Newry is located three miles up the Newry River which flows from the head of the Carlingford Lough inlet on Ireland's northeastern coastline. It is a provincial city reached by way of a canal currently solely used by leisure craft accessed via a single lock near the Warrenpoint Port at high water. The newly designated city provides berths alongside its town quay.

Set miles inland within a secure lock-in canal Newry offers complete protection from all conditions. The canal is accessed via Warrenpoint Port’s illuminated deep water shipping channel that runs the entire length of the lough. Careful navigation is generally required for this location owing to exceptional currents in the lower lough and at the entrance.

The immediate Warrenpoint area is subject to silting and full of mud and sandbanks. Hence great care should be taken moving outside the marked channel.

Keyfacts for Newry

Position and approaches

Haven position

54° 10.064' N, 006° 20.320' W

At the town quay outside the Quays’ Shopping centre.

What is the initial fix?

500 metres due south of Hellyhunter, a south cardinal buoy Q(6) +FL1.15s. From here the line of the entrance’s leading light beacons may be picked up.

What are the key points of the approach?

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How to get in?

The Albert Basin is situated in the City of Newry. It is reached by passing through the Victoria Lock, on its seaward end, and transiting the Newry Ship Canal. The Victoria Lock is situated on the Southern shore of the Newry River, just under 2 miles upstream from the Port of Warrenpoint at the head of Carlingford Lough.

The essential first step for any planned visit to Newry is to contact Newry Tourist Information to obtain approval. Advance bookings must be carried out at least 48 hours prior to arrival. Victoria Lock was automated in 2007 and a council official must open and close the lock gates. Therefore this must be all prearranged in advance. Where weekend access is required, notice should be given during office hours. If possible it is best to arrange a transit during normal council working hours as an out-of-hours operation charge could be applied.

Contact: Newry Tourist Information Centre, Bagenal’s Castle, Newry.
P: +44 28 3031 3170 E: newrytic@newryandmourne.gov.uk.

The Tourism Office will provide a booking form and other useful documentation. Their booking form must be completed, signed and returned in advance. Owners may be asked to send a copy of the vessels insurance details as part of this process. Any berthing or transit fee payments may be made in Sterling either on arrival or during the stay at the ‘Albert Basin’ in Newry.

Once this is all in hand then it is simply a matter of pilotage.

Use the directions provided for Warrenpoint for approaches and the run up the lough.

The area upriver of Warrenpoint dries at low water and the Victoria Lock is tidal. The lock gates are operable only one hour before and after high water and the council limits their use to daylight hours. Consequently, it is most likely that the canal may only be entered or exited once a day. As such it may be advisable to plan on using Warrenpoint as a staging berth for the canal transit.


Vessels approaching the lock at high water should expect to encounter a fast flowing current that streams broadly in line with the direction of the river; the rate will be easily seen on the navigation buoys. Unfortunately, this area of the river, from Warrenpoint to the Victoria Lock, is not charted on the key local British Admiralty 2800 chart. However, it is well buoyed and presents little problem. A point to note is a sandbar that dries to 1.4 metres that have emerged close south of the lock’s entrance; where the river and the lock’s channel converge. HW +/- 0100 at neaps or HW +/- 0200 at springs should provide a depth of at least 2.5 metres over this.



‘Victoria Lock’ is located on the Southern shore of the river approximately two miles beyond the port of Warrenpoint. The lock itself has ample space being 10 metres wide and 60 metres long. Expect a lift in the lock of between 2 and 3 metres depending on the river’s high water height.

Victoria Lock – position: 54° 07.583’N, 006° 18.330’W

Beyond the lough, the canal provides 3.3 metres of depth for the 3.2 miles up to Newry’s ‘Albert Basin’. There is no air draft, or height restriction, for vessels approaching the Victoria Lock chamber or Albert Basin. However, a maximum boat speed of 4 knots should not be exceeded at any time in the canal. Once through Victoria Lough, it is simply a matter of enjoying the canal passage up the valley between the mountains.

Newry Canal’s harbour area, the ‘Albert Basin’, provides a deep water Quay for visiting craft in the heart of Newry’s vibrant retail centre which includes the Buttercrane and Quays shopping centres. Berth or raft up as convenient.

The Albert Basin provides a 186-metre long deep water quay for visiting craft with ample mooring bollards. In the past, the canal was used by commercial coasters so the turning capability in Albert Basin is ample. Vessels of up to 60 metres can be accommodated in Victoria Lock chamber and turned in Albert Basin.

Why visit here?

Newry derives its name from its Irish name Iúr Cinn Trá meaning "Yew at the strand's head", the short form of which is An tIúr meaning "the Yew". It is believed that this name goes back to the 5th century and to the nation’s patron saint. Legend has it that St. Patrick planted a Yew tree here as he arrived up the Clanrye River and thereby founded a settlement with a monastic base.



There is no doubt that Newry is one of Ireland's oldest towns and it predates the vast majority of its current buildings. Located at the head of the ‘Moyry Pass’, better known as the 'Gap of the North', between Slieve Gullion, the Cooley Mountains and Dundalk Bay, it was a well placed settlement. The 'Gap of the North' was created by the last Ice Age leaving a close chain of drumlins across Ireland with just one break. With much of the terrain wooded and mountainous, in ancient times this location was the only entry or exit to Ulster. Through this central pass the men of Ulster sailed forth to harry the tribes of Leinster in the days of the Fianna legends. It was the scene of a great battle between Lord Mountjoy and Hugh O’Neill in 1600. The Gap is also linked to several episodes in the epic Cattle Raid of Cooley. The geography and landscape determined the nation’s history, and certainly the development of the small settlement at Newry.


By contrast the Vikings then came by sea, and so too did the Normans in the 12th Century as they extended their conquest nationally. They recognised the strategic importance of Newry and founded a base here in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery. A medieval trading town grew centred on the monastery in the vicinity of Bagenal’s Castle which itself dates back to 1560. However, and because of its strategic position, the town of Newry was to be repeatedly destroyed in the wars for the control of the north. As a result of this, with the exception of Bagenal’s Castle, medieval Newry has been mostly destroyed and superseded by a new town planned along the river.


The town encountered today grew from a garrison and market town. Industrialisation saw Newry become an important port and a linen textile centre. This was largely driven by the construction of the Newry Ship Canal in the decade between 1731 through to 1741. The canal was built to link the Tyrone coalfields, via Lough Neagh and the River Bann, to the Irish Sea at Carlingford Lough. The objective of the canal was to provide a transport route from the Tyrone coalfields to Dublin to enable the city to become self-sufficient in coal. The city relied upon imports from mainland Britain that were often intermittent. On completion, it was the first summit-level canal in Britain or Ireland. Once the canal was complete and operational Newry grew to be the fourth most important port nationally and a new cosmopolitan merchant elite came to the town. The epic canal was an ambitious project but its commercially viable operational lifespan was remarkably short. A railway laid right alongside almost the length of the canal became the preferred method of moving freight in the 20th century. The port and textile industry rapidly declined after World War 1, with Warrenpoint taking over the role as a port for the area. The former warehouses have now found new functions as shops and apartments.


Today the natural setting of Newry, located in the valley of the Clanrye River, gives its centre a distinctive backdrop of valley slopes. The twin watercourses of the Clanrye River and Newry Canal, flowing side by side through the length of the city centre, are also remarkably attractive. The city centre itself has a number of fine buildings, the most iconic of which is the Town Hall that uniquely straddles the Clanrye River. Other important landmarks are the imposing granite Cathedral of St. Patrick and St. Colman, as well as the recently restored Bagenal’s Castle on Abbey Way. Newry has other, lesser well known buildings that are just as integral to its character. These include former warehousing on Sugar Island and Merchant’s Quay. Although often modest in scale, such buildings are a vital part of the city centre’s character. In March 2002, as part of Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee celebrations, Newry was granted city status alongside Lisburn.


The area surrounding Newry is the Gateway to the North, nestling between two areas of outstanding natural beauty which are the splendid Mountains of Mourne in South Down and the Ring of Gullion in South Armagh. It is a beautiful scenic area steeped in history, mythology and legend where you will find plenty to enjoy. The canal itself continues on beyond Newry towards the River Bann and Lough Neagh with the River Clanrye looping around County Down.


From a sailing perspective the canal journey, progressing up the seat of the valley between mountain ranges to the town, is a spectacular boating experience in itself. The journey commences with the magnificent Narrow Water Castle on the County Down bank of the Clanrye River. Situated about a mile from where the river enters Carlingford Lough and Warrenpoint the tower house is one of the finest 16th-century buildings in Ireland. The town quay is alongside the Buttercrane and Quays shopping centres, and the town has a reputation for being one of the best provincial shopping towns in Ireland. Hence it offers a vessel one of the most convenient and extensive shopping and provisioning locations on the east coast of Ireland.


Alongside the quay area, there are a host of attractions including a variety of pubs and restaurants all within a short stroll. Also being one of the province's oldest towns, it has a wide range of historical interest.

What facilities are available?

Electricity and water supply points are available along the quay, located on the wharf, but their use is subject to prior approval. Cables must not be left connected to the electricity supply when the boat is unoccupied.

Newry is the fourth-largest city in Northern Ireland, the eighth in Ireland, and the "Basin" is situated in the heart of Newry’s retail centre which makes it one of the best locations for provisioning and shopping in the Carlingford Lough area, if not the best on the whole of the east coast. The Quays shopping centre, just beside the Albert Basin, also has a cinema and more importantly public toilets. There is a chandlery in the industrial estate on the other side of the river from the Quays. There is also a B&Q store although it's quite a distance from the basin.

Newry also has excellent railway connections, with the rail station just off the Camlough road offering cross border services on the Dublin-Belfast line – with international airports in both cities. It also has a major new bus station with a comprehensive bus service. Newry is on the main M1/A1 route from Dublin to Belfast. It is 34 miles (60 km) from Belfast and 67 miles (108 km) from Dublin.

Useful transport contacts in this area:
Newry Bus Station P: +44 28 30623531
Newry Train Station P: +44 28 30269271
Dundalk Train Station P: +353 42 933 5521
Dundalk Bus Station P: +353 42 9334075

Any security concerns?

The Albert Basin is an open quay with unrestricted public access at all times. Newry & Mourne District Council accepts no liability for vessels berthing there. Boat owners are responsible for their own security measures. However the basin is opposite the Quays Shopping Centre, that operates CCTV with security staff.

With thanks to:

Brian McJury, Warrenpoint Harbour Master and Brian Lennon. Photography with thanks to Brian Lennon, Henry Clark, Eric Jones, Deckyno9 and Aubrey Dale.