Newtownhamilton

Newtownhamilton, sometimes referred to as Newtown, is a small village and civil parish in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies in Tullyvallan townland. The civil parish is within the historic barony of Fews Upper. In the 2011 Census it had 2,836 inhabitants.The village is built around two narrow main streets (Armagh Street and Dundalk Street) and a town square (The Square). Other places include Newry Street, Castleblaney Street (known locally as 'Blaney Hill'), Shambles Lane (known locally as the 'back street') and The Commons. Residential areas are Dungormley Estate, Meadowvale and the Nine Mile Road.NameBefore the Plantation of Ulster the area of Newtownhamilton was known as Tullyvallan. This is derived from the Irish language, either Tulaigh Mhalainn or Tulach Uí Mhealláin.The modern Irish name of Newtownhamilton is An Baile Úr, literally translating as "the new town"; a rarely used alternative is Baile Úr Uí Urmoltaigh ("the new town of Hamilton"). The local authority, Newry and Mourne District Council, has erected bilingual welcome signs (reading Fáilte go dtí An Baile Úr / Welcome to Newtownhamilton) at the town end points on Newry Road and Dundalk Road, both in the perceived nationalist areas of Newtownhamilton, while a sign in English only was erected on Armagh Road, a perceived unionist area of the village. It is not known if this reflects official council policy.