Heather Park in Newry was once the town’s main site for public executions. In earlier centuries this area was known as Gallows Hill, and the old prison stood close by – on the site now occupied by the Bank of Ireland branch.

Historical accounts confirm that condemned prisoners were taken from the jail through an underground tunnel leading directly to Gallows Hill, where executions were carried out before large crowds. Public hangings were particularly common during the 1700s, and the site remained in use through times of political unrest.

One of the most notable events occurred in 1798, during the aftermath of the United Irishmen Rising. Two local men, George Cochrane and Thomas Lowans, were executed here, their deaths witnessed by hundreds of onlookers.

Local tradition holds that the spirits of those who died on Gallows Hill have never fully departed. Many believe the area is still haunted by the victims of these grim public spectacles — their presence lingering long after the gallows themselves have vanished.