A story from Warrenpoint

The Hannah

In short: The Hannah was a brig that left Warrenpoint for Quebec on 3 April 1849 with around 180 famine emigrants, many from around Forkhill, and struck ice in the Gulf of St Lawrence on 29 April.

On 3 April 1849 the brig Hannah left Warrenpoint for Quebec with around 180 emigrants, many from around Forkhill. On 29 April she struck ice in the Gulf of St Lawrence. A voyage meant to escape the famine became a fight to survive on freezing water.

Go and see it

Stand at the docks where the Hannah set sail.

Questions people ask

When did the Hannah sail from Warrenpoint?

On 3 April 1849, bound for Quebec.

What happened to the Hannah?

On 29 April 1849 she struck ice in the Gulf of St Lawrence and sank. Many passengers survived on the ice until rescued.

Where were the Hannah's passengers from?

Many came from around Forkhill in south Armagh.

When: 1849. Sources: Sailed 3 April 1849; struck ice 29 April. 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

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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.

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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.