Keady Town

History of Keady Town

History of Keady Town?

I found this a difficult subject to choose where to start. Hopefully, the way I have approached it works for you and others to get a good insight into all about Keady, how it got its name, the industries and why the town grew, the coming of railway, the Partition of Ireland and its affects, plus lots more which you'll enjoy reading about.

How old is Keady and how does it get its' Name?

The Introduction on the Parish of Keady, Derrynoose and Madden starts:

"A warm welcome to the website for the parish of Keady, Derrynoose and Madden. Our Catholic community has been keeping alive the traditions of faith, prayer and service of God and neighbour for over 1400 years. Our parish can trace its history back to the church founded by St Mochua in Derrynoose around 630 AD. The ruins of that first church can still be seen today near the Holy Well that bears St Mochua’s name."

The clapper of St Mochua's bell fell off here and he took this as a sign from God to build his church here. Hence, this counts as the parish’s first church.

In the story of The Children of Lir (watch video at YouTube) they lived nearby with their father King Lir. However, their stepmother, Aoife got jealous of the King’s love for them and used her powers to cast a spell over the children, which would turn them all into swans for 900 years. The spell would only be broken when children heard the ringing of the first Christian bell in Ireland. Some sources claim St Mochau (and some St Patrick) was the Holy Man who came across the Children of Lir at Tullynawood Lake, turned them back to humans and buried them near the lake.

The story seems a bit far-fetched, but is marked on the Historic Environment Map Viewer on the Department for Communities website, at Tullyvallen Townland and between Keady and Newtownhamilton, is a record for “FOLKLORE SITE: WHITE HILL or PALACE OF KING LIR Hence". the connection to Keady and this area. Some Keady street names come from this connection. Lir Fold, Lir Gardens, Rath Lir plus Victoria Street was originally named Lir Street.

Listen to Friends of Sliabh Fuait podcast about Tullynawood Lake.

According to Wikipedia (and many other sources) Keady - from Irish: An Céide, meaning 'the flat-topped hill'.

Some sources, including "Journal of Keady & District Historical Society (1992)", say it may also mean "the meeting place" or "the place of the little hills".

The Journal also goes on to say:

"The earliest reference to Keady … is in a letter from "Symon Richardson" of Keady Co. Armagh" to Provost Steele of Trinity College Dublin and dated April 18th 1674.

This would seem to establish that Keady was a definite locality as distinct from the four townlands on which it stands as early as the 1670s".

This letter, is preserved in the manuscript room in Trinity College Dublin.

Trinity College received a large grant of lands in Co. Armagh, about 15 square miles, extending over the Keady, Middletown and Armagh areas. Evidence of this still exists in some of the place names i.e. Fellow's Hall in the Middletown district and Collegeland near Armagh.

Trinity seems to have been the major land-owning body in this part of the country it.

Keady grew up around a crossroads, but this was no ordinary crossroads, it was a centre place linking four main garrison towns in the areas: Armagh Monaghan, Mountnorris and Castleblayney.

Troops and supplies were regularly toing and froing between these garrisons, and sooner or later they all came to the crossroads...."

According to the "Welcome to Keady" information board next to the Old Mill:

The foundations of the town were possibly laid with the coming of Owen MacHugh O’Neill in 1545.

"At this time the Tyronne O’Neills entered the Fews through Middletown and Madden and left distinctive inheritance in Keady – two sons, Cairbre and Aobh.

The townland southwest of the village, Rathcarbery is translated as the “Fort of Cairbre”. Keady’s main street, Kinelowen means the “seed of owen” and the most popular local surname Hughes is a derivative of Aobh the anglicised name being Hugh."

So, the O’Neill clan were already well established in and around Keady by 1674, the date on the letter to Provost Steele of Trinity College Dublin mentioned above.

Also:

"By 1804 the town consisted of Church Street, Main Street and Madden Row with a lane, (Drury Lane) now Davis Street leading up to the original Presbyterian church which was built in 1776."

So, there seems to have been a few reasons as to why a settlement grew up around this road junction, Though, I'm not sure if this all casts any more light on to the intended meaning of the name "Keady". I suppose it could be any of the three mentioned above. However, I do sometimes have difficulty seeing the main feature here as a "flat-topped hill".

Davis Street is one of the oldest in the town and is also known as Meeting Street. Why Davis Street? I have not found out yet, but Meeting Street is probably because of the Presbyterian meeting house. MAYBE YOU CAN HELP HERE?

According to an information board in the playpark:

"Keady Mill was built in the 1750s as a "Baronial cornmill" i.e. all the tenant farmers of the barony were obliged to take their corn to this mill. A 20ft head of water from Clay River powered 2 breast shot water wheels, one of 16ft diameter by 3ft 6 inches wide and one of 15ft diameter and 3 ft wide giving a total output of 5 horsepower.

In 1836 ownership was under Councillor Kidd of Keady. By 1862 the mill had been converted to flax spinning under the direction of James McKean Jr and the water wheels had been replaced by one wheel measuring 28ft in diameter and 6ft wide, with the addition of a 15 horsepower steam engine and a 90ft high chimney serving the boiler house. The wheel and engine powered 1808 spindles; 2 hacking frames; 4 rowing frames; 6 drawing frames and 2 carding machines in the mill."

Another notice gives a later timeline for the mill:

1879 The mill ceased operation as a spinning mill and remained closed for 12 years.

1891 The mill reopened as a weaving factory under the auspices of Keady Linen Company.

1927 The mill closed operations as a weaving factory.

1950s Bought over by Harry Clarke. The lower floors were used to make egg packing boxes and the upper levels used as chicken houses for egg production.

1970s Closed.

1992 Restoration work began by Keady & District Community Initiative to restore the mill to its former glory and open it as an interpretive centre, community offices, shop and restaurant.

The mill wheel was restored, and Vincey O'Connor posted a video of the mill wheel in action in 2009, you can watch it at YouTube.

A plaque on the side of JP Electrics in St Patrick's Street (see below) states, "the building as The Anchor Bar. and was popular with American Soldiers based in Keady prior to the Normandy Landings of 1944".

According to WartimeNI Keady Mill was used by both British and American troops during World War 2. The Americans were from 9th Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division and were here from 20 October 1943 to 11 April 1944. Some also stayed at Annvale and Darkley mills.

Most mothers worked hard to keep their daughters away from the American troops, but were not always successfully.

The Americans were said to have enjoyed their time in Keady, but according to the plaque below, less than two months after they left here, they didn't even reach the beach at Normandy (or did they?). WartimeNI seem to have a happier version of what happened to them - see LINK.

The Anchor Bar was at the corner of St Patrick's Street (Chapel Street) and Kinelowen Street.

Keady is a large village in County Armagh, just 7 miles south of Armagh City. Keady (from Irish: An Céide, meaning 'the flat-topped hill'). The village is surrounded by hills, farmland, forests and beautiful countryside. It sits on the northern edge of the drumlin belt, an area of smooth hills formed during the last ice-age and to the south are the Keady Lakes.

Drumlins define the geography of the area around this walk, and you can find them in many places around the world. However, according to Wikipedia, "a drumlin, from the Irish word droimnín ("littlest ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg".

It's interesting to look at the Keady Town Website Base Map (below). Even though I have only plotted a certain number of the mills. From the map below (which shows them as black factories), it's really obvious how they follow the Rivers Callan and Clay. You can see both rivers converge at Dundrum townland. Also, half a mile further north the Ballymacone River joins the Callan from the east.

The 1906 Map of Keady on display in the playpark shows Keady Glen, between Keady Mill and the playpark as a mill pond. When the mills closed the area became muddy and uninviting until it was made accessible about 25 years ago. In 2012 there were plans for a major facelift, but this had to be put on hold as Japanese knotweed was found and would have to be fully cleared. According to Armagh I, at the time:

"The presence of knotweed – which spreads like wildfire – means the £650,000 glen project, which was being carried out to coincide with the construction of the new £2.5m Tommy Makem Community and Arts Centre, has been well and truly hampered."

Eventually, in October 2018, the work was fully completed and The Glen was officially reopened (see Armagh I).

At the centre of the village is the Keady Monument (built 1871) as a memorial to William Kirk who owned the large mills at Darkley and Annvale. He was a politician and a philanthropist who campaigned for religious equality. He provided housing, healthcare and schools for his workers and their families.

Kirk died at his home on 20 December 1870, after a long illness and is buried in the family vault at the Second Keady Presbyterian Church. The William Kirk Memorial was paid for by the local community and built in 1871. According to Ring of Gullion, "By the time the cortège had reached Second Presbyterian Church in Keady, the end of the procession was still leaving the gates of Annvale House, a mile or so away".

To read more detailed about the start of the linen industry here, see the Keady Section of Topographical Dictionary of Ireland by Samuel Lewis, 1837.

To read more about the history of the village, visit the Keady entry at Wikipedia, plus you'll learn much more via the writings, videos and links on this website.

The growth of the linen industry in Keady in the 19th century, also resulted in a thriving new tailoring industry. The women already had their jobs, mainly in the linen mills and factories. However, the men didn't have it as easy in finding work and thus tailoring became a male dominated profession. The photo below shows Keady tailors in "Back Entry" off Davis Street (Drury Lane). It reads:

"Around the end of the last century (19th) and for about the first quarter of the present century tailoring was having a boom time in Keady. It is recorded that there were at one time 120 tailors in and around Keady.

The owners of these firms... were their own "commercial travellers" … But the Great Depression of the Thirties laid its death hand on this thriving business too, and the Partition of Ireland and the prohibition of many Northern Ireland products to the (at the time) Irish Free State practically put the finish to Keady as a thriving town. With the setting up of the Border and the loss to Keady of quite a bit of its hinterland in part of County Monaghan, the monthly fairs became less important and less well attended. This was a severe blow to the business community for on Fair Days there was always that bit of extra money floating around which was good for the shops."...

Keady Tailors, from Journal of Keady & District Historical Society (published 1992). Click on image to enlarge and read.

The Upper Darkley Road overlooks Tullynawood Lake. If you look down, you'll see the dam built in the 19th century to increase water supply for the mills. There are two other lakes in the parish, the Clay (aka. Clea) and Aughnagurgan, the waters of which are dammed up at a great expense by the proprietors, and an abundant supply is secured throughout the year. The "Keady Civil Parish" page at Ireland Genealogy Projects states:

"KEADY, a market and post-town, and a parish, partly in the barony of TURANEY, but chiefly in that of ARMAGH, county of ARMAGH, and province of ULSTER, 6 miles (S. S. W.) from Armagh, and 61 1/2 (N, N. W.) from Dublin, on the road from Armagh to Dublin; containing 9082 inhabitants, of which number 896 are in the town. It is advantageously situated on the river Keady, which issues from Clay Lake, about a mile and a half distant, and which, from its numerous falls, attracted the attention of some enterprising Englishmen, who formed a large bleaching establishment here about the year 1750, and laid the foundation of the linen trade, previously to which the whole of the surrounding country was little better than an uncultivated heath. The town contained, in 1831, 249 houses, of which many are very well built; but after the retirement of the parties who originally introduced the trade, it began to decline. In 1826, the Messrs. Sadler, of Leeds, erected a very extensive establishment at Dundrum, and were the first who attempted to make linen from mill-spun yarn, and who introduced the manufacture of fine linen into this neighbourhood. Since that period, the increase of the trade has been very rapid. There are some very large mills for spinning flax at New Holland and Darkley, in which 780 persons (principally young females) are constantly employed; an extensive manufactory for fine linen has been established at Ballier, affording employment to 2500 persons; another for sheeting at Dundrum, and bleach-greens at Annvale, Greenmount, Dundrum, Ballier, Millview, Darkley, and Linenvale, where about 235,000 pieces of linen are annually finished, principally for the English market. There are three lakes in the parish, called Clay, Tullynavad, and Aughnagurgan, the waters of which are dammed up at a great expense by the proprietors, and an abundant supply is secured throughout the year. The market is on Friday, for linen yarn and general provisions; and fairs for livestock are held on the second Friday of every month. Here is a constabulary police station; a manor court is held monthly for the recovery of debts under £2, and petty sessions in the courthouse every Friday. The court-house and the market-place are commodiously arranged.

The parish, including part of Armagh-Breague, comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 15,351 3/4 statute acres, of which 208 are under water; the soil is generally light and stony, but in some parts loamy and rich; the system of agriculture is improving, and there is a considerable quantity of bog, affording a valuable supply of fuel; nearly the whole of the waste land has been enclosed and brought into a good state of cultivation. There are several quarries of good building stone. A lead mine was opened here and wrought, a few years since, by the Mining Company of Ireland, but has been discontinued: it is, however, about to be re-opened, preparations for working it having been made at a great expense and are nearly completed. The surrounding scenery is in many places highly picturesque: in the vicinity of the town, and on the road from Armagh, more than 100,000 trees of different kinds have been planted within the last five years. The principal seats are Violet Hill, the residence of A. Irwin, Esq.; Annvale, of W. Kirk, Esq.; Greenmount, of J. A. Kidd, Esq.; Dundrum, of S. Kidd, Esq.; Ballier, of J. B. Boyd, Esq.; Millview, of Jos. McKee, Esq.; Linenvale, of the Rev. S. Simpson; Tassagh, of F. Stringer, Esq.; Roan, of W. Girven, Esq.; Mountain Lodge, of H. Garmany, Esq.; New Holland, of Lieut. McKean, R.N.; the Lodge, of the Rev. P. Coleman; and Darkley, of H. McKean, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Armagh, and in the patronage of the Lord-Primate; the tithes amount to £323. 1. 6 1/2. The church, a neat plain edifice, was erected in 1776, by Primate Robinson, and was enlarged and a tower added to it by aid of a loan of £200 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1822. The glebe-house was built in 1779, by aid of a gift of £100 from the same Board; the glebe comprises forty acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also Derrynoose, and containing three chapels, situated at Keady (a plain cruciform edifice), Derrynoose, and Madden. There are places of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, and the Seceding Synod, of the third class, and for Wesleyan Methodists. About 320 children are taught in the four public schools in this parish, and there are nine private schools, in which are about 240 children. There is a dispensary, with an infirmary attached to it. At Tassagh is the cemetery of the ancient Culdean priory of Armagh, in which was found, in 1824, an antique ring containing a large emerald richly set.
Topographical Dictionary of Ireland by Samuel Lewis, 1837".

The dam at Tullynawood Lake, and some swans.

At the peak of the linen industry around Keady, Darkley and Tassagh the mills employed many thousands from near and further away. Many used to walk from as far as County Monaghan, over the hills, on a Sunday night and stay in the already overcrowded homes at Darkley They'd get up early on a Monday morning to work in the mills, work all week and walk home on a Saturday afternoon, just to do it all again the following week. During the early 20th century, when the mills along the Callan and the Clea began to close, it must have had a huge affect on those who had found a livelihood there. However, Darkley survived till c1959 and Annvale continued to make carpets until c1970. When all the mills finally closed, it really affected this whole area, yet people survived. They didn't have laptops or smart phones. Most didn't even have a phone. If your were lucky to have a TV, it was in black and white with two or three channels. Yet, they all survived, didn't complain, talked to each other (no texts, Facebook, Snap Chat, Instagram, Twitter...). They were happy, there was a community spirit, and the only places you chatted was after mass, at the pub, hairdressers, meeting people on the street, or in local shops Only the rich had cars. People sang in pubs, told jokes and old stories passed through generations, talked about the weather, the livestock they sold and bought at Keady Mart, how, their old aunty way doting - there was no word of dementia or Alzheimer's then.

I often wonder if people with almost nothing, but with real friends (I'm not talking about now or Facebook...) were happier many years ago, when they had very little, or are they happier now, with everything?

Sorry about the rant, but I'll leave you with a song, you can listen to below sung by Tommy Makem, named the "Darkley Weaver".

Sarah married fiddler Peter Makem in 1919. She left school early to work long hours, as a weaver, in a Darkley Mill, but would always enjoy getting home after work to sing with her family and neighbours. There are many stories of how mill workers were so happy to get back to Keady, after work, and would recharge their batteries by singing and dancing in the streets.

She was mother to five children, three girls (Mona, Peggy and Nancy), and two boys. The boys, Tommy and Jack perused a life in music. Tommy Makem would go on to be a world famous Irish musician. Her grandchildren, Tom Sweeney, Jimmy Sweeney, Shane Makem, Conor Makem and Rory Makem also went on to make a career in music.

According to The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem website.

“Her mother was "one of the Singing Greenes of Keady, a family famous for its music for generations" (to quote collector Sean O'Boyle), and it was from her mother that Sarah learned most of her songs. Her house was full of music and song, which continued when she married Peter Makem.”

“Beyond the odd local social event, she never performed in public and yet her reputation preceded her. She came to world attention in 1950 when folk music collectors came to record her for the BBC. One song from that recording session eventually was used as the title song of the 1950s folk music radio program, As I Roved Out, on which she was a regularly featured performer. In 1968 she recorded her only complete album, Ulster Ballad Singer for Topic Records. From that point on she played host to a generation of aspiring traditional singers and folk music scholars who came to visit Keady to learn from her.”

Sarah Makem plaque on her home at Victoria Street, Keady (click on image to enlarger & read).

Sarah Makem’s gift was to remember songs, many of which she learned from her mother whilst doing household chores, and some brought back by her children from school. She is said to have held the words of over 500 traditional songs in her head. These included ones from Ireland, Scotland and England. One notable person who came to learn from her was famous American folk singer, Pete Seeger. Read more about Sarah Makem at Wikipedia.

Friends of Sliabh Fuait have a podcast on their Driving Tour entitled "Makem's House". It's about Sarah Makem and her son Tommy. You can listen to it at SoundCloud.

At YouTube you can watch a short documentary from 1977 entitled, "Sarah Makem, Irish traditional singer 1900-83" (if you lived in Keady at the time, you might see yourself). Below is a link to Tommy and Sarah Makem, singing one of her most famous songs "The Cobbler". Music and dancing were very important to mill workers, and both mother and son were renowned musicians and had connections to Darkley Mill. So, I thought it worthwhile including here. For more about Sarah Makem's videos and songs see YouTube.

Darkley Mill and Factory was a huge operation and the village was built to provide accommodation for some of the workers. The sign below is in a tasteful, small seating area next to Darkley Mill Chimney. It contains lots of information about both mill and village.

Click on the above photo to open, then enlarge to read.

Seating Area & Information Board next to Darkley Mill Chimney.

Although, I have offered you the option to enlarge the image of the information board above, some parts of it are difficult to read, so I've re-written this below.

"THE TALL, TAPERING CHIMNEY, towers over the main street of Darkley and the valley below, is the most dramatic reminder of the village's industrial origins and crucial role in the history of this part of the Callan valley. Close inspection reveals the quality of the brickwork, reinforced with iron straps, and the small fireplace in the base, as well as an adjacent mill dam and feeder channel or layd.

The first Ordnance Survey map of the area, published in 1834, shows over 20 textile mills on the Callan between Darkley and Tassagh, including Henry McClean's spinning mill and William Kirk's beetling mill on the future site of the village. McClean died in 1845 and his interests at Darkley passed to William Kirk, who had married Ann McClean in 1820.

Like so many of his contemporaries, Kirk proved to be a successful entrepreneur who soon set about expanding his business. He helped pioneer the use of much more powerful water driven turbines and fitted one of Ireland's largest water wheels, 70ft in diameter, at Darkley around 1850.

Kirk aimed to house his mill workers on site, and so as the business expanded, so did the village. Workers were attracted by reduced rents and a range of facilities including a co-operative shop, a dairy and a school managed by William Kirk himself, with evening classes for adults.

Bassett's 1888 Directory notes that the mill was being used for flax spinning and linen weaving, with 8,000 spindles and 200 power looms and a workforce of around 700. An accompanying illustration on a company advertisement shows the mill complex and the surrounding village, as well as a second factory at nearby Annvale and the company's imposing warehouse at 11 Donegal Square West in Belfast.

The works at Darkley had an impact beyond the local area. Bassett lists agency outlets in London, Manchester, Paris and New York and the 1901 census lists employees from Wicklow and Wexford, as well as England and Scotland. By then, however, the linen industry was already in decline, and although there were temporary booms during both world wars, the factory eventually ceased production in 1959."

According to the Waterpower in Ireland section of IrishEvents4u "The mid 1800's is probably when this development was at its height, at around 1850 a wheel 21.4 Meters (70 ft) in diameter was installed at Darkley mill in County Armagh, it is thought this was the largest mill wheel to have existed in Ireland."

Keady Railway Station c1910.

Armagh Railway Station 1930.

According to Wikipedia:

“The Ulster Railway opened Armagh station in 1848, linking the city with Belfast. The Ulster Railway was extended from Armagh to Monaghan in 1858 and Clones in 1863.

The Newry and Armagh Railway opened in 1864 and had its own temporary terminus just outside Armagh until it started using the Ulster Railway station in 1865.

The Castleblayney, Keady and Armagh Railway was completed in 1910. In 1876 the Ulster Railway became part of the new Great Northern Railway (GNR), which took over the Newry and Armagh Railway in 1879 and the Castleblayney, Keady and Armagh Railway in 1911.”

"Construction on the Keady Branch Line began in 1903; the first passenger services did not run until 31 May 1909, when the 10-mile (16 km) between Armagh and Keady was opened, although goods trains had started in March 1908. The 8-mile (13 km) section between Castleblayney and Keady was opened on 11 November 1910, and the GNR (which was working the line) took over the company on 1 June 1911. The line attracted some freight but passenger traffic was light.

The Partition of Ireland in 1922 turned the Armagh–Monaghan county boundary between Creaghanroe and Carnagh into an international frontier that resulted in the GNR closing the Castleblayney – Keady section from 2 April 1923 (the customs border came into effect on Sunday 1 April) [8] and withdrew passenger services from the Keady – Armagh section from 1 February 1932. In 1957 the Government of Northern Ireland made the GNR close much of its remaining network in Northern Ireland, including goods traffic from the remaining section of the CKA from 1 October 1957."

So, it took 56 years after reaching Armagh City for the railway to reach Keady, and an extra to extended to Castleblayney. The line's summit at the head of Clay Lake, in Clay Townland, was 613 feet (187 m) above sea level and the highest place on the GNR."

Below is an image carousel showing photos of Keady Hill, Granemore Road Bridge, Scala Cinema and the Pound Bridge over the Keady - Castleblayney Railway Line leaving Keady. They are in no particular order.

The Granemore Road Bridge, built in 1910, is Grade B2 listed. It carries the Keady to Castleblayney Railway through a deep cutting on its way out of the town and towards Castleblayney. The Armagh to Keady section of railway line opened on 31 May 1909. The following year, with the completion of Keady Viaduct, the Keady to Castleblayney section was opened as was the Granemore Road Bridge. However, due to the Partition of Ireland, Keady Viaduct was only in use for 13 years. The line to Castleblayney closed on 2 April 1923. Passenger services to Armagh stopped on 1 Feb 1932. Goods trains continued to run until 1 Oct 1957, when Keady Station closed.

Before 1954, Charles J. Mallon operated a cinema out of the Town Hall as you can see from the programme for January 1954 below (photo courtesy of Liam McNally).

Read more about the Castleblayney, Keady and Armagh Railway at:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castleblayney,_Keady_and_Armagh_Railway

2. Keady Railway Station at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keady_railway_station

3. Partition of Ireland at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Ireland

Videos:

At YouTube you can watch:

1. A video showing the route of and what remains of the line from Keady to Castleblayney entitled, "Tracing the Keady-Castleblayney railway line on Google satellite and street view".

2. A video of the old line from Armagh to Keady at "Tracing the Armagh-Keady railway line on Google satellite and street view".

Across the Tassagh Road is what was intended to be a tunnel, but for decades has been used as a bus garage. The Keady Tunnel was built c1909 to take the proposed Ulster and Connacht Light Railway. The narrow gauge railway was to join Newry to Clifden. The route was to go through Bessbrook, Keady, Tynan, Maguiresbridge, Drumod, Roscommon, Tuam and Galway. However, the only part of this railway that was built was the Keady Tunnel, to take it under the Keady to Armagh Line.

"Cow Fair to the Pound Bridge" how it was in 1944 by D Mallon above. Click on image to enlarge.

The Pound Bridge was on Victoria Street next to the junction with Clay Road. It took its name form the old animal pound nearby and was build to take rail traffic under the road. According to Wikipedia: "An animal pound is a place where stray livestock were impounded. Animals were kept in a dedicated enclosure, until claimed by their owners, or sold to cover the costs of impounding. The terms "pinfold" and "pound" are Saxon in origin. Pundfald and pund both mean an enclosure. There appears to be no difference between a pinfold and a village pound. The person in charge of the pinfold was the "pinder", giving rise to the surname Pinder."

The bridge was eventually flattened in the late 1960s to make way for road improvements. The second photo below shows a bus going over the Old Pound Bridge.

The Callan and Clay Rivers were integral to the founding and growth of Keady Town.

According to Irish Mythology:

The Callan was one of the three "black rivers of Ireland" which burst forth in prehistoric times, said to be A.M. 3565, anno mundi; or 3.565 years after the Creation (about 1542 BC) The other two rivers mentioned are the Oona in Tyrone and the Forann in Armagh (read more at www.jstor.org/stable/20489979).

Historic Callan River at Happy Ireland reads:

“Not many Ulster people are aware that in their own province there flows along ‘unhonoured and unsung’ a river with a past, which, if not just as glorious as that of the more famous Boyne, is at least worthy of ‘immortal memory’.

Rising close to the Monaghan border in the rugged mountains near Keady in South Armagh, the River Callan wend its twisty course through the fertile land and wooded dells of County Armagh until near the border of County Tyrone it joins the wide Blackwater and the River Bann, and eventually it empties itself into Lough Neagh. In parts, it is little more than a stream and, on its journey, it passes through some of the most historic places in the North. Dotted along the river’s bank from Aughnagurgan and Darkley to Tassagh are the remains of old beetling mills.”

There’s too much to write here of how important this river has been to the places it flows through, the huge number of mills it and its small tributaries powered, the historical places it passed and the historical events it witnessed. Read more about these, watch and listen at the link above and those below.

Videos – all are by John Nixon:

1. “THE STORY OF THE CALLAN RIVER, ARMAGH/AN CHALLAINN. PART 1. BEGINNINGS.”

2. “THE CALLAN RIVER STORY. DUNDRUM MILL TO TASSAGH OTHER DAYS AROUND US.”

3. "LOOKING FOR NIALL HIGH KING OF IRELAND 791 -845 BURIED IN ARMAGH."

Listen to Podcast by Friends of Sliabh Fuait.

Songs:

1. Beautiful song, sang by local girl Catherine Grimley, “Banks of the Callan”.

2. “Hills Around Granemore”, written and sung by local man Liam Lappin.

The History of Armagh at Aonach Mhacha set out in chronological order and very basically explained. This includes: The Story of Irish in Armagh , Where did Irish come from?, The Ulster Cycle, Viking Ireland, Anglo-Norman Ireland, The Tudor Conquest, The Seventeenth Century, The Eighteenth Century, The 19th Century, The Gaelic Revival, Irish in Space!, Irish Medium Education

There are a few information boards in the area in front of the mill providing details on the its history and the history of Keady. The back of the "Welcome to Keady" information board shows a map of Keady with photos and position of the eight history plaques erected around the town about people and events from the past. They are of: Rev. William Steele Dixon, Keady Old Mill; Famine, Market Street (no-longer there); Archbishop Richard Robinson, St Matthew's Church; Sarah Makem, Victoria Street; John Redmond, Fair Green House; Parish Stocks, Kinelowen Street (no-longer there); The Anchor Bar, St Patrick's Street corner; Fr. Cornelius Short, wall of graveyard, St Patrick's Street.

Of the two of the plaques which are no-longer on display. The famine plaque which was on McKnight's shoe shop in Market Street. The shop was demolished to widen the entrance to Madden Row. The other, which was removed for painting and never put back, was of the "old stocks", from the Market Square, and was on the front left of Noel Boylan Hardware Store at 35 Kinelowen Street.

According to a leaflet entitled "Keady Historical Notes":

"The Keady & District Stocks stood in the Market Square opposite the old market house, the new one was built in 1870. They were destroyed in a riot in the 1770s when a local political leader was confined to them and the crowd liberated him, destroyed the stocks in the process, they were never rebuilt."

Battles

End of 19th century

20th century

21st century

Below are some significant battles which took place during the Nine Years' War in Ireland between an English army led by Henry Bagenal, and a Gaelic Irish army under Hugh O'Neill of Tyrone. This will be added to.

Battle of the Yellow Ford (August 1598), Cabragh, County Armagh

Battle of the Yellow Ford, at Cabragh in County Armagh is one of the best-known ever to take place in Ireland. It was fought on 14 August 1598, during the Nine Years' War in Ireland between an English army led by Henry Bagenal, and a Gaelic Irish army under Hugh O'Neill of Tyrone. You can read more and watch videos about the battle below.

SMR: - ARM012:001 at www.communities-ni.gov.uk/services/historic-environment-map-viewer states.

Site Type: BATTLE SITE

Period: C16TH

Details: BATTLE SITE, 1598: YELLOW FORD, BEAL ATHA NA BUIDHE, BALLY NA BUY

Townland: CABRAGH

Grid Reference: H8540051090

See https://apps.communities-ni.gov.uk/NISMR-public/Details.aspx?MonID=5361 – This reads:

“In August 1598, a battle was fought at this site and in the general area by Marshall Bagnall and O'Neill. Survey and metal detection work continues along the AD 1598 battlefield of Yellow Ford in Co. Armagh. To date this work has identified the line of march taken by the English force and various places of engagement between that force and the Irish army in the modern landscape. Archaeological finds include various military accoutrements and lead shot, along with many items of civilian and social interest from the intervening centuries.”