October 2020 Meeting
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The next Newry 2020 Meeting is on Monday the 13th of October at 7.30pm at the Sugar Supper Club, Sugar Island, Newry.
After the success of Iur Cinn Fleadh it's perfectly placed as a platform for your ideas for Newry city as well as listening to other ideas.
Iur Cinn Fleadh a 2020 Production!
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Newry 2020 has inspired a new festival for the city next month with members of the group organising a festival of the best in trad and folk music with a special performance from The 4 of Us in Newry Town Hall.
Iur Cinn Fleadh runs from Friday the 12th to Sunday the 14th of September and with over 70 gigs happening in more than 30 venues it’s extremely unlikely the “buzz” won’t be noticed by residents and visitors alike! The Fleadh promises the best in home grown folk and trad talent with a little bit of rock and roll and country thrown in for good measure. Síoda, Claire and Ursula Byrne, The Rooneys, Mary O’Neill, Warrenpoint Comhaltas, Cup O’Joe, Oscail, Brandé, All Folked Up, Martha Guiney Band and many many more will perform in the City’s bars, cafes and streets and even on board a tall ship.
As part of the Fleadh, 25 Years after it all began, Newry’s favourite sons of rock The 4 of Us play a return concert to Newry Town Hall on Saturday the 13th. Members of the current band and the original will all be on the Town Hall Stage. This will be the third and final time all the members of both the original and current line-ups will play together. Don't miss it. Tickets for The 4 Of Us are priced £17.00 and are available from The Sean Hollywood Arts Centre. The box office number is 028 3031 3180. Tickets are also available from Ticketmaster.ie.
Looking forward to Iur Cinn Fleadh taking place in Newry from the 12th to the 14th of September. From left: Daire Hughes, Mayor, Newry and Mourne District Council; Martha Guiney, musician and Eamonn Burns, Oscail who are two of the many artists performing. Photograph: Columba O'Hare
Mayor of Newry & Mourne District Council Darie Hughes said that it is so exciting to see so many events happening in Newry during the first Iur Cinn Fleadh and hopes that this is the start of many more in the future.
Quirkier events include Bluegrass and Gypsy Jazz band Cup O’Joe made up of brothers, Benjamin (20) who plays Upright Bass and Reuben (18) Guitar and Mandolin and sister Tabitha (15) Banjo and Fiddle who will join the Riverside Choir at Riverside Church at 6.30pm on Friday night for a session to remember.
Trad music will be wafting through the air when tall ship Soteria sets sail from the Albert Basin at 7pm on the Friday and Saturday nights for a two hour trip up the Canal.
Sunday from 5pm sees an evening of Céilí and Set Dancing at Newry Town Hall with The Mournes Céilí Band while earlier in the weekend members of U3A are holding a Ceili and Old Tyme Tea Dance in the Canal Court at 2pm on Friday.
Newry Historical Tours will be taking you on a tour around the city, with musical interludes provided by David Cunningham and sure why not sing a wee song yourself!
Gaeláras Mhic Ardghail are offering a free one day Liofa Intensive Irish Course from 10am on Saturday. Also on Saturday there’s Street Theatre from Newpoint Players at Marcus Square and on the path across from the Canal Court Hotel from 2pm. There are also Currach trips on the Albert Basin from 3pm.
Dominic Kirwan plays Newry Town Hall on the Friday night at 8pm for the Country Music fans.
If you are musical and not just a listener make sure you enter the competition for the Newry.ie Best Street Session on Saturday at 12pm in Hill Street where there is £100 up for grabs for the winner.
All this and much more at Newry’s inaugural Iur Cinn Fleadh from the 12th to the 14th of September. All that’s missing is you so be sure to get down and join in.
Iur Cinn Fleadh is one of the signature projects of new campaigning group Newry 2020. Neil Bradley, one of the founding members of the group and a sponsor of the festival said “Iur Cinn Fleadh would not be possible without the tireless work and financial assistance from our sponsors Newry and Mourne District Council, Koffy, Jack Murphy Jewellers, Amplified, www.SocialClix.biz, Sugar Supper Club, Newry Maritime Association and www.newry.ie as well as support from all our fantastic venues. We are extremely excited about the very first Iur Cinn Fleadh and look forward to it being a regular event in the Newry calendar for many years to come.”
The majority of events are free but tickets need to be purchased for some including the 4 Of Us, Céilí and Set Dancing, Dominic Kirwan and the Tall Ship Session. To find out how to buy tickets or for more information go to the Fleadh website at www.iurcinnfleadh.com or pick up an event guide and poster from the Sean Hollywood Arts Centre, Newry Library or many other locations throughout the city.
July Newry 2020 Meeting
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The July Newry 2020 Meeting is at 7.30pm on Monday the 14th of July at 7.30pm in the Sugar Supper Club.
We realise many people may be on holiday but preparations for Iur Cinn Fleadh continue and the Albert Basin Project is on going so please come along if you can.
Festival of Windows Opens
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The Newry 2020 inspired Festival of Windows got underway in Newry today with a different exhibit in almost every window throughout Hill Street.
From Paintings to Ceramics to Leather craft to Lace to delicate eggs and decoupage it's all there.
The festival will run from now to the 27th of June so if you get a chance check it out. 25% of any sales will go to the Hospice.
June Meeting
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The Newry 2020 meeting for June is Monday the 9th of June at 7.30pm in the Sugar Supper Club, Sugar Island, Newry.
The meeting will concentrate on plans for the Iur Cinn Fleadh as well as updates on other projects.
Hill Street Festival of Windows Launched
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Newry’s very first Festival of Windows has been launched. The Festival takes place from Friday the 13th of June to Friday the 27th of June and will showcase work from local art and crafts people in shop windows in Hill Street in the City centre, turning the Street into a continuous Gallery from the Town Hall all the way down to John Mitchel Place.
Exhibitors will include Newry’s up and coming and established artists and crafts people including Students from the SRC, U3A members, Newry Arts Society, The Journeyman Saddler, Clanrye Lace, pupils from local primary schools and more.
A substantial amount of the art and craft work will be for sale. The public will deal directly with the artist via a contact number on each piece and 25% of proceeds will go to the Southern Area Hospice.
Agnes Murnin, 3D Lecturer in Art and Design, Southern Regional College said “This is a great occasion for the region to observe the talent within the area and to see what opportunities are available within the art department at Southern Regional College.”
The Festival was the brainchild of the Newry 2020 group, a grassroots organisation set up to help make Newry city a better place to live in and visit. The group are also working on music festival Iúr Cinn Fleadh which will run from the 12th to the 14th of September and are campaigning to bring a City Centre Park to the Albert Basin.
Commenting on the Windows Festival, main organiser Garry McElherron said “I've been to the Southern Regional College and marvelled at the wonderful art that will be a big part of The Hill Street Festival of Windows. The uptake of the shops and businesses is over 90%. I commend and thank them wholeheartedly for their support. There will be art installations, delicate ceramic pieces, mixed media, photography, crafts such as quilting and lace and a saddler. I’d like to thank Aisleain McGill of the Arts section of Newry and Mourne District Council who have commissioned an artist to help some of the local schools to showcase their work too.”
Concluding Garry added “These are very talented people and I hope all can make it down Hill Street at some point to see Ireland's Greatest Art Gallery.”
The ethos of the Festival of Windows is to brighten up the Hill Street area and encourage more people to visit by showcasing the wide variety of extremely talented arts and crafts people present in our area .
The Arts section of Newry and Mourne Council have sponsored the event by commissioning an artist to help pupils from Windsor Hill Primary School, St Joseph’s Primary School and Bunscoil an Iúir provide art for several windows.
Jack Murphy, Newry City Centre Management and one of the organisers of the event praised the connection it made between Hill Street and the Southern Regional College, attracting students, tutors, parents and friends to the street to check out the exhibition.
A secondary element of the festival is to encourage shops to leave their shutters open longer as well as promoting the painting of unsightly shutters, a service that members of The Magnet Centre have agreed to do for free as long as the business covers the cost of paint, typically £150.
Already the Sugar Supper Club in Sugar Island has it’s shutter painted with incredible artwork so if anyone needs to see the potential of the project they should check it out. Any businesses interested or if you need more information on the festival you should contact the Newry 2020 group at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ultimately Newry 2020 would like to see a future Hill Street where shutters are a thing of the past and prospective shoppers can wander down the street at any time of the day or night checking out what the shops have to offer. This may be some time away but small steps such as the Festival of Windows should begin to show the potential out there.
It is hoped that the festival will become an annual event.
Download Petition Poster
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Almost 1200 people have signed the Change.org Petition at www.change.org asking that the Albert Basin area of Newry is used as a City Park.
If you haven't already please do by clicking on the link above.
You can also download a poster below, detailing the campaign and place somewhere prominently on your premises!
 Newry 2020 Poster - A4.jpg | [Newry 2020 Albert Basin Park Petition Poster] | 4934 kB |
May 2020 Meeting
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The next Newry 2020 meeting is tomorrow night Monday the 12th of May at 7.30pm in the Sugar Supper Club, Sugar Island, Newry.
Come along to show your support and get involved in helping make Newry a better place for everyone.
2020 Petition for Newry City Centre Park
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Newry 2020. the new group set up earlier this year setting out a peoples vision for the future of Newry City has launched a Petition at Change.org which they hope will eventually result in a city centre park for Newry at the Albert Basin, literally ’Newry’s Central Park’
Click Here and Please Sign the Petition and share the link to it to as many people as possible.
The Albert Basin site is over 16 Acres and at present stands derelict.
The Grassroots initiative from Newry 2020 wants to:
- Prevent The Albert Dock/Middlebank area being sold off and lost forever.
- Save the area for the long-term benefit of all the people of the Newry area.
- Regenerate the 15 acre site as a Newry’s “Central Park” with recreational facilities.
- Plant trees and landscape to create a park, make paths for walkers and a running track.
- Create a wildlife reserve.
- Open the area up to a variety of sports; running, cycling, urban sports and fishing.
- Use the ideal location to develop water sports.
- Develop a performance space for concerts/ markets/events.
- Build on the heritage/history of the Albert Basin Docks and Newry Canal.
- Work in Partnership with the Newry Council, the local community, interest groups and businesses.
- Transform a derelict area to an iconic destination within the Newry and Mourne area.
April 2020 Meeting
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The Newry 2020 Meeting for April will take place on Monday the 14th of April at 7.30pm in the Sugar Supper Club, Sugar Island, Newry.
This month we are concentrating on the Albert Basin Area.
All are welcome.
BBC Covers Newry 2020
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Great to see such positive coverage of Newry 2020 on the BBC Northern Ireland Website.
Check out the BBC coverage at www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-26544410
Newry 2020 March Meeting this Tuesday!
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An International Festival with the participation of all communities and cultures was just one of the suggestions at the February Newry 2020 Meeting. Photograph: Columba O'Hare
After last months very successful inaugural Newry 2020 meeting in Sugar Island where many ideas both old and new were discussed, the second public meeting will take place this Tuesday night the 11th of March at 7.30pm in the Sugar Supper Club, Sugar Island, Newry at 7.30pm. All are welcome
Newry 2020 is a newly formed group with the aim of helping make Newry fulfil its untapped potential as a vibrant, exciting place to live and work and an attractive destination for tourists.
Following on from last month already there have been several initiatives set in motion including a new Festival that will run from the 12th to the 14th of September the Iúr Cinn Fleadh and the proposed
Newry 2020 Inaugural Meeting
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On an incredibly wet and windy night over 30 people attended the first meeting of the Newry 2020 campaign at Sugar Island on Wednesday night.
Newry 2020 is an organisation set up after a blog post on Newry.ie detailing ideas for Newry attracted a lot of interest.
Conor Patterson, Chief Executive, Newry and Mourne Co-Operative and Enterprise Agency and a leading force in producing the Greater Newry Vision document 
talked about their work and indicated potential pitfalls for the new group to watch out for.
He pointed out that where there is political will there also can be money! People say there is no money available but massive projects elsewhere such as Maze Long Kesh and the Titanic Building perhaps paint a different picture.
He also emphasised for the group to be aware of the ideas already raised in the Greater Newry Vision and subsequently put into the Newry Masterplan and stressed the importance of keeping up political pressure on representatives and getting involved in existing local organisations.
Also speaking at the night Columba O’Hare commented on what was already being put in place in Newry and of the desire to continue the momentum.
“Newry has so much untapped potential and the possibilities for our waterways, especially Newry Canal, as a facility to be used by both locals and visitors are phenomenal.
“Things are looking up but we need to continue the momentum. Local businesses are leading the way when it comes to attracting jobs. Community organisations including the Canal Street Group, Newry Maritime Association and IWAI Newry have made great in-roads into the revitalisation of our city.
“It’s wonderful to see new festivals taking off in Newry - Oktoberfest, Newry Film Festival, Pride in Newry, Newry Marathon and The Eariwig.
“The first ever Newry Triathlon and the revitalised Bath Tub race at last years Festival of Water were fantastic.
“The St Patricks Day Parade is going from strength to strength and the established Newry Feis and Drama Festival are still pulling in the crowds in their thousands.
“Last weeks Sticky Fingers hosted Small Size - Big Festival certainly proved inspirational.”
The general consensus of the night was that Newry really needs a city centre park and both the Albert Basin and the linear park as mentioned in the Newry Masterplan were mooted as potential locations.
Other easier achievable ideas included a Traditional Music Festival, working towards removing the shutters from shops in our city, Guerrilla Planting and increasing peoples pride in their city.
A full list of all ideas brought up will appear in the next week or so. The next meeting is on Tuesday the 11th of March at 7.30pm again at the Sugar Supper Club and you are welcome to come along.
Register for 2020 Public Meeting
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The first public meeting of Newry 2020 will take place in the Sugar Supper Club, Sugar Island, Newry on next Wednesday the 12th of February at 7.30pm.
All are welcome but in the event of the night being oversubscribed priority will be given to those who have registered on Eventbrite.
To Register please click on this link http://www.eventbrite.co.uk
2020 Coverage
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Thanks very much to the Newry Democrat and Newry Reporter for their fantastic coverage of Newry 2020 in this past couple of weeks.
You can check out the Democrats coverage at www.newrydemocrat.com/articles/news/38268/aiming-for-a-brighter-city/
Newry 2020 Public Meeting wants to hear YOUR Vision for the Future of Newry
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Newry 2020 a new group aimed at helping make Newry fulfil it’s untapped potential as a vibrant, exciting place to live and work and an attractive destination for tourists is holding a Public Meeting on Wednesday the 12th of February at 7.30pm in the Sugar Supper Club, Sugar Island, Newry.
“Newry 2020 - A Vision for Our City’s Future” began as a post from local resident Columba O’Hare on his Newry.ie website, suggesting ways to make Newry a much more attractive place to live and visit, while aiming to have many new projects in place by the year 2020. Suggestions included re-opening the Gallows Hill tunnel for tourism, much more use of Newry Canal with restaurant barges moored along the quay, restoration of old neglected buildings, the renewal of Sugar Island and much more. You can read the full draft at www.newry2020.com
If you are interested in playing your part or have ideas that would help improve our city make sure you come along. It’s open to all!
"The meeting will use state-of-the-art eParticipation technology developed at the University of Ulster to capture and share ideas at the event. Contributions will be gathered in real-time and a full report will be distributed among attendees and published online immediately following the event."
Brian Cleland, PhD Researcher at the University of Ulster said: "I'm very inspired by the degree to which Columba's blog post resonated with people. It seems to have tapped into a deep-seated civic pride and a shared belief in Newry's potential for growth. By working together, using a mixture of modern technology and old-fashioned community spirit, we're hoping to create a platform for grassroots initiatives that can transform Newry for the better."
While the idea started out as an individuals personal thoughts on improving Newry, interest in the project is building with others coming on board.
Neill Bradley proprietor of Sugar Supper Club explained the reason behind the importance of Newry 2020 for him “We all have a vested interest in Newry, whether you live here, work here, own a business here or visit here. We want to make it a success, not just for ourselves, that’s part of it but for everyone who wants to come here in whatever capacity.”
Suzanne Murdock from The Hub added “It's also about making the community and next generation aware of the local creative talent, the culture of where they are from and how we can all play a part, then hopefully working together to develop it and perhaps spin off some enterprising ideas.”
Columba O’Hare from Newry.ie commented “It’s very easy for people to knock Newry but it’s much harder to do something about what you see as the issues or needs of our city. In recent years many people from all walks of life in Newry have embarked on ambitious projects to improve and raise the profile of the city. We want to continue the momentum and come up with a lot of new ideas, leading to action that will ultimately make us all extremely proud to be from Newry”
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/newry2020
If you want to contact us email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Public Meeting
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A Public Meeting has been organised for Wednesday the 12th of February 2014 at 7.30pm at Sugar Supper Club, Sugar Island, Newry.
If you are interested in getting involved and contributing to the betterment of your city please come along.
Newry 2020 - A Vision for our City's Future
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Today Newry.ie launches Newry 2020, our own personal vision of where we would like to be in six short years time and hopefully the vision helps in a very small way to move our wonderful city forward by making it a much more attractive place to live and visit.
Fifty years ago in August past Martin Luther King had a dream. Two months earlier I arrived kicking and screaming into the world at Daisy Hill and 50 years later I too have a dream, maybe not as well written as MLK's but nevertheless it's an important dream or rather a vision.
I hope our campaign will provoke debate, suggestions, support and more importantly action in the six years leading up to 2020.
The Present
To go forward you first have to confront the present and also look at where we were in the past.
For many years Newry was billed and is still being pushed as a shopping destination, nothing more, nothing less and while that certainly may have been of benefit to our endless stores it's not something you want to base your city's magnetism on in the long term, rather it should be a bonus that people find when here for other reasons.
During years of conflict confidence and ideas were thin on the ground.
To attract visitors to Newry we have to look and then ask ourselves do we have something to offer them that other places don't, and unfortunately at this very moment in time we don't have a lot. This is certainly not meant to be a negative statement but rather a reality check on the base we need to build from.
Newry 2020 - Our Mission
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We want a brighter future for Newry and we want you to be part of it.
Late in 2013 www.newry.ie published an article under the heading newry-2020-a-vision-for-our-city-s-future
The article contains a lot of great ideas and with the proper drive and will behind them all are achievable, but we have to act now, we can no longer wait for others to pick up the baton.
As a business owner & citizen of Newry I believe, given the depth of talent and abilities of the people of Newry we can, collectively drive Newry towards a brighter future for ourselves and our children.
The Big Questions
What do you want from me?
Our plan, our mission is to get together as many business people, private & concerned citizens as possible to plan events, create projects and propel Newry City to a higher stage.
It won't happen unless we get everyone in Newry behind this, and make Newry more attractive to outside visitors.
Early in 2014 we will be organising a meeting/meetings with all who express interest and put together a plan to carry us forward, we want everyone's opinion, thoughts & ideas,
No One of Us is Smarter than All of Us.
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