Newry is the fourth largest city in Northern Ireland, and ninth in all-Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, forms the historic border between County Armagh and County Down : Newry was included entirely in the latter by the Local Governmen (Ireland) Act 1898. It is about 37 miles (60 km) from Belfast and 67 miles (108 km) from Dublin. It was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery and is one of Northern Ireland's oldest towns.
It sits at the entry to the Gap of the North, close to the border with the Republic of Ireland. It grew as a market town and a garrison and became a port in 1742 when it was linked to Lough Neagh by the first summit-level canal in Britain and Ireland. In March 2002, as part of Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee celebrations, Newry was granted city status alongside Lisburn. However, despite being the fourth largest city in Northern Ireland, it is not the fourth largest settlement. Newry was an important centre of trade in early ireland because of its position between Belfast and Dublin.
Notable buildings in the city include Newry Catholic Cathedral of St. Patrick and St. Colman and Newry Town Hall. The town hall is notable for being built over the River Clanrye which is the boundary between the counties of Down and Armagh. The building of a city hall is also planned as part of the celebrations of the granting of city status. The city also boasts a museum and an arts centre. Newry has a reputation as one of the best provincial shopping-towns in Ireland and also has two of the oldest churches in Ireland. One of these is St. Patrick's (Anglican, 1578), Ireland's first Protestant church.