Newry Canal
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The Newry Canal, located in Northern Ireland, was built to link the Tyrone coalfields (via Lough Neagh and the River Bann) to the Irish Sea at Carlingford Lough near Newry. It was the first summit-level canal to be built in the British Isles since Roman times. It was constructed between 1731 and 1742, pre-dating the more famous Bridgewater Canal by nearly thirty years. The first engineer was Richard Cassels he was replaced by Thomas Steers.
The canal has 14 locks, nine of them to the south of the summit, which is 29 m (94 ft) above the level of Carlingford Lough. The locks are 13 m (44 ft) long and 5 m (15 ft 6 in) wide and could accommodate boats of up to 120 tonnes. They were 3.6 to 4 m(12 to 13 ft) deep and each lock was faced with stone from the Benburb quarries early in the 1800s after the original brick sides began to crumble.
As the Lower Bann drains Lough Neagh north into the Atlantic Ocean and the Newry Canal (with a bit of the Upper Bann) connects it south to the Irish Sea, the whole system taken as a whole can be conceived speculatively and imaginatively to cut off the old Counties Down and Antrim as an island separate from the rest of Ireland.
With the coming of the railways in the 1850s, the canal went into decline, and finally closed to commercial traffic in the late 1930's. Some sections have steadily fallen into a state of disrepair since then. Although most of the lock gates have long since rotted away, many of the locks themselves are in excellent condition, being constructed from local granite. It is now overgrown for much of its length; however, this means that it is now a haven for wildlife, and with the construction of broad paths is enjoying a renaissance, with many families and individuals using these for walking and cycling. The towpath has been incorporated into the National Cycle Network. The Newry section of the canal remains the most vandalised and unsightly part of the canal. Although several locks have been restored to their original appearance, however local anti-social behaviour and a lack of interest and action from Newry and Mourne District Council, has allowed this section to get worse.
Various schemes have been mooted in recent years to restore the canal and open it to leisure traffic, but as yet (2008) nothing has been approved. However with the recent announcement that the Ulster Canal will be re-developed and re-opened, it is hoped interest will again be renewed in the Newry Canal.
The canal towpath is maintained by two wardens throughout the year.
