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Written by Brother Mallon
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Wednesday, 17 October 2007 |
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All
political, parliamentary and municipal boundaries in our area are an artificial
construct of the occupying English and designed for their better management of
our affairs.

The
municipal boundaries of the Borough of Newry were set in 1828 and was marked at
its 18 edges by MB granite stones. Many
can still be clearly seen, notably at the junction of Barley Lane, the Old and New Cemeteries
on the Warrenpoint Road
and at the Brickey Loanan on the Armagh
Road – as well as the top of the Pighall
Loanan. The artificial lines that join
the 18 original MB stones denote the boundaries – at least in the West Ward –
between the counties of Down (Town) and Armagh, a matter of principal interest
now mainly to Gaelic football supporters.
In
addition there are extant a number of old milestones in the Newry area which
continue to offer distances in the old Irish miles – which were considerably
longer than their English counterpart. Quinns the Milestone (Dunnes today on Hill Street) suggests that Dundalk in 9
miles distant (14) and Dublin
50 miles away (65). On the roadside near Damolly is another Irish
miles Milestone suggesting Newry to be one mile distant and Banbridge nine
miles.
Of
all the bridges over the canal and the river, four have dates of construction
embossed on their sides. For example, Needham Bridge (at Soho Place) bears the date 1831. Other dates can be seen on McCann’s Bakery
(1837 – for some incongruous reason this has been preserved in the renovated
“Bagenal’s Castle”), Downshire Road Presbyterian Church (1845) – three separate
places of worship on Sandys Street, and on St Mary’s Church (the Old Chapel)
1790.
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