Camlough
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Camlough (Camloch) is a small village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, near Bessbrook and the slopes of the Ring of Gullion. It had a population of 910 people in the 2001 Census. It is in the Newry and Mourne District Council area.
Contents |
[edit] Places of interest
- Ballykeel Dolmen is to the south west of Camlough at the western foot of Slieve Gullion. It is an outstanding example of a Portal Tomb. The dolmen is made up of two portal stones with a sill between and a lower backstone supporting a huge capstone.
- Camlough Lake is renowned for pike fishing.
- Camlough is at the foot of its own mountain and at the top on a good day, one of the finest views in South Armagh.
- Feile Chamlocha for all information on camlough festival and the crooked lake triathlon.
[edit] History
The name Camlough has been anglicized from the original "Chamlai" or "Camlaigh", meaning crooked mountain, not crooked lake, despite contradictory popular opinion. The confusion arises from the assumed translation of “lough” to the irish “loch” or "locha" and indeed the proximity of a local, picturesque lake. However, the village is geographically situated at the foot of Camlough mountain while being a little too far from Camlough lake for the name to have been derived from this source.
[edit] 1920s
In December 1920, Frank Aiken led an abortive IRA assault on the Royal Irish Constabulary station in his home village of Camlough. In reprisal the newly formed Ulster Special Constabulary burned Aiken's home and those of ten of his relatives in the Camlough area.
[edit] GAA
Camlough (Camloch) is famous for its links with the GAA, included in the village are the two football clubs Naomh Padraig Carrickcruppen and Shane O'Neills while also boasting a hurling club Craobh Rua Camlocha.
[edit] Education
- St. Malachy's Primary School
- St Pauls High School
[edit] 2001 Census
Camlough is classified as a Small Village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 500 and 1,000 people). On Census day (April 29, 2001) there were 910 people living in Camlough. Of these:
- 27.6% were aged under 16 years and 12.6% were aged 60 and over
- 46.5% of the population were male and 53.5% were female
- 98.8% were from a Roman Catholic background and 1.2% were from a Protestant background
- 7.0% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed
For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service
[edit] Notable people from Camlough
- Frank Aiken, Prominent IRA figure during the War of Independence and later becoming a Fianna Fáil TD and Minister for External Affairs in the Republic of Ireland
- Most Reverend Dr. Eugene O'Callaghan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Clogher 1943 – 1969
- Conor Murphy, Sinn Féin Member of Parliament for Newry and Armagh
- Pat McGinn, Sinn Féin Mayor of Newry and Mourne
- Eamon Collins, IRA 'Supergrass'
- Raymond McCreesh, IRA prisoner who died after 61 days on hunger-strike in 1981
- Paddy Quinn, Volunteer within the 1st Battalion, South Armagh Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who took part in the 1981 Irish hunger strike.
- Tomás Cardinal Ó Fiaich, Irish Roman Catholic Cardinal, Archbishop of Armagh and the Primate of All Ireland.
- Andrew Britton, Author
[edit] References
[edit] See also
