The Early Development of Newry Port by Seamus Laverty

Newry’s maritime story stretches back centuries, though early evidence is scarce. A 1570 map by Lythe depicts three vessels on the Clanrye River, two large and one small, with a note that a bark or hoy of 10–12 tonnes could enter at spring tide. These modest sailing craft, used for fishing and short-distance transport, suggest that Newry possessed basic port facilities and engaged in limited overseas trade. By the early 1600s, customs administration had begun to take shape. A 1643 deposition mentions Michael Peirce as a “waiter of the Custom House,” a junior officer tasked with inspecting goods and preventing smuggling. His death during the upheaval of the 1641 rebellion disrupted operations, and Newry disappears from customs records for decades, hinting at weak oversight and fragile infrastructure. The fate of its early Custom House remains unknown.

The town’s fortunes worsened in 1689 when the Duke of Berwick’s forces burned Newry. Recovery came under Nicholas Bagenal, who rebuilt and expanded the town, though trade remained sluggish. Above Warrenpoint, the river was shallow and obstructed, leaving Newry little more than a creek of Carlingford, which had been the region’s main port. Gradual improvements began under King William III and his successors, aided by grants for clearing and embanking the river. Labourers removed rocks, shoals, and mudbanks by hand, deepened channels, and reinforced banks with stone and timber. These efforts laid the groundwork for future growth.

By the early 18th century, Newry’s commercial prospects brightened. In 1703, the Irish House of Commons commissioned a survey by Francis Neville for a canal linking Lough Neagh to Carlingford Lough. Though work did not start immediately, the survey identified promising sites for port development, a small jetty or quay near the barracks off Boat Street. Meanwhile, the death of Nicholas Bagenal in 1712 transferred his estates to Robert Nedham, a Shropshire native living in Jamaica, a link that would later connect Newry to the sugar trade. The discovery of the Coalisland coalfield in 1720 added further momentum, offering Dublin a source of cheap fuel.

A major milestone came in 1726 when the Custom House moved from Carlingford to Newry. It collected over £1,000 in its first year from just four trading barks, a clear sign of rising importance. A severe food shortage in 1728 underscored the strategic value of a navigable river when grain shipped to Newry helped relieve hunger inland in County Armagh. The decisive transformation arrived with the construction of the Newry Canal between 1732 and 1741. Using simple tools, labourers carved an embankment through the Glan Bog and Clanrye River, creating Sugar Island and splitting the watercourse into two. The canal’s completion was celebrated in 1741 when Captain Gilbert, its chief engineer, received a ceremonial punch bowl as the ship Cope passed through town. Soon after, Sugar Island became home to a sugar refinery, reflecting Newry’s growing role in Atlantic trade. The canal’s final sea lock, now lost, once connected directly to the port where today there are only street names like Boat Street, Quay Street, Custom House Avenue, hinting at its bustling past.

By the mid-18th century, Newry had evolved into a thriving inland port. In 1758, merchants forged profitable links with the West Indies, importing sugar and rum despite restrictive British trade laws. John Beath brought in French and Spanish cane, likely processed at the Sugar House and in 1765 Thompson and Waring imported Jamaican rum. Physical expansion accompanied trade, Kilmorey Street was laid out in 1760 on reclaimed marshland, and new warehouses rose along the Quay. Navigation challenges spurred engineers to extend the canal to Fathom in 1761, paving the way for the Newry Ship Canal’s formal opening in 1767. By then, larger vessels could dock, and plans for a turning basin at Sugar Island, seen on Matthew Wren’s Map of Newry turning has been brought about. These developments left a lasting imprint, by 1838, customs duties exceeded £58,000, confirming Newry’s rise as one of Ireland’s most dynamic ports.