Walking & Heritage Trail
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2. Kilkeel Harbour 3. The Alfred Eadie Hall - 6. The Old Church of St Colman’s and Graveyard 8. Kilmorey Square Kilkeel is home to the largest Kilkeel Presbyterian Hall & Church The Old Church represents At the top of Knockchree Kilkeel Town fishing fleet in N Ireland. The United Brethren Meeting the historic monument from Avenue is the Kilmorey Most varieties of fish and House on Newcastle Street, which Kilkeel takes its name, Arms Hotel which has Walking & Heritage Trail shellfish are landed into now the Alfred Eadie Hall, translated to mean “The provided lodgings and the port. From a historical was originally a Moravian Church of the Narrow Place”. accommodation since before perspective, there were Church until 1916. It was Its location, on an elevated the 1850s. In the 1800s the In 1740 Harris, in his History of County Down, always fishermen in Kilkeel erected in 1832 and its narrow site, would appear to Market House and Court and the surrounding district foundation stone with the confirm this. House were also situated at described Kilkeel as “a small village and a church and the fishing industry has inscription “Church of the the top of the present day been, and continues to be, part of the local tradition of the area and Dating back to the 14th Knockchree Avenue where situated between the foot of the mountains of United Brethren 1832” is built Century, the church was the mainstay of the local into the porch of the present a market was held every The Old Church of St Colmans, dedicated to St Colman The Old Courthouse, Kilkeel Mourne and the sea, in a narrow vale, which economy. Steeped in a day manse. It was then used Wednesday and fair held on strong history of being the Bridge Street, Kilkeel and was known in 1388 the first Tuesday of every extends for some miles along the coast: the soil as a church hall by Kilkeel Presbyterian Church, which is further down as “St Colman Del Morne”. Walking & Kingdom’s principal fishing Newcastle Street beside the Sea Shell Centre. The church was formed quarter. port, it is hard to imagine Within the grounds of the church there is a defaced equal armed good, and the country well inhabited”. Steeped by the Secession Presbytery of Markethill in 1822. The present church medieval cross, which stands beside a granite socket stone, which was Long cars and horse drawn coaches once collected and deposited that for three quarters of replaced an older building at the end of the 19th Century. In recent years in a strong industrial tradition of fishing, farming the 19th Century Annalong traditionally used as a wart well for curing warts. passengers from the Court House and offices. With the arrival of Heritage Trail it has undergone extensive renovations and had a steeple added. motorised buses, Norton & Co Bus Depot was situated in one of these and granite, Kilkeel takes its name from the boasted a far superior port. A detailed historical description of the tradition, folklore and structure It was not until the late 19th 4. Site of The Old Temperance Hotel buildings. The Court House was also a neutral meeting place where visitkilkeel.com old church overlooking the town, it being the of the church and surrounding graveyard are available on the “Penny Readings” concerts and dances took place in the 1800s and Century that, following the interpretive boards in the graveyard. erection of a small pier and The current Sea Shell early 1900s. The Market House was demolished in 1952. Kilmorey anglicised version of the Gaelic “Cill Choal” dating Centre ( beside the Kilkeel Square was recently improved as part of a major Environmental Two views of Kilkeel Harbour - dock, Kilkeel proved to be There is also a memorial to the Connemara & Retriever Maritime Presbyterian Church) on Improvements Scheme to the town in 1999 and is the location of an back to the 14th Century. Kilkeel is the principal circa 1900 and present day a particularly convenient Disaster when 94 souls were lost on the 3rd November 1916 in location to land catches and Newcastle Street was Carlingford Lough. If the graveyard is locked call into Spot On Toy Shop old watering trough which dates back to the 1800s. town in the ancient Kingdom of Mourne. the former site of the old quickly attracted boats from all over the British Isles. just down the hill from the Graveyard and they will give you the key. The trough was a gift to the town by Ellen Constance Lady Kilmorey Temperance Hotel where Head back down the street and cross over the old granite bridge and and was originally situated at the corner of the Harbour Road and This resulted in further growth and physical development at the Percy French used to stay 1. The Nautilus Centre, Kilkeel Harbour you will see the Lower Square on your left. Bridge Street. It was used by cattle, horses and sheep until the 1960s harbour and in 1890 alone more than one third of all herring landed on his many visits to Kilkeel. when it was removed to its present site. A memorial statue was The Nautilus Centre is in Ireland came through Kilkeel. The first decades of the 20th Century As noted, Percy French also 7. The Lower Square erected just below Kilmorey Square in 1999. located in a prime location brought the recession, but with the inception of motorised boats more frequented the home of Dr The site was formerly a with panoramic views powerful than any sail-assisted vessel, with seine nets, the decline was and Mrs Samuel Floyd on Church of Ireland School 9. Knockchree Avenue overlooking Kilkeel harbour. reversed. The 1970s saw a substantial extension of the harbour to the Knockchree Avenue. Percy French is famous for writing “Where the House “Kilmorey National The Centre was established west and the diversion of the river into its upper end. Mountains of Mourne Sweep Down to the Sea”. When the Courthouse was School” dating back to in November 1997 as part of removed and Knockchree Today Kilkeel’s fishing industry remains a vibrant one, and the harbour the 1840’s which was a regeneration initiative for 5. Site of The Old Royal Hotel, Bridge Street Avenue constructed, it leads is a hive of commercial activity with fish processing factories, marine demolished and replaced Kilkeel and includes Kilkeel you to Kilkeel High School engineers, ice factory, fish market, and ship repair works. Watch the In the 1830s the Police by a Parochial Hall in the Tourist Information Centre, and the Mourne Esplanade, resident seals “Salt n Pepper” duck and dive around the harbour Barracks was located on the 1950’s. the Hall was opened Mourne Maritime Visitor where the Leisure Centre and looking for an easy supper. You can buy fresh fish, fishing rods, reels site with six policemen. The on the 31st July 1958. Centre, Families at Sea Swimming Pool are located. and licences from the Harbour Store if you fancy fishing of the end building was then renovated Display, Tracing Your Mourne Roots Display, Mourne Seafood Cookery Kilkeel High School, which of the pier or from the beach. Walk up the Rooney Road, which was and extended by “Clondyke The modern Lower Square School and Kilkeel Development Association, Harbour Haven Senior was constructed in 1953, named after “Clondyke Rooney” up towards the town centre. Turn left Rooney” who was a well was constructed in 1997 as part of a major regeneration initiative for Citizens Centre & temporarily Kilkeel Library. is situated on the Avenue. at the top of the Rooney Road onto Newcastle Street. known beneficiary of the early Kilkeel. The Sculpture “Narrows Journey” was erected in 1998 and depicts the rich heritage and culture of the fishing, farming and granite The High School is one Get your photograph taken at the Big Fish and visit the Mourne US Goldrush at Clondyke. industries in Mourne. There are public toilets available here. Continue of three secondary schools in Kilkeel St Louis Grammar School and St Seafarers Memorial which commemorates all those lost at Sea. It was The building traded as “The up towards the traffic lights and straight onto Greencastle Street. Columban’s College. Percy French, the prolific writer of songs, including sculpted by McConnell & Son, a renowned local granite firm that Royal Hotel” up until the mid the internationally renowned and loved “The Mountains of Mourne”, paid also made Lady Diana’s Memorial Fountain, the National Memorial 1980s when it was burned private visits to the home of Dr and Mrs Samuel Floyd who used to live in Arboretum and 9/11 Memorial Gardens in New York. The memorial in a fire and remained derelict up until 2000 when it was redeveloped what is now 18 Knockchree Avenue. was made out of one of the last large pieces of Mourne granite into commercial, retail and office premises. Across the road is the Old allowed to be quarried. Mourne granite was exported widely and the Church and Graveyard. streets of Liverpool and Manchester were paved with it. The cast of TVs “Coronation Street” walk on Mourne granite sets. You can park in the Nautilus Centre Car Park and enjoy a walk around Kilkeel Harbour and also around Kilkeel Town Centre. 10. Mourne Esplanade 13. Parochial House/Oratory/St Colman’s 16. Buildings of Interest Greencastle/Newry Street 18. Mourne Hospital/Workhouse 21. St Colman’s Roman Catholic Church The Mourne Esplanade The Roman Catholic Parochial At the end of Greencastle Probably the “Handsome The Church of St Colman Kilkeel Visitor Information Centre, represents the key House on the corner of the Street, where the Medical House” referred to in the (Massforth) is the Roman recreational and sporting Manse Road was built in 1890 Hall is now located in “Picturesque Handbook” Catholic Church which Nautilus Centre, area in Kilkeel with the on a site formerly known as the recent new corner (1846) described as “lately stands about a mile from Rooney Road Kilkeel Recreation Centre, “The Circus Field”.