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Museum Launches ‘Making Waves’ Exhibition on Newry’s Maritime Story
Newry and Mourne Museum officially launched a new temporary exhibition, looking at the development of Newry as an international trading hub beginning almost 300 years ago.
The exhibition, Making Waves: Newry’s Rise as a Global Trade Centre, which opened on Thursday 16 October, explores how the influx of goods from around the world transformed the lives of people in and around the Port of Newry, forever changing the region. It also shows how the maritime trade provided employment for generations of local people, from merchants and sailors to dockers and customs officers.
Visitors to the exhibition will discover Newry's transformation into a bustling global marketplace, a story told through the Museum’s collection of artefacts and information boards. Panels highlight a bustling trade of imported goods like minerals and sugar, which filled the warehouses of Sugar Island and Merchants Quay. In turn, products exported included Newry granite, whiskey and fine linen.
Among the items on display are everyday relics from this era, such as postcards, paper bags for loose tea, receipts for tobacco and flax seed and 18th century consignment notices for linen bound for America.
Accompanying the exhibition is a complimentary booklet of essays, offering more information and providing greater detail on subjects such as businesses in the 19th century, women’s work and the port and emigration, as well as the historical development of the port itself.
During the launch event, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Deputy Chairperson, Councillor Geraldine Kearns, thanked all those who helped in the development of the exhibition and the booklet. She said, “We can see the huge importance the canal and port had in Newry’s development through its architectural heritage, as many warehouses and businesses constructed along its quays are still visible today, including the houses built by the merchants featured in the exhibition. This exhibition by Newry and Mourne Museum is vital in helping us to understand and appreciate that history, connecting past generations with the present and ensuring that the legacy of Newry’s trading and maritime heritage is preserved for the future.”
Shân Anena, Curator at Newry and Mourne Museum, said, "This exhibition allowed us to explore histories seldom linked with the port. The stories of women and the port's connections to slavery are not usually heard, but they are a vital part of our history that helps us better understand ourselves."
The free exhibition is now open to the public until September 2026. For further information, please telephone 0330 137 4034.
Entrance to Newry and Mourne Museum is free of charge. For opening hours, information on events, upcoming exhibitions and other services please telephone 0330 137 4422.
