- Warrenpoint
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Coordinates: 54°05′56″N 6°14′56″W / 54.099°N 6.249°W
Warrenpoint Irish: an Phointe 
Warrenpoint from Slieve Martin on the County Down side of Carlingford Lough
Warrenpoint
Warrenpoint shown within Northern IrelandPopulation 7,000 Irish grid reference J145180 - Belfast 44 mi (71 km) District Newry & Mourne County County Down Country Northern Ireland Sovereign state United Kingdom Post town NEWRY Postcode district BT34 Dialling code 028, +44 28 Police Northern Ireland Fire Northern Ireland Ambulance Northern Ireland EU Parliament Northern Ireland UK Parliament South Down NI Assembly South Down Website [1] List of places: UK • Northern Ireland • Down Warrenpoint is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the northern shore of Carlingford Lough and is separated from the Republic of Ireland by a narrow strait. The town sprang up within the townland of Ringmackilroy (from Irish: Rinn Mhic Giolla Rua meaning "MacIlroy's point").[1] It is colloquially referred to locally as "The Point".
Warrenpoint is known for its scenic location, the Maiden of Mourne festival, the Blues on the Bay music festival, the passenger ferry service between Warrenpoint and Omeath and the nearby Narrow Water Castle which dates from the 1660s.
In the 2001 Census it had a population of 7,000.
Contents
History
What is now Warrenpoint long consisted of a small number of basic dwellings inhabited by people reliant on fishing for their survival and sustenance.
The name "Warrenpoint" is now believed to have been taken from the name of a family that lived here around the latter half of the 18th century. Father Bernard Trainor (who had an interest in place names of the area) mentioned that a family called “Waring” lived here and had a house called “Warings Point”. In Irish the place name is Rinn Mhic Ghiolla Rua (McIlroy's Point). The name Ringmackilroy may be seen on some maps. The shortened form is An Phointe. Warrenpoint is often referred to simply as The Point.
Walter Harris in 1744 stated that “Warrings Point” is about a mile or so North West of Rose Trevor.
Its scenic beauty and coastal location instigated rapid development so that the population in 1824 was 500, in 1831 was 1,000 and in 1884 2000 rising to 5000 in the summer with the influx of visitors. In 1836 there was a school, a court house, a savings bank and a farming society.
Fairs were held once a month and a market every Friday. In the mid-19th century, Newry merchants obtained a government grant to create a tidal dock at the village, as prior to 1850 ships of above 150 tonnes could not get further up the lough than Narrow Water.
A railway connection opened on 9 May 1849,[2] increasing Warrenpoint's popularity as a holiday destination. and Warrenpoint became popular as a resort town. Thousands flocked to the resort every year, where most took the passenger ferry to Omeath in County Louth. The Warrenpoint railway station closed in January 1965. The Ferry remains in operation but only in the summer months from May to September.
A bandstand in the town park provided concerts and a swimming pool was built in 1908. The baths were opened by Captain Roger Hall on Whit Monday, the 8th of June in that year, but they are now closed to the public.
Warrenpoint Pantomime Club, established in 1950, has staged 55 highly popular pantomimes in the town, the latest being “The Wizard of Oz” in 2011.
On 6 February 1921, during the Irish War of Independence, the Irish Republican Army ambushed an Ulster Special Constabulary (USC) patrol in Warrenpoint. The ambush took place on Seaview Road and one USC constable was killed.[3]
On 27 August 1979, during "the Troubles", the Provisional Irish Republican Army ambushed a British Army convoy at nearby Narrow Water Castle. Eighteen soldiers were killed – the British Army's greatest loss-of-life in a single incident during the conflict. This is often called the Warrenpoint ambush. British soldiers then fired south, across the Border, into county Louth, towards the location of their assumed attackers. This British army fire killed a young English tourist, William Hudson, watching the scene from lower Ferryhill road, where a (broken) memorial to his memory is located.
On 12 April 1989, "the Troubles" Joanne Reilly was killed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in van bomb attack on Warrenpoint Royal Ulster Constabulary base. Inadequate warning given.[4]
Demographics
Warrenpoint is classified as a small town by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 4,500 and 10,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 7,000 people living in Warrenpoint. Of these:
- 26.7% were aged under 16 years and 16.8% were aged 60 and over
- 48.3% of the population were male and 51.7% were female
- 90.0% were from a Catholic background and 8.5% were from a Protestant background
- 4.3% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed
For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service
Places of interest
Narrow Water Castle just outside the town is a three-storey tower house built in 1560 to protect the entrance to the Newry river estuary. Across the road, to the east, is the new Narrow Water Castle, really a stately home, built in 1840.
Carlingford Lough at Dawn.
Today a small but modern passenger ferry service operates out of Warrenpoint to the village of Omeath in County Louth. The trip takes about fifteen minutes. Other cruises include trips to Narrow Water Castle, Ross Monument Rostrevor and Bay & Harbour Cruises.
Two small inland lakes , the "Mill Dam" and the "Waterworks" offer a variety of fishing opportunities. A permit is needed to fish these lakes, which are located about 1 mile from the town centre.
Warrenpoint Promenade was used as a backdrop for Bundoran in the film The Butcher Boy, especially the exterior of the Star of the Sea Convent and the Edwardian swimming baths.
Education
- Dromore Road Primary School
- St Dallan's Primary School is a mixed school of about 700 pupils opened in September 2000 by the then Education Minister Martin McGuiness to merge Star of the Sea and St. Peters Primary Schools and is built on the site of the former St. Peters Primary School.
- St Mark's High School
People
- Irish literary critic Denis Donoghue was brought up in Warrenpoint.
- Social Democratic and Labour Party politician Carmel Hanna is from the town.
- Actor Patch Connolly also lived in Warrenpoint.
- Golfer Ronan Rafferty was born here.[2]
- Musician Vedran Smailović lives here.
- Northern Irish writer and literary critic, Forrest Reid, died in Warrenpoint in 1947.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Northern Ireland
- Warrenpoint GAA
References
- ^ Placenames NI
- ^ "Warrenpoint station". Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
- ^ http://www.dcu.ie/~foxs/irhist/august_1920.htm
- ^ http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/alpha/R.html
External links
- Clonallon Church, Warrenpoint
- First Presbyterian Church (Non-Subscribing), Warrenpoint
- St. Peter's Gaelic Athletic Association, Rinn Mhic Giolla Rua
- Warrenpoint area photos and stories from the past and present
- Maiden of the Mourne's Festival Website
- Warrenpoint Harbour
- Warrenpoint Parish Website
Towns in Northern Ireland List of towns by populationLarge Antrim · Ballymena · Bangor · Carrickfergus · Coleraine · Larne ·
Lisburn · Lurgan · Newry · Newtownabbey · Newtownards · Omagh · Portadown
Medium Small Ballycastle · Ballyclare · Ballymoney · Ballynahinch · Carryduff · Coalisland · Comber · Donaghadee ·
Drumore · Kilkeel · Magherafelt · Newcastle · Portrush · Portstewart · Randalstown · WarrenpointCategories:- Towns in County Down
- Ports and harbours of Northern Ireland
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