Crossmaglen
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- There is also a small town named Crossmaglen in New South Wales, Australia, near the city of Coffs Harbour.
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Crossmaglen (Irish:Crois Mhic Lionnáin) is a village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, near the border with the Republic of Ireland. It had a population of 1,459 people in the 2001 Census and is the largest village in South Armagh. The village centre was the site of a large British Army and Police Service of Northern Ireland (formerly the Royal Ulster Constabulary) base and observation tower (known locally as the "spy tower").
The town's name means Lennon's Cross, a reference to the two roads which intersect at the town square, linking Dundalk with Keady and Carrickmacross with Newry. Lennon is believed to be Owen Lennon, a local resident in the 18th century, who was famed as the owner of a shebeen, an illegal ale house.
The square's name commemorates Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich, a local man who became Primate of All Ireland (head of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland), and who died in 1990. Locals claim the square is the largest in Western Europe, after Saint Peter's Square in Rome. Crossmaglen has been described by Belfast journalist Malachi O'Doherty as "a southern town that had the border laid down on the wrong side of it."
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[edit] Places of interest
- South Armagh has been settled for millennia, with many places of archaeological interest in the area. About two miles north of Crossmaglen is the Annaghmare court tomb, comprising a cairn and a burial gallery of three chambers. There is a souterrain, or underground passage, at Corliss Fort, clearly visible to the northwest of the town.
- Probably the most significant ancient monument in the area is The Dorsey, a pre-Christian rampart near Cullyhanna. It was probably built to defend the southern border of Macha's territory, the queen who gave Armagh its name. Her fort was at Emain Macha, now called Navan. The Dorsey later may have formed part of the larger defensive Black Pig's Dyke.
- Creggan church, two miles from Crossmaglen on the Newry Road, has also become a site of significance. Several famed Ulster poets, including Art Mac Cumhaigh, are buried there. Other local eighteenth century Irish poets from the great Airgíalla school of poets and songwriters were Peadar Ó Doirnín, Séamas Dall Mac Cuarta and Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna. The first church was built by the O'Neills, who came to the area from Dungannon, in County Tyrone, in the 15th century. The family built a burial vault under the altar. The church which stands now, was built around 1731, perpendicular to the original one, but the now-forgotten vault lay undisturbed until the 1970s when gardeners maintaining the graveyard accidentally broke through the roof.
[edit] Education
- Anamar Primary School
- Clonalig Primary School
- St. Brigid's Primary School
- St. Joseph's High School
- St. Patrick's Primary School
[edit] History
[edit] The Troubles
The British army was an unwanted presence by most of the local population. During the Troubles, at least 58 police officers and 124 soldiers were killed by the Provisional IRA in South Armagh, many in Crossmaglen itself.
For more information see The Troubles in Crossmaglen, which includes a list of incidents in Crossmaglen during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.
[edit] Gaelic Sports
Crossmaglen in recent years has become known for its Gaelic football team, Crossmaglen Rangers, who won the All-Ireland Club Championship in 1997, 1999 and 2000. The manager and several players of Rangers went on to win the All Ireland County Championship with the county in 2002 and got to the final in 2003 but lost 1-8 0-10 to neighbours Tyrone. The most famous player for Crossmaglen is Oísin McConville who is also Ulster's Top scoring player ever. The county team were also in the All-Ireland final in 1954, when Gene Morgan was the captain but they were defeated by Kerry. Armagh also made it to the 1977 All-Ireland final, but were soundly beaten by Dublin.
There is a long-running dispute between the local Gaelic Athletic Association club and the British Army over the siting of one section of the military base right onto their pitch in the 1970s. While this section was removed some years ago, the base still extends onto the club's grounds.
There is also an ongoing argument between Crossmaglen Rangers G.A.C, The Morgan Family of Crossmaglen and the British Army over the positioning of the PSNI base which was placed on the Rangers pitch and on the back garden of the Morgan Family home on Cardinal Ó Fiaich Square
[edit] 2001 Census
Crossmaglen is classified as a village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 1,000 and 2,250 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 1,459 people living in Crossmaglen. Of these:
- 27.0% were aged under 16 and 14.8% were aged 60 and over
- 48.6% of the population were male and 51.4% were female
- 99.0% were from a Catholic background and 0.8% were from a Protestant background
- 6.5% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.
For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service
