Bessbrook resident towing the line for towpath extension

WITH the final stages of  the cross-border greenway linking Newry to  Carlingford having been completed a Bessbrook resident  believes this serves to validate having an existing towpath in the village extended the whole way into the town.

  Mr John Davis, who was present whenever the first stage of the tramline towpath was opened by council officials in 2010, is resolute in his belief that if the route is extended to as far as the old tram station then this could have the same potential to attract tourists as the recently finished Newry to Carlingford Greenway.

 Not only that but Mr Davis would also like to see the Tramline towpath, which currently runs  three quarters of a mile from the Millvale road and terminates just past the Craigmore viaduct, also extended into and joined up with the Newry towpath as part of what has been dubbed locally as the second phase of  the tramline towpath.

Whilst for some this may seem too grand an ambition the fact that the new greenway linking Newry to Carlingford has become a reality, for John this only illustrates the veracity of extending the length  of the existing  towpath both ways.

As Mr Davis explains the towpath was originally lain in place along the tram route which former mill workers and village residents would have used as their primary mode of transportation to get to and from Newry. 

Tramline towpath

 “In 2010 the tramline towpath  walk was opened, the first phase of it” said John.

 “The towpath goes from Millvale and extends to as far as the Craigmore viaduct. It runs through where the tram use to go underneath the arches.

“The tram opened to the public in 1885 but closed in 1948. There was a great vision by John Grub Richardson, the transportation was excellent for that era.     

 “There was a fella called Barcroft. He put the electrics in. It was a great achievement. They were innovators of their time and they used the brook river to power the turbines which drove the tram to and from Newry every day. It was green power.  If you wanted to get into Newry  it was open to the workers and public. Yes it was slow, you could jump out of it then run after it and catch it again.

 “Thats were 1000 Mill workers were transported by Tram to Bessbrook and back into Newry. This would have been routine. The workers would have gone down through park lane to get the tram. There is a train line  which exported linen and other goods to Bessbrook railway station as it was known as.”

Tramline Extension

Whilst the legacy of the Tram line which the mill workers rode along will be forever immortalised by  the towpath Mr Davis is of the opinion that there still exists much potential for the towpath to become more than what it currently is  

  “John Feehan retired councillor got this done. Thanks to John he got the first phase of it done. John wanted to get it under the via duct where the tram use to make its way from Bessbrook to Newry but that is as far as we got. It goes out under the viaduct about 6 or 700 yards and then this is where it comes to an end.

 “The Towpath goes from Millvale and extends to as far as Craigmore viaduct .

 “We would want to see the tramline towpath extended to the tram station from the Millvale road.    

“If you are heading towards Bessbrook you have to come out onto the main road, cross the road and this is where the tramline towpath walk ends. Whereas if this was brought right into Bessbrook you would have a lot of walkers. The Tram station is at the bottom of the Boiler Hill. If you had of got the Towpath extended right into Bessbrook this would have taken you right along the pines farm field. This is where the helicopters use to land.

“There is a cross roads there which takes you up Doctors Hill and McKnight's Hill.  This is where it ends. Realistically it should be going on into Newry because there are still under bridges there where the tram use to  run. It stops as you come out onto the Craigmore Road before you come out  the Fiveways. It ends just after you come out.

“This should  be extended into the towpath in Newry and people would walk out to Ponyzpass, this would be excellent. People are always wanting to get out, exercise and walk. Here is the opportunity. You look at that new walkway down at Carlingford . The Carlingford to Omeath Greenway. If they can do that why can they not do this? It is wonderful to see the Carlingford to Omeath Greenway and fair play to them for doing it.

“However people  in Bessbrook feel they have been done  out of it, why not extend the towpath walk the whole way to the Tram station which would benefit tourists?

“Also why not extend the tramline towpath walk the whole way to the Newry Towpath?”