Six years after Newry, Mourne and Down District Council sought a new location for the long-term placement of a replica Bessbrook tram and they have once again submitted an application… for placement at the same site they had originally suggested.
Plans were first submitted for the installation of the Bessbrook tram on the A1 roundabout on the Camlough Road seven years ago, back in 2018.
Permission was granted by the council, however concerns over the potential for vandalism at the site led council officials in 2019 to review their chosen destination, instead favouring Newry train station as its home.
Related: Vandalism fears at Camlough roundabout sees new location chosen for restored tram
The view was taken that the Translink site would have provided a “secure” location for the display offering high fencing, constant footfall and CCTV.
Over a period of five years a hardworking team of Southern Regional College students had worked to restore the fine piece of “lost history”.
It is a real life size with a height of 2.5 metres and length of 8.5 metres and internally will be fitted with laser cut silhouettes of people from that era.
The Bessbrook Tram ran back and forward between the Model Village and Newry, officially opening in 1885.
The tram’s main function was to carry workers and freight to the flax mill in Bessbrook, a village built around the linen industry, and it was powered by water drawn from the Camlough River.
It closed shortly after the end of the Second World War, its final journey made in 1948.
However, a further six years on from the discussions with Translink to install the tram at their Newry site and the council have once again returned to their initial drawing board.
In an application submitted to Newry, Mourne and Down District Council in May 2025 – in the name of Ms Therese Hamill – permission is once again being sought to place the tram on the A1 Camlough Road roundabout.
The grassy area of the roundabout extends to approximately 0.11 hectares and provides a prominent and high traffic vantage for the display.
There are no details included in the application pertaining to how the display will be protected from vandalism if approved.
The application is due to be advertised shortly.
