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Bagenals Castle

Newry and Mourne District Council plan to relocate Newry and Mourne Museum to the recently rediscovered Bagenal’s Castle on Abbey Way. Built in the sixteenth century, it is Newry’s oldest surviving building and amazingly survived enveloped within the former McCann’s Bakery premises. Nicholas Bagenal was granted the lands and rights of Newry's Cistercian Abbey in 1550. He is described as living in the Abbot's house, which either he renovated or built a new tower house on the same site.

Update - February 2003

Archaeological Excavation:- Now in the final stages of Stage One of Heritage Lottery Funding, NMDC has just contracted a team of archaeologists in order to discover more about the early history of the site. We know the Castle was built on the site of the Cistercian Abbey and Bagenal was described as living in the Abbot’s House. After investigation by the EHS, it was found that the remaining walls of the Castle correspond almost exactly to the 1568 plans in the Public Record Office, London, but we do not yet know if the foundations are much older, or if an abbey building was incorporated into the castle structure. A staircase was found last year that appeared to lead to a basement or undercroft, but more excavations are needed before any conclusions can be made. Let’s hope we can solve at least some of the mysteries that surround this fascinating site.

Traveling Exhibition:- After a successful launch at the Museum the Bagenal’s Castle Traveling exhibition has now started its tour of the Newry and Mourne Area. The exhibition an accompanying booklet has been designed to inform the local community about the history of the castle and the Council’s plans for its preservation and reuse as the new venue for Newry Museum and the Tourist Information.

Venues to date:
January - Newry and Kilkeel Institute of Further and Higher Education
February - Altnaveigh House Community Centre
3rd March - Mullaghbawn Community Centre
March - Ti Chulainn Cultural Centre
25th May – 7th June – Burren Heritage Centre

If you have any suggestions for other venues, please contact Noreen of Gemma at (028) 3026 6232 or E-Mail museum@newryandmourne.gov.uk

The Museum will also be opening a permanent exhibition in March, which will display artifacts relating to the site and the Kilmorey family as well as give visitors the opportunity to see a digital presentation of the excavations on site as the progress.

For more information about Newry and Mourne Museum Click here.