Narrow Water Castle

54.1148°N 6.2828°W / 54.1148; -6.2828

Narrow Water Castle, looking south (the road is to the left of the picture)

Narrow Water Castle (Irish: Caisleán an Chaoil;[1] Ulster-Scots: Narra Wattèr Castle)[2] is a 16th-century tower house and bawn near Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland. It is beside the A2 road and on the County Down bank of the Clanrye (Newry) River, which enters Carlingford Lough a mile to the south.[3] It is a historic monument in state care in the townland of Narrow Water, in Newry and Mourne District Council district, at grid ref: J1256 1939.[4]

History
Western facade of the tower house

Originally the site of a 13th century Norman keep (associated with Hugh de Lacy),[5] a replacement tower house and bawn was built at Narrow Water (by the Magennis family) in the 16th century.[5][6] The replacement structure, built in the 1560s, was a typical example of the tower houses built throughout Ireland at the time. This kind of building, often rectangular in plan and three or more storeys high, comprised a series of superimposed chambers, with stairs, closets and latrines built within the walls (which are 1.5 metres or five feet thick in places).

The castle was damaged during the Irish Rebellion of 1641, and sold to the Hall family in the 1670s. It was occupied by the Hall family until they built an "Elizabethan revival style" mansion (also called "Narrow Water Castle") in the early 19th century.[7][8]

The original (16th century) Narrow Water Castle keep was given into state care in 1956.[6] The more recent (19th century) mansion remains a private residence of the Hall family.[7]

On 27 August 1979, 18 British Army soldiers were killed by a Provisional IRA ambush near Narrow Water Castle (see Narrow Water ambush). It was the greatest single loss of life for the British Army during The Troubles.[9]

A bridge was proposed to be built near the castle in the early 21st century. However, in July 2013, Louth County Council announced that the projected costs were prohibitive and the project was not progressed at that stage.[10] In 2023, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar committed to examining the feasibility of co-funding a Narrow Water Bridge.[11][12][13]

See also

References
  1. "Narrow Water, County Down". Placenames NI. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  2. "Jordan's Castle, Ulster-Scots translation" (PDF). Department of the Environment. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  3. "Narrow Water Keep Warrenpoint". Discover Northern Ireland. Tourism Northern Ireland. Retrieved 29 November 2021. tower-house and bawn built about 1568 at a point where the Newry River meets Carlingford Lough
  4. "Narrow Water Castle" (PDF). Environment and Heritage Service NI - State Care Historic Monuments. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
  5. "Narrow Water Castle, Warrenpoint. County Down 1560". curiousireland.ie. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  6. "Narrow Water Castle goes on Royal Mail stamp". bbc.com. BBC. 10 April 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  7. "The Castle". narrowwatercastle.co.uk. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  8. "Scion of gentry kept Narrow Water Castle in family". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 22 September 2007. Retrieved 29 November 2021. The Narrow Water estate includes the old Narrow Water Castle, built in 1212 by Sir Hugh de Lacey. This original castle is still standing [..] In 1816, this Roger Hall also decided to build a new castle, adjoining Mount Hall. The new Narrow Water Castle was built in Elizabethan Revival style
  9. "On this day - 27 August". BBC News. 27 August 1979. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  10. "Narrow Water bridge plan put on hold". BBC News. 9 July 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  11. "Narrow Water Bridge project moves to tender stage 1". ROD.ie. 10 January 2023.
  12. "Narrow Water Bridge - Northern Ireland Roads Site". WesleyJohnston.com. April 2023.
  13. Breslin, John (15 March 2023). "Hopes grow proposed Narrow Water bridge could be named after US President Joe Biden". The Irish News.
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