Railway Bridge over lane, Off Low Road, Newry, Co. Armagh

The bridge, dating from around 1850, carries the double-track Belfast-Dublin railway embankment over a single-lane farm access track off the Low Road, near Newry. It is associated with Sir John Macneill and William Dargan, figures important in the development of Irish railways. The bridge’s construction was undertaken by William Dargan, to designs by Sir John Macneill, as part of the Dublin & Belfast Junction Railway. A section of the line, from Killeen to Dundalk, opened in 1850, and the bridge facilitated full operational status of the line between Belfast and Dublin following the completion of the Craigmore Viaduct in 1852.

The bridge’s structure comprises a single segmental span constructed from random granodiorite rubble, with squared abutments and roughly dressed voussoirs. A finely dressed and chamfered string course runs through the arch at spring level, and a similarly detailed cornice sits just above the crown; originally, there were no parapets. Prominent triangular spring stones are visible on the voussoirs. Splayed wing walls on the west side feature random rubble copings. A more recent concrete blockwork parapet has been added. The approach to the bridge via the laneway is a dogleg. While possessing industrial archaeological interest, its small scale and later alterations preclude it from listing.