and was the first pedestrian precinct in . Courtesy of John Matthews area around Newry was controlled by the Transport and travel in the and the McCartans. prehistoric and medieval periods Anglo-Norman travellers on foot or on horse-back Ken Abraham often paid the Irish for protection and to act as guides when travelling through hostile or unfamiliar parts of Before the introduction of wheeled transport in the the country. For example, John de Knaresborough, an late Neolithic period, walking and travelling by water official of Elizabeth de Burgh, paid 2s. 4d. to the men were the only modes of travel. In the Mesolithic period of William for “a safe passage” to Dundrum settlement was predominantly coastal and transport Castle in 1353. was by water using canoe and small boat. Difficulty in travelling by land resulted in the Neolithic peoples established routes linking importance of communications by sea and rivers. The settlements, hunting grounds, summer pastures and Irish name for Narrow Water – Caol Uisce (“narrow sources of raw materials. Chariots were eventually used channel of water”) – has been interpreted by historians by the wealthy and wooden trackways, dating from the as also indicating a crossing place. A between Bronze and Iron Age periods, have been discovered in Greencastle and Carlingford was a valuable source peat bogs and wet ground in various parts of Ireland. of income for the earls of in the 13th and 14th A possible wooden trackway was found in a bog in centuries. Medieval Carlingford had maritime links the townland of Moybane, near in south with other coastal settlements in Ulster including in the 1900s. Dundrum, , Movilla and .

Five major routeways radiated out from Tara, in Nevertheless, travel by road remained significant. county Meath, the legendary seat of the High Kings Two streets from the medieval settlement at Newry of Ireland. One of these was the Slighe Midluachra are included on the map of the town drawn by Robert (“North Road”), which apparently passed through Lythe in the 1570s. Named on the map as the “The Way the Moyry Pass on its way north to the Antrim to ” and the “The Way to Tyrone”, these streets coast. Another important road went west of Slieve survive in the modern town as High Street and North Gullion through the Callan valley to Armagh. The Street respectively. introduction of Christianity and the establishment of churches, monasteries and pilgrimage sites led to the development of additional minor routeways.

In the medieval period the Moyry Pass and the area around Newry were important for travel in and out of Ulster. defeated the Irish at a bridge near Newry in 1180 but, by the late 13th century, the Narrow Water Castle with ferry, c.1900 The 16th century tower-house at Narrow Water was provided with a landing place for boats and a ferry operated at Narrow Water up to the mid 20th century transporting people and animals. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection

Killeavy Churches Killeavy, near Newry, was a prominent ecclesiastical centre in the Early Christian period. Located near the route taken by the Slighe Midluachra, it often provided shelter and hospitality to travellers going north. The annals record Killeavy as the first stopping place on a ‘royal heir’s feasting visitation’ to Ulster in 1163. Newry and Mourne Museum Map of Newry by Robert Lythe, 1570s This map shows the importance of communication and transport to the 16th century town at Newry. The two streets (extreme left) dating from the medieval settlement continue to be important routes connecting Newry with other parts of Ulster, a ford has been constructed on the Clanrye River to allow access to the Armagh side of the river (bottom centre) and an annotation (bottom right) indicates that ships of 10 or 12 tonne could use the river at spring tide. © Crown Copyright Coaches to and Dublin ran daily and by the Coaches and 1820s travel time had been reduced to fourteen hours. horse-drawn transport The Royal Mail provided a Day-Mail and Night- Mail service to both destinations, departing from its Joanne Cummins office in Hill Street. Travelling northwards, the coach passed though , , Dromore, Before the advent of motorised vehicles, the main form Hillsborough and . Southwards the route passed of for those who could afford it was through , Castlebellingham and Drogheda. either by horseback or horse-drawn vehicle. Other coaches such as the ‘Fair Trader’, ‘the Lark’, the ‘Shamrock’ and the ‘St. Patrick’ also ferried passengers The turnpike system of roads which levied tolls on along the same route. In the early 1800s milestones traffic began in Ireland in 1729. The turnpike road were located along the route, marking distances in Irish from Dublin to Belfast passed through Newry. The miles. The milestone on the junction of O’Hagan Street first coaches on the route began in the 1740s and took and Hill Street reads Dublin 50, Dundalk 10, three days, stopping in Drogheda on the first night Banbridge 10. and Newry on the second. By the 1760s the ‘Newry Flying Coach’ could do the journey in a day in summer Coaches were also available from Newry to or a day and a half in winter. The longer travel time , Armagh and . The in winter was mainly attributed to the treacherous Downpatrick coach departed three days a week, condition of the roads. An Act for repairing the road (returning the following day) stopping at Hilltown, between Armagh and Newry in 1736 stated that the and . The ‘St. Patrick’ travelled to frequency and number of heavy carriages had caused Armagh via three days a week. The Mail the road to become so ruinous and bad that in winter Coach also stopped in Markethill and Armagh on its many parts were impassable to vehicles. way to Moy and Dungannon.

Wealthy homes and businesses had their own stables The arrival of the railways further reduced journey time for housing their horses and coaches, the arched entries between Belfast and Dublin to five hours, leading to to which can still be seen on the on Trevor the demise of the coach service. The railways however, Hill, Newry. Stabling and Inns would have catered for could not venture everywhere and horse drawn travellers passing through the town, such as the stables transport still remained an important means of travel in Bridge Street, the entrance and signage of which are right up until the middle of the 20th Century. still there today.

The 1820 Newry Directory illustrates the importance of horse-drawn transport to the economy of the town, listing many harness makers, saddlers, blacksmiths, farriers, coach-makers, cart-makers and wheelwrights. ‘The Mountain House’, in the townland of Lisnalee near , , was an 18th century hostelry which served the traffic passing along the busy Newry – Armagh turnpike. It is now a public house. © Crown Copyright

An early milestone on the turnpike road, near Sheepbridge, about four miles Receipt from James O’Neill, a company which hired out north of Newry. The milestone gives the distance to Banbridge in Irish miles. horse-drawn vehicles. © Crown Copyright Newry and Mourne Museum Collection “Barque Lady Caroline, sailed from Newry 6th Trading places: Newry and June—105 passengers. It is a very satisfactory report Mourne’s maritime trade that neither sickness or death occurred on board this vessel during the voyage, and that the passengers were Conor Keenan landed in cleanly condition and a healthy state.”

As an island, Ireland has always depended on marine The Ordnance Survey memoirs of 1834-36 list timber navigation to remain connected with the rest of the imports to Newry from Quebec and St John, New world. Since the arrival of the in the 9th century, Brunswick in Canada and a number of Baltic has been widely exploited for trade. such as Riga, Danzig and Memel. and were also trading ports, and exported Mourne granite Established in the 17th century as sugar plantation to . owners in Jamaica, the Needham family inherited part of the Bagenal Estate, including Newry, in 1712. The increased size of merchant vessels in the second Under the Needhams manufacturing in the town half of the 20th century meant that they could no longer flourished, with export routes by sea or via the inland use the facilities of Newry, and the port transferred making the town an ideal location for merchants. to Warrenpoint in the early 1970s. As the Anna Broere This entrepreneurial era gave Newry some of its most left the Albert Basin in Newry in March 1974, it distinctive and enduring street names such as ‘Sugar brought the port’s proud maritime tradition to a close. Island’ and ‘Merchants Quay’. Maritime shipping remains a feature of the area as In the 19th century, the area had links with ports in the Port of Warrenpoint continues to flourish. In Ireland and Britain. Greencastle was linked to 2013 it became the second biggest general cargo port via a small ferry and, from there, a weekly service ran in Northern Ireland with over three million tonnes to the Isle of Man and to Holyhead in . A train passing through the port. linked Holyhead with Euston Station in London. A regular steamer service ran between Warrenpoint and , exporting butter, linen and livestock, and oysters from Carlingford.

Sea travel facilitated emigration, which increased as a result of the Great Famine in the mid 19th century. One of the many boats which sailed from Warrenpoint at this time was the Lady Caroline. After one such voyage to New Brunswick in Canada in June - July 1847, the Government Emigrant Office in St. John, New The SSEbony , operated by the Newry and Kilkeel Steamship Company Brunswick made the following remarks: (managed by Joseph Fisher & Son Ltd) from 1947 until 1957. Courtesy of John McParland Boats from Scandinavia unloading timber at the Port of Newry in the 1960s. Courtesy of John Matthews

Map showing some of Newry’s international trading links in the 19th century. architect and engineer named Richard Castle. He had Two engineers and their legacy studied in Holland and and in 1730 wrote to the – Richard a treatise entitled ‘An Essay on Artificial Navigations’ which illustrated how he would carry out the Canal’s Castle and John Brownrigg construction. Geraldine Foley Some of Castle’s work is still visible today, most notably The Newry Canal was built to transport coal from the intact wooden cill at 10, near , , to Dublin. Completed in which is the original 1730s construction. Oak beams 1742 it was envisaged that home-produced coal would covered with deal planking created the ‘step’ in the reduce the reliance on coal imported from Britain. locks over which the lighters were floated to rise the Although this ambition was not fulfilled, the Canal 78ft from sea level to the summit of the Canal. The became a vital trade route linking mid-Ulster with the remaining wooden cills are unique to the Newry Canal Port of Newry. as these have been changed to stone or concrete on most other waterways. The design and construction of the Canal benefited from the presence in Ireland of a young European Lock keeper’s cottage at Poyntzpass. Courtesy of Brian Cassells In 1800 a programme began on the Newry Canal to upgrade infrastructure and correct earlier design faults. Much of what we see along the Canal today dates from 1800-1811 and can be attributed to the architect and surveyor John Brownrigg. The pride and confidence felt about the Canal is reflected in the monumental construction of the two new locks at either end of the re-aligned summit level at Terryhoogan and Poyntzpass. Granite replaced wood in the cill and floor, while massive dressed blocks replaced the brick and rubble stonework of the earlier lock chamber walls. Even today, after more than half a century of complete neglect, these locks remain sound and useable.

Both Castle and Brownrigg have left us a written legacy of their involvement with the Newry Canal and we can get a glimpse of the men themselves through their writing. Castle was a visionary, careless about practical detail, who was sacked from the Canal in 1736. He went on to design some of Ireland’s most famous buildings including House and the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin.

Brownrigg, on the other hand, was concerned about the living conditions of his workmen and the construction details of his projects. He left us some of the best loved features of the Canal we know today; like Jerrettspass Bridge and Carnbane (no.5) lock.

Map showing the route of the Newry Canal from The Antient and the Present State of the County of Down, by Walter Harris, 1744. passenger train from Armagh which could then The Armagh railway disaster, 1889 push the excursion train over the summit. Instead Sean Barden the catastrophic decision was taken to uncouple nine carriages, take the first four to and The railway came to Armagh in 1848, and by 1865, return to collect the rest later. a line connected the city to Warrenpoint, which was a popular destination for Sunday School, and works, The carriages were now held only by the brake van and outings. The annual Armagh Methodist Sunday School some stones wedged under the wheels. As it started, the excursion to Warrenpoint was hugely popular with all engine jolted back setting the vulnerable carriages in religious denominations in the city, and the daytrip motion. Futile attempts were made to stop the runaway planned for 12 June 1889 sold 941 tickets. train but it accelerated for 1½ miles before meeting the oncoming 10.35 train from Armagh. By this date Great Northern Railway Ireland (GNRI) Company ran the line but at that time many crucial They collided on a steep embankment and the safety precautions were optional including the smashed carriages with their occupants were flung in expensive Automatic Continuous Brake. Although it all directions. Witnesses encountered a horrific scene allowed emergency stopping, the GNRI chose not to littered with the dead and injured. There were 90 install this system. fatalities and over 400 people injured.

On the day of the outing, the first in a series of bad In the days after the crash an inquest returned a decisions was made when a light engine was chosen verdict of manslaughter by six GNRI employees. Four to pull the excursion train instead of a more powerful of the men were sent for trial but all were eventually locomotive. The second mistake was to assign a driver acquitted. who had only two years’ experience and had never driven the steep gradients on the line. Just three weeks after the Armagh crash a similar tragedy was narrowly averted at Goraghwood, county On the morning in question as many as 1,200 Armagh when carriages carrying soldiers became passengers packed into thirteen carriages. Some detached from a train. Luckily there were no fatalities overheard the stationmaster and driver arguing about but it hastened the passage of the Regulations of the engine’s capability. When the driver refused help Railways Act which was passed by the end of August. from another engine, and the carriage doors were locked, the scene was set for potential disaster. The Armagh disaster was a terrible human tragedy but it led directly to the enforcement of what had been only The train stalled while attempting the first gradient discretionary safety measures, and undoubtedly saved just fifteen minutes into the journey. The obvious many lives. solution would have been to slow down the 10.35 The Armagh Railway disaster at Killuney, near Armagh. Courtesy of The rail companies also moved into the bus business, The development of bus transport facilitated by the passing of the Railways (Road in south Down Vehicles) Act (NI) of May 1927. In response to the new legislation, the Belfast Omnibus Company (BOC) Noreen Cunningham was formed as part of an attempt to rationalise road passenger transport in Northern Ireland. In the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century horse-drawn charabancs were a common The BOC acquired from private operators to mode of transport. These were replaced by motorised establish a network of services, and purchased vehicles charabancs in the years after the First World War, and from local companies including the Frontier Bus these in turn were superseded by buses in the 1920s. Company, Newry and Kilkeel based operators such as These vehicles carried passengers on day trips and David McAtee and Mrs Anne Sloan. outings and to church services, football matches and other sporting events. In 1932, the three main railway companies made a request to integrate road and in Northern As a popular tourist destination, south Down was Ireland. Their proposal was accepted and this led to the particularly well served by road transport companies. Road and Railway Transport Act of July 1935. One of the earliest, established in 1873, was Norton & Company of Kilkeel, which had been brought to Ireland In October 1935, the new Northern Ireland Road by the Earl of Kilmorey. Providing tourist coaches for Transport Board (NIRTB) came into being and the locality, they also had interests in local hotels. Some absorbed the bus services of the railway companies and hotels ran their own services. For example the Mourne all the other providers apart from Belfast Corporation Mountain Touring Company was established in 1913 by and those companies operating cross-border services G.B. Morgan, a local hotel manager. With the closure of the Warrenpoint – Rostrevor Horse Tramway in With the Transport Act of 1948, the Ulster Transport 1915, Hugh McAnulty of Warrenpoint, saw a gap in the Authority (UTA) was established, which saw the market, and bought a charabanc to carry passengers amalgamation of road and rail transport. Further from Warrenpoint Railway station to their destination. change was to follow in 1967 with the introduction of the Transport Acts. Road and rail operations were After the First World War, there was an expansion in now split, with bus operations being taken over by road passenger transport, with the companies buying . motorised buses and providing additional services. Some of the bus companies were formed by ex- servicemen. In Newry, Jack Bannon, who had served in East Africa during the First World War, was involved in the Frontier Bus Company in the early 1920s. George Major (second left) and Jack Bannon (third left) both worked in Newry as managers for the Ulster Transport Authority. Jack was in charge of buses and George ran the freight transport section. Courtesy of Patrick Bannon

The Frontier Bus Company was an independent bus company in Newry and McAtee’s bus company was founded in 1924 by David McAtee, a Kilkeel those involved in this early pioneering bus service were Jack Bannon, Fred hairdresser and mechanic. He had five buses that carried passengers on Dunlop and George Irwin. Their first vehicle (pictured here) was known as various journeys to Belfast. ‘The Wasp’ as this was the bus maker’s name. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection Courtesy of Patrick Bannon Patrick Campbell, Bernard Cassidy, Michael Corboy, Transport and the Isaac Linton, Patrick Loughran, Michael McGuigan First World War (all from Newry), Frank McAteer (Warrenpoint), Edward Ryan (served as Rice, from Burren), Terence Robert Whan McParland () and Stephen McNulty’s brother, Peter. These men were engaged in the ship’s The First World War had an impact on both land and Engineering Department as either firemen or trimmers. . Fuel became scarce and expensive. Andrew McKindrey and Patrick McKenna, two firemen In August 1916 Norton & Company withdrew its from Newry, along with John McEvoy, a greaser from recently introduced motor bus service between Jonesborough, were fortunate to survive. Others Kilkeel and the railway station at Warrenpoint and from the district had lucky escapes. Daniel Dow, the reverted back to horse-drawn long cars. G. B. Morgan, regular Captain of the RMS Lusitania, who came from the licensee of the Great Northern Hotel, was also Warrenpoint, was on leave at the time and another forced by the wartime restrictions to stop using the Warrenpoint man, William O’Hagan, chief bedroom three 13-seater Dennis charabancs he had acquired steward on the liner, did not travel on the final voyage in 1913 for the day trips organised in the area by after his wife’s premonition that the ship would sink. his Mourne Mountain Touring Company. The local railway service was reduced and increased. Non- German mines also posed a danger to Allied shipping. essential, particularly excursion, travel was hindered On 20 February 1916 the SS Dingle struck a minefield and from April 1918 all Sunday trains on the Newry – off Kentish Knock, whilst going from Sunderland to Warrenpoint line, were suspended. Caen, France with a load of coal. All of the crew, with the exception of the Captain, were from the Newry On 4 February 1915, the Germans launched a area. Edward McParland from Fathom, Newry, was the campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare. The most only survivor of the disaster. significant victim of the new policy was the British passenger liner, RMS Lusitania. On its way from New to Liverpool, the RMS Lusitania was torpedoed by the German submarine, U-20, off the southern coast of Ireland, with the loss of 1,198 passengers and crew.

The Newry area had strong links with Liverpool, with many local people emigrating there to find work in merchant shipping. Several men from the Newry and Mourne area were on board the RMS Lusitania and lost their lives. Stephen McNulty, aged 27, from Jonesborough, was a third-class passenger on the vessel. Among the crew who lost their lives were Norton & Company’s office at The Market House, Kilkeel, early 1900s. Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland, Lawrence Collection

Captain Daniel Dow. Son of John Dow, land steward at Narrow Water, Warrenpoint, he captained the RMS Lusitania from August 1913 to March 1915. Courtesy of Michael Dow McAteer of Flurry Bridge who later died of his injuries The impact of partition on road in Louth Infirmary, Dundalk. and rail transport in the Newry Disruption to rail transport along the border continued and south Armagh area over the years with many bridges such as Kilnasaggart Shane McGivern and sections of the line being continually damaged by explosions. This intensified during in the The constitutional issue surrounding Ireland’s 1970s and became a regular occurrence up until the connection within the was resolved 1990s. with the Government of Ireland Act in 1920 when two devolved states, the and Northern Road transport was also greatly altered as a result of Ireland, were established. This arrangement partitioned Partition. Border roads have been blocked on various the island of Ireland. occasions over the years. The IRA Border Campaign of 1956-62 had seen many concession roads being Partition led to a massive change of life for those who blocked and, following the escalation of IRA activity found themselves living along the new border. Newry in late August 1970, 25 unapproved roads on the south being a ‘’ meant differences in taxation on Armagh/north Louth border were ‘spiked’. This was various goods such as tea, cocoa, chicory, sugar and done by bedding heavy iron posts in concrete across alcohol and these price variances led to the practice the road and meant that the roads were inaccessible to th of smuggling and the establishment of Customs posts motor traffic. On August 24 , a meeting of over 100 on ‘approved roads’ which had an immediate effect on people took place in Jonesborough Parochial Hall. travel around the border. Paddy O’Hanlon M.P. addressed the meeting where reasons for opposing the spiking were outlined. Many The Great Northern Railway running between Dublin people in worked in Dundalk and the and Belfast was affected by Partition. The first incident spiking caused a general nuisance. Added to this, one to occur on the line took place on 24th June 1921, just third of Dromintee parish was in and this two days after the opening of the Northern Parliament. caused a detour of 5-6 miles each way for those going At around 10.30 am a train, carrying British troops to Mass. (10th Hussars) who had been on duty at the Parliament opening, was derailed following an explosion on the By the 1990s, transport between Northern Ireland and line near Adavoyle Station. The train had been carrying the had largely ceased to be affected 113 men, 4 officers and over 100 horses. Three soldiers by Partition, especially with the establishment of the died and an assistant guard died as a result of the Single European Market in 1993, which removed trade derailment. Three local men working close to the scene barriers among EU nations. were shot in retaliation. These men were James Boyle of Aghayalloge, Owen Rice of Faughilotra and Patrick The aftermath of the derailment of the troop train near Adavoyle. Over 40 horses were thought to have been killed and a pit was dug in which the horses were buried. Some of the horses had previously seen combat and had survived the First World War. Courtesy of Cathy Brooks

Members of the 9th Independent Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers erecting road blocks at Edenappa (Armagh)/Carrickaneena (Louth) in late August 1970 and the McGeough family pictured at the road block. Courtesy of Maura Winters Weekends brought not only the tourists, but also a few Warrenpoint railway line – enthusiasts to share “our” railway. During the week, we a personal memory had the place largely to ourselves. Initially, the staff at Warrenpoint were puzzled by these two English kids Barrie Domleo haunting their station day by day. They were, however, kind, funny and, once they realised we could be My younger brother Andrew and I were very lucky trusted, they were amazingly tolerant. to have known Warrenpoint at the time we did. The seaside town was my mum’s home and mine for the A breakthrough came when the signalman, George first two years of my life. From the mid 1950s for over a Walker, invited us up to his signal box. He discovered decade, we would return every three or four years, for a that we were the grandchildren of a respected month long summer holiday with my grandparents. neighbour. Thereafter, Warrenpoint was ours to explore. My brother, barely into his teens, began Mum, my brother and I would travel from our home “blagging” footplate rides to Newry and back. One in England, by train to Liverpool, overnight boat to crew, amused by his interest, began teaching him to Belfast and train down to Warrenpoint. Dad would drive the locomotives and fetched in a wooden beer come and join us for the last fortnight. crate, so he could reach the regulator.

Andrew and I were not avid railway enthusiasts, but In 1961, aged 15, I began photographing “our” railway, we soon fell under the spell of the little line. Once we using my father’s folding Kodak camera. There was were old enough to be let out alone, we would migrate about a 50% failure rate, with many pictures ruined by to the railway station, just to see what was happening. strange patches of fogging. Eventually, the truth dawned, Warrenpoint was the seaside terminus of the single that there were pinholes in the camera’s bellows. track line, very popular with tourists, particularly on summer weekends. On a Sunday afternoon, there could Like many English branch lines, it became apparent be two or three excursion trains parked up, with their that the Warrenpoint’s days were numbered. My engines simmering quietly in the sun. grandmother wrote and warned us that the summer of 1964 was likely to be the last. So it was no surprise The line was predominately operated by elderly steam to my parents and grandparents that we were in locomotives, some still wearing their Great Northern Warrenpoint that summer. This time, we came with Railway Ireland azure blue livery, under a coating of two 35mm still cameras. I also brought a 9.5mm cine grime. The 4-4-0 and 0-6-0 tender locos were smaller camera and about 20 minutes of colour cine film stock. and neater than we were used to seeing on the English We were determined to give the railway our best effort Southern region main line. Particularly pre-1962, many at recording its charm. With the clarity of hindsight, locomotives were still carrying brass name plates such we ought to have taken some tuition in railway as Lough Gill and Lough Melvin, Meath, Louth and photography and tried to find more money for colour Down, Slievenamon and Lugnaquilla. transparency films. As it was, out of the 470 pictures, only 72 were colour. Although the staff at Warrenpoint had been very I learned that the BBC still had a telecine machine kind to us, this year we wanted to roam further afield, capable of running 9.5mm film. I had them scan so I applied to the Ulster Transport Authority for the film, managing to bring to life much of the permission to walk the line for photography purposes underexposed material. But, sadly they could do and to film from the loco footplates. They came up with nothing about the dirt and scratches. In 2015, passes for the two of us and never enquired about technology had moved on and I took my cine film to our ages. Pinewood Studios. There, the old film was put through a wet-gate scanner and several software routines to turn That summer had largely good weather and I can recall back the clock, quite remarkably. hours spent by the lineside in the sun, cine camera set up, railway timetable in hand, only for the train to I discovered the ‘Old Warrenpoint Forum’ on the arrive with the locomotive the wrong way round, an internet. I cleaned up a couple of dozen of our colour extra coach or a goods wagon tacked on the rear. The transparencies and sent them to the moderator, Brian joys of film making! McCalmont. He was very complimentary and created a section on the website for our pictures. I have to At the end of August we said goodbye to our beloved say, the reaction from the viewers was magical and I railway and retreated with our film, photographs and managed to encounter on the website, Pauline Reardon, a few mementoes given to us by George Walker. For the daughter of our signalman friend, George Walker. cost reasons, many of our black and white pictures had only been negative developed and thumbnail Spurred on by the website reaction, I decided to contact printed. About 10 minutes of the cine film was try to use our photo and film material to make a successful, the remainder largely unusable due to documentary film, in a personal tribute to the line. under exposure. Learning the technology of digital film making, was a steeper learning curve than I realised. The following year my persuasive brother managed an August holiday back in Warrenpoint, in time to I returned to Warrenpoint in summer 2013 and 2014 to photograph the start of the demolition of the line and photograph and film the now almost invisible railway. to add a few more mementoes. I also wanted a look, In the course of that, I met and talked to the staff at so a few weeks after my brother returned, I descended Newry and Mourne Museum at Bagenal’s Castle, who on my long suffering grandmother, for a week’s railway helped with material from their archives. In turn, it has photography. been my pleasure to contribute my brother’s and my photographs to this exhibition. In the years that followed, the pictures were looked at periodically and the cine film run, until it began As to the documentary film, well let’s just say it’s still a looking very second-hand. The collection was work in progress. consigned to a cupboard for several decades. Then, Bus outside Warrenpoint Railway Station c.1964. Courtesy of Barrie Domleo

Some of the passengers pictured at Edward Street Station, Newry, after the arrival of the final train from Warrenpoint in January 1965. Courtesy of Barrie Domleo

George Walker, signalman, at Warrenpoint Railway Station c.1964. Courtesy of Barrie Domleo Left to right, Hughie P. McGuigan, Temporary Porter, Felix B. McCourt, Staff at Warrenpoint Railway Station, James Cromie, Station Master (left) Ticket Collector and Jimmie Lyttle, Railway Clerk, pictured at Warrenpoint and Jimmie Lyttle, Railway Clerk (right) pictured in August 1964. Railway station in August 1964. Courtesy of Barrie Domleo Courtesy of Barrie Domleo Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to the staff and volunteers of Newry and Mourne Museum for their assistance in this exhibition and accompanying booklet:

Declan Carroll Greag Mac a’ tSaoir Joanne Cummins Amanda McKinstry Jackie Dodds Shane McGivern Caroline Hegarty Anna Savage Conor Keenan Dympna Tumilty David Kilner Dr. Robert Whan

Thanks also to the Northern Ireland Museums Council for the funds to conserve artefacts used in this exhibition and to Landfill Communities Fund administered by Ulster Wildlife.

We would also like to extend a special thanks to those who contributed to the exhibition through articles for the booklet, donations, loans, expertise or memories including:

Sean Barden, Irwin Major Armagh County Museum William McAlpine Patrick Bannon Gerry and Rose McKevitt Catherine Brooks Captain John McParland Employees at the Shell Oil Depot, Edward Street, Newry in the 1930s, Brian Cassells Niall Quinn featuring William Murdock (left). Oil and petrol were delivered to local Barrie Domleo Pauline Reardon garages throughout the district. William Murdock Collection, Newry and Mourne Museum Geraldine Foley Mr and Mrs Hugh Rowland Cristina Gaillard Denis and Maura Winters Alexander Lyons The McGeough Family

Compiled by Noreen Cunningham and Every effort has been made to correctly attribute Dr. Ken Abraham photographs used in this booklet and accompanying exhibition. Back cover: Craigmore Viaduct, 1964 Designed by Sir John MacNeill and constructed by William Dargan, the Craigmore Viaduct, near Newry, opened in 1852 for the Dublin & Belfast Junction Railway. Built using local An early road sign near Mountnorris, county Armagh, pictured in the early granite and just under a quarter of a mile in length, it is the 1960s. highest railway bridge in Ireland. © Crown Copyright © William McAlpine Design: G. Watters