Narrow Water Castle

54°06′53″N 6°16′58″W / 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; Ulster-Scots: Narra Wattèr Castle), also known locally as Narrow Water Keep, is a 16th-century tower house and bawn near Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland. It was occupied by the Hall family from the 17th until the 19th century, when they built a large Elizabethan revival-style mansion, also known as Narrow Water Castle, within the same townland.

The tower house is beside the A2 road and on the County Down bank of the Clanrye (Newry) River, which enters Carlingford Lough 1 mile (1.6 km) to the south. It is a historic monument in state care, within Newry and Mourne District Council district, in the townland of Narrow Water. The 16th-century tower house (keep) was given into state care in 1956. The 19th-century mansion remains a private residence of the Hall family.

History

Medieval keep and tower house

Western facade of the tower house (keep) at Narrow Water

Originally the site of a 13th century Norman keep (associated with Hugh de Lacy, 1st Earl of Ulster), a replacement tower house and bawn was built at Narrow Water (by the Magennis family) in the 16th century. 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).

In the second half of the 16th century, following the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, the castle and its lands were confiscated and granted to Joseph Deane. The castle, which was damaged and captured during the Irish Rebellion of 1641, was sold to the Hall family in the 1670s. It was occupied by the Hall family until they built a new mansion nearby in the early 19th century.

19th-century mansion

View of the manor house (mansion) at Narrow Water from across the river

The Hall family, who had lived in the area since the late 17th century, commenced construction of an "Elizabethan revival style" mansion on the Narrow Water estate lands in 1816. The new house, also known as Narrow Water Castle, was designed by the architect Thomas Duff and completed in 1836. While occasionally opened to visitors by appointment, it remains a private home of the Hall family.

20th and 21st centuries

On 27 August 1979, 18 British Army soldiers were killed by the Provisional IRA in an ambush near Narrow Water Castle. It was the greatest single loss of life for the British Army during the Troubles.

As of mid-2026, a bridge was under construction near the castle. While, in July 2013, Louth County Council announced that the projected costs were prohibitive and the project was not progressed at that stage, by 2023, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar committed to examining the feasibility of co-funding the project. Initial development work on the "Narrow Water Bridge" commenced in June 2024. As of April 2026, the bridge was reportedly "expected to be completed by the end of 2027".

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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Abraham, Ken (4 April 2022). "History of Narrow Water Castle". newry.ie. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  4. ↑ "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
  5. ↑ "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.
  6. 1 2 "Narrow Water Castle goes on Royal Mail stamp". bbc.com. BBC. 10 April 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Castle". narrowwatercastle.co.uk. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Narrow Water Castle, Warrenpoint. County Down 1560". curiousireland.ie. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  9. ↑ "Narrow Water Castle". castles.nl. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  10. 1 2 "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
  11. ↑ "On this day - 27 August". BBC News. 27 August 1979. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  12. 1 2 Salinger, Seán (22 April 2026), "Arrival of key Narrow Water Bridge span delayed", Donegal Democrat, retrieved 7 September 2026
  13. ↑ "Narrow Water bridge plan put on hold". BBC News. 9 July 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  14. ↑ "Narrow Water Bridge project moves to tender stage 1". ROD.ie. 10 January 2023.
  15. ↑ "Narrow Water Bridge - Northern Ireland Roads Site". WesleyJohnston.com. April 2023.
  16. ↑ Breslin, John (15 March 2023). "Hopes grow proposed Narrow Water bridge could be named after US President Joe Biden". The Irish News.
  17. ↑ "Tourism hopes rise as bridge takes shape one year on". BBC News. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 7 September 2026.