Categorically Celtic

Categorically Celtic is a temporary exhibition at Newry and Mourne Museum looking at Celtic art and material culture, running from 12 March through to 30 September 2026. The museum is housed in Bagenal’s Castle, a restored 16th century tower house on Castle Street that survived as the core of a later bonded warehouse before its 2006 restoration, so the building itself is as much a draw as the exhibition inside it.

What to expect

The exhibition sets out Celtic-era art, ornament and design across the museum’s temporary gallery space, giving context to how Celtic artistic traditions shaped material culture in Ireland and how that legacy is still visible locally. It sits alongside the museum’s permanent displays, which cover prehistoric material from the district, Newry’s history as a merchant town, and the working life of a border area. Newry and Mourne Museum also runs family arts and crafts sessions, lecture series and free Sunday tours alongside its exhibition programme, so a visit can extend well beyond the Celtic show itself if there is time.

Getting there

Newry and Mourne Museum is in Bagenal’s Castle on Castle Street, close to Newry city centre and the Canal Basin. Newry has a mainline railway station on the Belfast to Dublin line and is a stop for Translink Goldliner coach services, making it one of the more accessible museum towns in the county for anyone travelling without a car.

While you’re in Newry

Newry’s history as a border merchant town runs right through this museum’s permanent collection, and Bagenal’s Castle itself is one of the oldest buildings still standing in the city centre. There is more to see in Newry and across Co. Down.

Good to know

• Runs 12 March to 30 September 2026
• Newry and Mourne Museum, Bagenal’s Castle, Castle Street, Newry
• Free admission
• Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4:30pm
• Free Sunday tours also run alongside the exhibition