Crossmaglen
Crossmaglen
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 Road leading into the village |
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| Crossmaglen shown within Northern Ireland | |
| Population | 1,592 (2011 Census) |
| Irish grid reference | H910152 |
| • Belfast | 52 mi (84 km) |
| District | |
| County | |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NEWRY |
| Postcode district | BT35 |
| Dialling code | 028 |
| EU Parliament | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | |
| NI Assembly | |
Crossmaglen (from Irish: Crois Mhic Lionnáin, meaning "Mac Lionnáin's cross") is a village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,592 in the 2011 Census and is the largest village in South Armagh. The village centre is the site of a large Police Service of Northern Ireland base and formerly of an observation tower (known locally as the "look-out post").
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. Crossmaglen also gives its name to a famous GAA team.
On 13 January 1921, during the Irish War of Independence, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) shot dead an Ulster Special Constabulary (USC) constable in Crossmaglen. He was the first member of the USC to be killed whilst on duty.
The British Army had a major presence in the area during "the Troubles" despite being unwanted by most of the local population. Crossmaglen and the wider South Armagh/South Down area was a republican stronghold and republican paramilitaries were very active. This earned it the nickname "Bandit Country".Labour Party MP Clare Short said in 1983 "It is ridiculous that British troops are here in Crossmaglen. The claim is that they're in Ireland keeping the peace between the two communities. But there is only one community in South Armagh, so what the heck are they doing here?" During the Troubles, at least 58 police officers and 124 soldiers were killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in South Armagh, many in Crossmaglen itself.
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