Newry River and
River Clanrye () are names for one of the
rivers of Ireland; it passes through the city of
Newry and empties into
Carlingford Lough near
Warrenpoint. Some maps call the portion downstream from Newry to the Lough the "Newry River" and the portion upstream of Newry the "Clanrye" (as it curls around to its sources in the foothills of the
Mourne Mountains), but not all sources make this distinction.
The word 'Clanrye' comes from the
Irish An Gleann RĂ meaning
The king's valleyWhile the Newry River flows under the famous
Newry Town Hall, according to the
Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland, the Clanrye breaks away from the Newry River near
Drummillar. The Clanrye then progresses under the main
Belfast to
Dublin (
A1 road ) at
Sheepbridge and onward toward the
Mayobridge Road at the
Crown Bridges and
Ashtree Cottages. According to local tradition however, the entire waterway is known as the Clanrye.
The County River
The Newry River is also known locally as The County River, as it acts as the accepted border between
County Down and
County Armagh. Colloquially, the river may also be known simply as "The County", e.g. "I'm jus' goin' a swim in the County", which would have been a common expression before the opening of the
Newry Swimming Pool.
Saint Patrick
During one of
Saint Patrick's exploratory missions to Ireland he set up camp on a sandy stretch of the Clanrye River. Whilst settling himself there he took the...
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