Black Gap Farm

16/12/2022

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄🎄

Once again we are overwhelmed by the support we have received in 2022 by our wonderful customers!

It’s time we gave back to 𝐘𝐎𝐔🫶🏻

To be in the chance of winning a £50 Camocha&Fiships Voucher👇🏻
𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖 us
𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 & 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐄 this post
𝐓𝐀𝐆 two friends

Head over to our 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐌 for an added entry! Winner will be announced 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫

𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐊😅

27/08/2019

03/08/2014

Newry is 5.2miles, approximately 15 minutes drive by car from Black Gap Farm.
Situated in County Down in Northern Ireland on the banks of the River Clanrye, the city of Newry is one of the oldest towns in the province, originally springing up around a Cistercian abbey in the twelfth century.

Historically Newry was a garrison town and port, being linked to the giant Lough Neagh by many miles of canal, but it is its position halfway between the Northern Irish capital Belfast and capital city of The Irish Republic Dublin that made it an important trading centre.

This fact is still in evidence to this day as Newry is one of the region's premium retail centres, with many large shopping centres and a myriad of smaller establishments attracting shoppers from both sides of the border year-round.

The city is home to many beautiful churches as well as Newry's stunning cathedral, which was designed by local architect Thomas Duff, who is credited with a number of Ireland's finest ecclesiastical buildings.
Among the many examples of fine architecture in Newry, most of which were constructed from local granite, there are several that stand out.
Newry town hall, which straddles the river, is an impressive nineteenth century construction that dominates the surrounding area, but perhaps the most striking architectural sight in the area is the large Craigmore Viaduct. This eighteen arch bridge lies on the main railway line between Belfast and Dublin and is the tallest viaduct in the whole of Ireland - the highest arch towering nearly 130 feet above the valley below - as well as being a quarter of a mile in length.
Newry is surrounded by a variety of differing landscapes, from the quintessential Irish rolling green hills to the stunning nearby mountains, not to mention beautiful riverside views in the town itself.

Amid all this impressive scenery are any number of ancient monuments, from thirteenth century Norman castles to even older standing stone circles. The city's tourist information centre itself is based within the remains of a sixteenth century castle that stood on the site of a Cistercian monastery from the time of the town's founding.
One of the city's many fine religious buildings that is well worth a visit is St Patrick's Church, generally thought of as Ireland's first Protestant church. The original church was constructed in the sixteenth century, but the imposing present building dates from the mid nineteen-hundreds and is located on a hilltop that overlooks the city.

www.newryonline.co.uk has information on Newry, its restaurants, shops, pubs and a street index.

03/08/2014

Camlough village is 2.5miles, approximately 8 minutes away by car.

Camlough is a small village on the outskirts of the historic and bustling city of Newry. Camlough is situated near the model village of Bessbrook, and the slopes of the mythological Ring of Gullion. Amidst these mountains is the beautiful Camlough Lake. Pike fishing, watersports and walks to the many viewpoints are at your disposal.
Ballykeel Dolmen and Cairn are south west of Camlough, at the western foot of Slieve Gullion. The dolmen is an example of a portal dolmen and is made up of two portal stones with a sill between, and a lower backstone supporting a huge capstone.
Feile Chamlocha is the annual festival held in Camlough in the summer months including Camlough Festival and the Crooked Lake Triathlon

03/08/2014

Bessbrook is 1.7 miles and approximately 5 minutes drive from Black Gap Farm.
Bessbrook is a village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies about three miles (5 km) northwest of Newry and near the main Dublin–Belfast road and Dublin-Belfast railway line. Today the village of Bessbrook straddles the three townlands of Maghernahely, Clogharevan and Maytown. Bessbrook is near Newry railway station.
During the late 20th century some of the worst violence of "the Troubles" took place near the village and it became a military zone with a large garrison. The small village became the busiest (military) heliport in Europe.
Bessbrook is named from Elizabeth or Bess Nicholson, wife of Joseph Nicholson whose family had carried on a linen business in the district from 1806 until 1845. The 'brook' is a stream which runs through the outskirts of the village.
Bessbrook was founded by John Grubb Richardson in 1845 as a 'model village', with spacious streets and squares surrounding a large linen mill owned by the Quaker Richardson family.
Among the principles on which the village was based was a philosophy of "Three P's": there should be no public houses, no pawn shops, and consequently no need for police. It was John Grubb Richardson's belief that without a public house there would be no need for a pawn brokers or police station. To this day there are no public houses in the village. Nor are there any pawn shops, although there was a Police Service of Northern Ireland station. In 1885 the hydro-electrically powered Bessbrook and Newry Tramway opened.
At one time, Bessbrook linen was among the finest in the world, and the linen mill provided most of the employment in the village. Tenement houses were constructed for the mill workers, many of which were of such good quality that they are still inhabited today. Each house also had an allotment garden for the growing of vegetables, and the area of the village where they were situated is still known as 'The Gardens', although the allotments themselves have been replaced by further housing. Most of the buildings in the village are constructed of granite, which is abundant locally.
In the frequently segregated communities of Northern Ireland, Bessbrook is an unusually mixed village, with representation of Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic denominations. The village also has a Quaker meeting house. This is set in the demesne of The Woodhouse, which was inhabited by the Richardson family until the 1980s, and of Derrymore House – also a Richardson property until bequeathed to the National Trust, it was once the home of Isaac Corry MP. The area has been designated an historic park.
On the outskirts of the village is John Macneill's Craigmore Viaduct, known locally as the Eighteen Arches, built in 1851. The viaduct still carries the Dublin-Belfast railway line and with eighteen, (60 ft) twenty metre high arches, spanning about quarter of a mile (500 m), it was for a long time the longest bridge in Ireland. Constructed from local granite it makes for great distinction in the area.
Derrymore House, a National Trust property open to the public, is nearby. It is an 18th-century thatched house set in over 100 acres (0.40 km) of beautiful parkland and woodland. The Act of Union was drafted in the drawing room of the house in 1800.