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14. The Dundalk Newry and Greenore Railway
The Dundalk Newry & Greenore Railway
The Dundalk Newry and Greenore Railway (DN&GR) was conceived in the 1860s to provide a link to the natural deep water port at Greenore from the two other towns named in its title. The port was built in 1867 and soon afterwards construction commenced on the railway line. The Dundalk to Greenore section was opened in 1873 and a few years later, in 1876, the Greenore to Newry section was completed. 75 years later, on the 31st of December 1951, this railway line closed, ceasing all operations.
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The line started at Queen Street station in Dundalk and then crossed the Castletown river, just north of Dundalk, on a metal viaduct. There was a further viaduct at Ballmascanlon as the line travelled along the northern shore of Dundalk Bay. The first station was at Bellurgan and after crossing a five span masonry arch viaduct at Riverstown the second station at The Bush was reached. The last section was built on an embankment across a portion of Carlingford Lough to reach the final station at Greenore port. The Newry line which was opened in 1876 had stations at Carlingford and Omeath before terminating at Bridge Street station in Newry.
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The railway company built the town of Greenore to house its staff and provided considerable employment in the area. The rates were the same as the parent company paid in England and the jobs were permanent and continuous, not seasonal, as farm labouring would be, so must have been much sought after in the area.
The Greenore Railway museum recalls the history of this line, includes a model of various elements of the system and is located at 22 Euston Street Greenore.
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