Weekend in Newry

A converted 18th-century merchant's house with a small gallery showing local and touring exhibitions. The courtyard hosts free music on summer Saturdays.

Tip: The café in the basement does a decent bowl of soup for £4, and they don't mind if you sit with a book all afternoon.

Covers local history from the Bronze Age to the Troubles, inside the 16th-century Bagenal's Castle. Small but packed with genuine artefacts.

Tip: Ask at the desk for the key to the castle roof — you get a narrow view of the city and the surrounding hills.

A fine Gothic Revival Catholic church completed in 1829, with a 60-metre spire visible from the approach roads. Interior has good stained glass.

Tip: Check the small side chapel on the left — the wooden carving of the Pietà was done by a local craftsman in the 1950s.

A 3.5-km flat path along the first summit-level canal in Britain and Ireland. Starts at the Buttercrane shopping centre and runs to the Albert Basin.

Tip: The best stretch is from the Basin back towards town at dusk — the heron often stands on the same lock gate near the Lidl car park.

A 50-tonne granite boulder deposited by glaciers on the side of Slieve Martin. The walk up from the Kilbroney car park takes about 40 minutes, and the views across Carlingford Lough are the real draw.

Tip: Go on a clear morning after rain — the air is still, and you'll see the Mourne Mountains reflected in the lough. Park at the Kilbroney Forest Park entrance (free if you walk in).