Coal importation was central to Newry’s maritime economy. Joseph Fisher founded his business in 1852, acquiring his first vessel in 1867. His son Frank expanded the fleet into one of Britain and Ireland’s leading steam collier operations. By 1940, Fisher’s of Newry operated fifteen ships, many named after trees such as Pine, Upas, Opepe, Karri. Though absorbed into Cawood Holdings in 1966, the company continued under Fisher family management.
The Clanrye Steam Ship Company, linked to the Newry Provincial Coal Company, ran vessels such as Kilbroney, Killeavey, Speedy, Lady Belle, and Retriever before bankruptcy in 1924. Its last ship, Moygannon, was acquired by Fisher’s.
Life aboard was harsh: open bridges, dim engine rooms, cramped quarters lit by paraffin lamps, and straw-filled mattresses known as “Donkey’s Breakfasts.” Seamen often dried out above the boiler on a grating called the “fiddley,” as recalled by veteran Dan Brennan.
Between 1900 and 1942, eighteen Newry-registered colliers were lost. Some, like Kilbroney, sank on their maiden voyage; others, including Clonallon, Orior, Privet, and Walnut, vanished without trace. The worst disaster struck on 3 November 1916 when the Retriever collided with the passenger steamer Connemara near Cranfield Point. Both sank within minutes; of over ninety aboard, only James Boyle of the Retriever survived.
By the late 1940s, the Albert Basin bustled: Fishers’ colliers discharged coal while the M.V. Dundalk loaded livestock for Liverpool. Coal unloading was labour-intensive - dockers shovelled coal into tubs hoisted by derricks. A skilled gang could discharge 400 tons in eight hours. The 1950s brought change: steamers gave way to larger motor vessels, and in 1953, cranes replaced manual labour. By the 1960s, port employment declined, though Newry remained active.
Modernisation followed. Container traffic arrived aboard vessels like Wirral Coast and Noagh. During summer months, brightly painted Dutch coasters arrived with timber from the Baltic, adding a continental flair to the quayside. Gardner’s of Glasgow even commissioned canal-sized ships. But in 1968, disaster struck when the Saint William destroyed Victoria Lock’s seaward gates, trapping vessels. Soon after, operations shifted to Warrenpoint, which could handle larger ships. Kelly’s of Belfast sold the port to Warrenpoint Harbour Authority in 1971. By then, Warrenpoint and Newry handled half a million tonnes annually; today, Warrenpoint handles five times that.
The end came quietly. In March 1974, the Dutch tanker Anna Broere became the last commercial vessel to leave Newry. The final Newry-registered collier, Olive, was sold in 1981 and sank in the Caribbean in 1984.
For years, the canal faced uncertainty; proposals ranged from filling it in to turning it into a car park. Thanks to campaigners like Rowan Hand, John Donnelly, and John Fisher, Victoria Lock was restored, and the canal’s leisure potential revived. Highlights included the M.V. Balmoral’s visit in 1994 for Newry 850, the Asgard II in 1997, and the floating theatre M.V. Fitzcarraldo in 2000. That same year, nearly thirty sailing vessels arrived for “Folk Boat Week.”
By then, the Albert Basin had transformed. Coal yards gave way to The Quays retail complex, its logo - a sailing vessel - honouring Newry’s maritime heritage and spirit of reinvention.
Discover more about the lives of residents in the port of Newry in the new exhibition Making Waves: Newry’s rise as a global trade centre which continues at Newry & Mourne Museum until September 2026.
