A story from Warrenpoint

Older than the town by fifteen centuries

In short: Clonallon Rath, on the edge of Warrenpoint, is an enclosure with three banks dating from around AD 400, probably the home of an important farmer.

Long before the hotels and the harbour, people were living at Clonallon. The council's visitor map describes the rath as an enclosure with three banks, from around AD 400, probably home to an important farmer. Warrenpoint's story starts a lot earlier than you'd think.

Go and see it

Seek out Clonallon Rath on the edge of town.

Make a day of it: Free entry Hidden gems

Questions people ask

How old is Clonallon Rath?

It dates from around AD 400, according to the council's visitor map.

What is a rath?

A rath is an early medieval enclosure, a ringfort, usually a farmstead surrounded by earth banks. Clonallon has three banks.

When: AD 400. Sources: Council visitor map (c. AD 400). Spotted something we should correct? Let us know.

Then, nearby

Somewhere to eat or drink afterwards, closest first.

Cafés · Warrenpoint

Leafy Greens & Co.

Vegetarian café and deli on Church St, Warrenpoint.

In Warrenpoint30–60 min

Cafés · Warrenpoint

Church Lane Coffee

Coffee shop on Church St, Warrenpoint.

In Warrenpoint30–60 min

Restaurants · Warrenpoint

The Wheelbarrow

Restaurant on Mary St, Warrenpoint.

In Warrenpoint1–2 hours

More stories from Warrenpoint

Story · Warrenpoint

How the train made Warrenpoint a holiday town

From 1849 until 1965 the railway ran right into Warrenpoint, and it changed the place. The railway company didn't just bring people here: it put money into hotels and entertainment so they'd stay. That's a big part of why Warrenpoint became somewhere you came for your holidays, not somewhere you passed through.

Stroll the seafront and picture the trains unloading holidaymakers a few streets away.

Story · Warrenpoint

The grand hotel that went bust in a year

The Beach Hotel opened in March 1885 with fifty rooms, a billiard room, a smoking room, and baths with hot, cold, fresh and salt water. It was a big bet, and it didn't pay off for its owner, Henry Stanley, who went bankrupt the following year. The Great Northern Railway Company bought it, made it bigger and folded it into their seaside holiday business.

Walk the front and look up at the old hotel buildings that line it.

Story · Warrenpoint

From grand hotel to school

The Great Northern Hotel stopped being a hotel in 1923, but the building carried on. Over the years it was a boarding school, a day school and a home for elderly men. One building, and you can follow the whole story of the town in it: from Victorian holidays to classrooms and care.

Look out for the old Great Northern building on your walk through town.