Cullyhanna (from Irish Coilleach Eanach, meaning 'wood of the marshes')[1] is a small village and townland close to Keady in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The village extends further over the townlands of Tullynavall and Freeduff. It had a population of 306 in the 2001 Census. It is within the Newry and Mourne District Council area.
Location
editCullyhanna lies on the main road between Newtownhamilton (4.9 mi (8 km)) and Crossmaglen (4.8 mi (8 km)).
It's 13.3 mi (21 km) west of Newry, 49.1 mi (79 km) south west of Belfast, 13.3 mi (21 km) north west of Dundalk, and 64.7 mi (104 km) north of Dublin.
History
editIn June 1920, during the Irish War of Independence, the Irish Republican Army ambushed Royal Irish Constabulary officers in Cullyhanna. Three officers were wounded, one fatally. The RIC returned fire, killing a civilian.[2]
Cullyhanna, along with the rest of South Armagh, would have been transferred to the Irish Free State had the recommendations of the Irish Boundary Commission been enacted in 1925.[3]
The Troubles
editCullyhanna is in South Armagh, a region that has been a stronghold of support for the Provisional Irish Republican Army, earning it the nickname "Bandit Country". The British Army nicknamed the local IRA unit the "Cullyhanna Gun Club". The village and the surrounding area were among the most dangerous areas in Northern Ireland for the British security forces.
For more information see The Troubles in Cullyhanna, which includes a list of incidents in Cullyhanna during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.
People
edit- Fergal Caraher, a Provisional IRA volunteer[4][5] and Sinn Féin member.
- Maria Caraher, Irish republican activist, school principal[6] and former politician.
- Paul Quinn, a native of the area, who was murdered in 2007.[citation needed]
- Tomás Cardinal Ó Fiaich, Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh, who, until his death, was head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, was born near Cullyhanna.[7] When a new school, St Patrick's Primary, was built in the village, the old school was renovated to provide a heritage centre known as the Ó Fiaich Heritage Centre.
Sport
editCullyhanna is home to St Patrick's Gaelic Football Club (Cumann Naomh Pádraig). It consists of men and women's football teams and also has camogie teams.[citation needed] The recently built[when?] club house facilities are a focus for community activity. They beat Crossmaglen Rangers on 2 October 2016 to reach the Armagh Senior Championship final for the first time in their history.[citation needed]
Ashfield Golf Course is an 18-hole course at Cullyhanna.[citation needed]
Politics
editCullyhanna forms the Newry & Armagh constituency for elections to the Westminster Parliament. The Member of Parliament is Dáire Hughes of Sinn Féin. He won the seat in the 2024 United Kingdom general election.
Education
edit- St. Patrick's Primary School
- St. Cormac's Primary School
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Place Names NI[permanent dead link]
- ^ Lawlor, Pearse. The Outrages: The IRA and the Ulster Special Constabulary in the Border Campaign. Mercier Press, 2011. pp.26-28
- ^ "Irish Boundary Commission Report". National Archives. 1925. p. 130.
- ^ Caraher family still seeking justice after 17 years
- ^ "Volunteer Fergal Caraher". Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
- ^ "Praise heaped on Irish-language nursery school Archived 22 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine", Newry Democrat, 29 March 2006
- ^ Harnden, Toby. Bandit Country: the IRA and South Armagh, pg. 86.