Newcastle, County Down

print of Newcastle in the 1890s]] , the highest peak of the Mourne Mountains.]] The name of the town is thought to derive from the castle built by Felix Magennis of the Magennis clan in 1588, which stood at the mouth of the Shimna River. This castle was demolished in 1830. The town is referred to as New Castle in the Annals of the Four Masters in 1433, so it is likely that he built on the site of an existing structure. The Montgomery Manuscripts record that Newcastle was besieged and later captured by Sir James Montgomery of the Ards in April 1642 in the aftermath of the 1641 Rebellion (pp. 128–134). Prior to 1641 the Castle belonged to the Magennis', but after the rebellion the property…

, with Murlough Nature Reserve beyond]] In 2006, the Newcastle promenade won national awards including a Civic Trust Award for Excellence in the Public Realm. The town has hosted a large Halloween festival, a free event. While the crime rate in Newcastle has been relatively low, there is a stronger police presence during peak holiday periods due to the increase in petty crimes. Newcastle is close to Northern Ireland's highest mountain, Slieve Donard, in the Mourne Mountains. Visitors hike the mountains, about which The Mountains of Mourne was written by Percy French. The local Royal County Down Golf Club was venue for the 2007 Walker Cup and 2015 Irish Open. The course was said to be one of…