Keady Town Heritage Trail Short

According to mycreativeedge.eu: 

“Irish President Michael D. Higgins officially opened the brand-new Tommy Makem Arts & Community Centre in Keady, Co. Armagh on Wednesday 16th September 2015 showcasing the innovative, modern, multi-purpose facility which commemorates the life and times of the internationally-celebrated Irish folk musician….”

You can read about the opening of the centre at Armagh i.

Videos:

1. "Irish President in Keady, County Armagh to open new Tommy Makem Arts Centre". 

2. "Keady in The 30s No 1" has some great footage of a Market Day here in 1934".

Podcast:

Keady Square, has also its own history and many stories to tell. You can listen to some of these at Friends of Sliabh Fuait on SoundCloud.

0.0   With your back towards TMAC, turn left past the Caledonian, then left into Granemore Road. Follow road up to old cinema, then double back - Note: As this is the short version of the Heritage Trail the instructions do not include walking all the way up to the cinema. However, I'll put the write up details below and let you choose how far up you wish to go. 

The Granemore Road Bridge, built in 1910, is Grade: B2 listed. It carried the Keady to Castleblayney Railway over a deep cutting. 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.

You can 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".

Scala Cinema: The old picture-house on top of Keady Hill. This was opened in May 1956, run by Charles J. Mallon and his family. It was the busiest venue in the town until it closed June 1990. It seated almost 400 people. The cinema has been derelict for decades and Keady is still void of a cinema.

The Keady Hill bridge over the old railway on Granemore Road. To the right is the old Scala Cinema. From 1956 to 1990 hundreds leaving Mallon's old cinema would have to walk down the road. The cinema closed in June 1990, but a new footbridge was attached to the left of the road bridge because the fields over the hill were developed for housing. The railway was opened in 1909 and closed in 1957.

Before 1996, 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).

0.03 Turn, then left into Granemore Road and cross over after just a few yards.

0.05 Turn right, then left past The Cooper Bar and along High Street.

Immediately before you pass the door of the bottom house (Fair Green House) look down at your feet to see a metal manhole cover. It reads: "Northern Ireland Castings Ltd. ..".

Manhole covers are now produced on an industrial scale with many coming from overseas. This one is obviously old and has been manufactured at a foundry in Northern Ireland. There are a few others I have come across which have been produced locally in foundries at Portadown and Newry. There are not a lot of these still about and I suppose they are part of our heritage and should be protected.

0.05 Once past Fair Green House, turn left past The Cooper Bar and along High Street.

Immediately after turning the corner into High Street, look up on the front wall of Fair Green House and you'll see a plaque of John Redmond, Irish Parliamentarian, dated 1918. 

0.11 Turn right onto zig-zag footpath and down to Victoria Street.

0.14 At bottom stay left along pavement keeping on the LHS pavement.

Did you know that Victoria Street was originally named Lir Street as this part of Keady Town is believed to have connections to the Children of Lir? However, sometime in the past the name was changed to Victoria Street.

Three other street in this area of the town still retain the name Lir. They are Lir Gardens, Rath Lir and Lir Fold.

The Story of Children of Lir is one of the most famous in Irish Folklore and there are different versions, plus many videos telling their story. I’ve watched a few, but I really enjoyed one entitled “🦢 The Tragic Tale Of The Children Of Lir 🦢 (Irish Legends - Celtic Mythology - Mythological Cycle)”. 

0.20 Past memorial to your LHS.

The inscription on the memorial reads:

In Proud and Loving Memory

of 

Vol. Michael McVeery

killed on active service

On 15th November 1973.

Vol. Pearse McElvanna

killed on active service

On 9th June 1979.

South Armagh Brigade

Óglaigh na hÉireann

Read more at:

1. CAIN Archive - Conflict and Politics in Northern Ireland. 

2. An Phoblacht.

Video at Facebook.

0.21 At entrance to Lir Gardens turn right and cross over Victoria Street, then turn right along Victoria Street.

0.23 Past Makem’s House to your LHS.

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.

Sarah Makem was a traditional Irish singer. and lived 42 Victoria St, Keady, Armagh BT60 3SL. Her house is just two door past where the Pound Bridge stood.

According to Wikipedia:

“Sarah Makem (18 October 1900 – 20 April 1983) a native of Keady, County Armagh, was a traditional Irish singer. She was the wife of fiddler Peter Makem, mother of musicians Tommy Makem and Jack Makem, and grandmother of musicians Tom Sweeney, Jimmy Sweeney (of Northern Irish Canadian group Barley Bree), Shane Makem, Conor Makem and Rory Makem. Sarah Makem and her cousin, Annie Jane Kelly, were members of the Singing Greenes of Keady.

In the 1950s, song collectors from the United States toured Ireland recording its musical heritage. Makem was visited and recorded by, among others, Diane Guggenheim Hamilton, Jean Ritchie, Peter Kennedy and Sean O'Boyle. Her rendition of "As I Roved Out" opened the BBC Radio folk music programme of the same name in the 1950s.

Sarah Makem lived in Keady her whole life. Living in the border region of Ulster and in a market town, she was influenced by Irish, Scottish, and English traditions. Makem learned songs from her mother while she was doing household chores such as cooking. She would often pick up these songs while sitting with her mother after just one repetition. She also learned some of her repertoire from songs the children would sing in school….”

Listen to a podcast "Makem's House" by Friends of Sliabh Fuait at SoundCloud.

Documentary video from 1977 entitled, "Sarah Makem, Irish traditional singer 1900-83" 

Tommy and Sarah Makem singing one of her most famous songs "The Cobbler".

More Sarah Makem songs at YouTube. 

Read recent news article at Armagh I, “Keady folk legend Sarah Makem named among potential ‘blue plaque’ recipients” at Armagh i. 

0.34 Follow pavement as it turns left into Bridge Street - and past Rice's Petrol Station at 1 Victoria Street.

Many thanks to Thomas Mallon for providing me with the information below. 

According to the 1901 census: 1 Victoria Street was a dwelling, Patrick McCrudden, aged 72, was the head of the household. Thomas Mallon, his grandson, was 22, but by the 1911 census, Thomas age 32 was the head of the house hold and it was recorded as a butcher shop.

You can read both census at the links below. It's seems obvious this old building had a colourful life before it became a petrol station and I'll try and find more out about this. One thing which struck me, from the second census, is Charles J Mallon, later owner of Scala Cinema, is listed as living here and being three years old.

1901 census at www.census.nationalarchives.ie/.../Victor.../1014894/

1911 census at www.census.nationalarchives.ie/.../Victori.../323298/

Up until the early 1980s Rice's Supermarket and car park was the site of Keady Mart, a busy livestock mart with an auction ring and auctioneer who spoke so quick only the experienced bidders had a clue what he was saying. Just across from it was The Square and, for many decades, on mart and fair days this area was bustling.

Below is another old video (1934) from Vincey O'Connor, entitled "Keady in The 30s No 1" (he does have many). This time of his some of his family and of where you are now, The Square in Keady.

The image carousel below shows photos of how busy Keady Square could get on Market Days, the words of a song - November Keady Fair (listen to local man, Sean Mone, sing the song), Keady Cattle Mart, Parliament Square, 2014 Giro d'Italia passes through, and what The Square looks like today.

Below are a couple of photos of this area on a quiet day. The occasion here was Covid-19 Lockdown from early 2020. You can watch a video of photos of Keady at the time at YouTube.

0.36 At pedestrian entrance to Rice’s Supermarket, turn right to cross Bridge Street.

0.37 Turn left along pavement and past library.

0.41 Turn right and past Keady Mill.

According to an information board in the play park, which is just a short walk along The Glen from here.

"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.

The mill was used as a resource centre and restaurant up until 2014 when it was closed and left idle. Then, at the start of August 2018 the mill was targeted by vandals and has been boarded up ever since - read more at Armagh i.

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."

The information board reads: 

"The name Keady is of Gaelic origin meaning “the flat-topped hill” and aptly describes the cross-roads settlement which grew up as a distinct area in the time of the O’Neills. A wild wooded area was used for hunting by the Ulster kings who lived at nearby Emain Macha. In those times it was called Túath Rí, “the area of the kings” and Keady was established as resting place and grew as a place where fairs and festivals were occurred. The funeral procession of Brian Boru was documented to have come through Keady after the battle of Clontarf 1114. The foundations of the town were laid in this era especially 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 south west 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.

Keady came to be noticed as a centre with possibilities and in the mid and latter part of the nineteenth century when men who were interested in the development of the linen industry visited the area. When they saw the lakes in the hills above the town, they realised the immense power lying there. Spinning and beetling mills sprang up all over the area, at Newholland, Dundrum and Annvale to name but a few. William Kirk was the most notable industrialist in the area and established the Annvale Linen Works, as well as Darkley Mill Village. The monument which now stands at Keady cross-roads was built as a memorial to him in 1871.

By 1804 the town consisted of Church Street, Main Street and Madden Row with a lane, now Davis Street leading up to the Presbyterian church which was built in 1776. Houses built from stone and metal with thatched roofs gravitated to the main roads leading into town. These houses consisted of small shops, blacksmiths and places in which various crafts were practised in order to cater for the needs of the locality.

In 1818 there were nine fairs annually and three markets each week. Monday and Thursday for grain and Friday for butter and eggs. By the middle of the eighteenth-century fairs were held on the second Friday of each month and there was also a market each Friday for the sale of brogues, tin-ware and linen yarn.

By 1870 the town had extended to include Davis Street and St Patrick’s Street and in the same year a market house was built at the junction of the main thoroughfares. It was constructed of brick on a free stone base and had a clock and a spire. In this market house linen and pork pigs were marketed, the administration of the town was done and it was also used as a concert hall, courthouse and library, until was destroyed by a bomb in 1971 thus depriving the town of its most stately building and a place which served many important functions.

Around the end of the nineteenth century and for about the first quarter of the twentieth century, tailoring was having a boom time in Keady. It was recorded that there was at one time 120 tailors in and around Keady, based on this centre of linen and fabric manufacturers.

After World War One and the great depression the demand for linen eased as linen could be replaced by other cheaper fabrics. The linen boom was over. Factories closed down and Keady was finished as a great linen centre.

But Keady and district remains a thriving area and the rich culture and musical heritage marks the area out as a place apart."

The front of the “Welcome to Keady” information board has a couple of maps, one showing the surrounding areas and Keady’s position relative to Armagh, the second is a larger scale map of Keady. It reads:

“Keady

Now a centre for community based activities, the Old Mill at Keady was once made up of three mill buildings driven by an 18 – 20ft waterfall. The valuation book of 1835/36 notes that the owner at the time was Councillor Samuel Kidd.

In 1862, the mill was converted to spin flax under the management of James McKean. The waterwheel then measured 28ft in diameter and 6ft wide and a chimney was added north of the mill, measuring 90ft high. At this time, a 15 horse power steam engine helped to power the 2000 spindles, heckling and moving frames.

Under the management of the Keady Linen Company, the mill was converted to flax weaving in 1891.

Although a small extension was added in 1906, by the 1926 work ceased and the mill became vacant.

Its most recent function was as an egg factory until 1989 when Keady and District Community Initiatives acquired the mill and converted it into its modern day state.

Today the mill serves as an effective community base foe the people of Keady.”

From the photos above you can probably work out the latter part of the above statement is out of date. Keady Mill closed and was boarded up many years ago. Hopefully, some day in the not-too-distant future it will be put back to good use again.

The plaque below of Rev William Steele Dickson is on the front right of the mill wall. Also, listen to more about Rev Dickson in the second half of a podcast on Friends of Sliabh Fuait.

0.43 Turn left to cross Kinelowen Street via pelican crossing, then turn left past The Close Bar.

0.45 Cross straight over Market Street and past Keady Monument.

Have a walk around Keady Monument (aka. William Kirk Memorial) and Market Street as there are a few things to see here and we don't come back this way.

Keady Monument is a memorial to William Kirk (1795 to 1870). Kirk was only one of many who help grow the linen industry in the area, he was influential and was popular. 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 Dec 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".

The photos in the image carousels above and below are arranged in no particular order. They show people, places and events from over the years and some I don't have dates for, so just enjoy. However, you can see, the Market Square, at the crossroads and flanked by the monument, the mill and the town hall, was the centre point and busiest part of the town. Also, see video from c1980s of this area and of a Marked Day in Keady.

Read more about Keady Town Hall at Archiseek.

0.45 Cross straight over Market Street and past Keady Monument.

0.47 Go straight on into Davis Street, stay on RHS pavement.

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".

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.

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 1874. 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, with quite a number of others, concerning Keady, is preserved n the manuscript room in Trinity College Dublin and was kindly shown to a party from Keady Historical Society by Mr Rafausse while on a visit to Dublin in 1980.

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.

As Trinity seems to have been the major land-owning body in this psrt of the country it seems logical that material for more exploration must exist, for instance old land grants, the names of the previous holders of the land, why they were disposed of it, etc.

 In the meantime we can exploit such data as we have. For a start, we will have noticed that 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 the all came sooner or later to the crossroads...."

We also know from the back of the "Welcome to Keady" information board above:

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 south west 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, 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".

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."...

0.52 Past Second Keady Presbyterian Church.

JUST A SHORT WORD ON SOMETHING I FOUND, AND I THOUGHT IT WORTH SHARING.

Whilst researching my local area I came across two great websites which list and provide much information on local archaeology, industry, people, buildings, battles and even folklore:

1. www.communities-ni.gov.uk/services/historic-environment-map-viewer for Northern Ireland.

2. https://archaeology.ie for Republic of Ireland.

There are many versions of detailed maps on both websites, dating back as far as the 1830s, and lots of useful information and tools linked to these.

The record below is just a example of what the first of the above provides. Why not have a play about with the links to get a better idea of what you can find. I use both a lot and I love them.

Second Presbyterian Church, 21 Davis St, Keady, Armagh BT60 3RS is the oldest in the town. It was built in 1857 on the site of an older church built in 1803.

Listed Buildings: HB15/09/009 at www.communities-ni.gov.uk/services/historic-environment-map-viewer states:

Address: SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, KEADY, CO.ARMAGH

Date of construction:

Former use: CHURCH

Extent of listing: Current Grade: B

See https://apps.communities-ni.gov.uk/Buildings/buildview.aspx?id=1474&js=false

See more about Second Presbyterian Church on:

1. Church Website.

2. Facebook.

3. YouTube Channel.

William Kirk (1795 to 1870) Kirk was only one of many who help grow the linen industry in the area, he was influential and was popular. He was a politician and 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 Dec 1870, after a long illnesses buried in the family vault at the church. The William Kirk Memorial (Keady Monument) is a memorial to him. It was paid for by the local community and built in 1871. According to Ring of Gullion, "’By the time the funeral 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".

You can read more about William Kirk later in the walk when we pass Keady Monument in Market Street.

The image carousel below shows photos of Davis Street, Keady from through the years. They are in no particular order. 

0.55 Turn right to cross over Davis Street and into Crossened Row. Then go straight on along the LHS pavement.

For years this small area was one of the busiest business parts of the town: the heavily protected police/army barracks was, on the right, just along Davis Street; on the left of Davis Street, by the junction was a yard and storage facility of Vincent Mone & Son; on the corner of Davis Street and Crossened Road was Boyd's Cycles; across Crossened Road was another storage facility and hardware store of Vincent Mone & Son, plus just past this was the entrance to Keady Steam Bakery.

Watch an aerial video of a derelict Keady Police Barracks and of Keady Town, from 3 April 2015, at Facebook.

On the north side, at the entrance to Crossened Road, Vincent Mone & Son hardware store has been replaced by a residential area named Granary Drive.

On the south side of Crossened Road and facing onto Davis Street is Boyd's Cycles. The family business was one of the oldest in the town. Established in 1913 and closed in March 2019. The gate, in front of the door, was designed by a female family member and has been retained by the family. According to Armagh i  the former shop is to be converted to flats.

As well as bicycles, the shop also sold fishing equipment as up to recently, Keady was famous throughout Ireland for its fishing lakes.

Below is an image carousel showing photos of Boyd's Cycles and Johnson Boyd from over the years.

Keady Steam Bakery (1906 - ????) was just past the entrance to Granary Drive. It was owned by the Arthur's Family and was famous for producing the Keady Loaf. At the time of the news article below (c1959), Each week they 1,000 dozen loafs plus pastry and cakes. The Keady Loaf won many prizes, but in ???? the bakery closed, the rights to produce the Keady loaf was sold and production was moved to ...... 

0.61 Cross straight over Church Street, past entrance to grounds of St Matthew’s Church to your LHS, and onto enclosed wide tarmac footpath.

If the metal gates to gates to grounds of St Matthew’s Church are open you can choose to pay it a visit. The walk up and back to the church door is just 180 yards. You'll pass the graveyard, get some great views over Keady, plus read how Archbishop Robinson built the church at his own expense in 1775 and donated silver to the church which is still used today.

0.66 At junction of footpaths, turn right and follow footpath to road.

0.68 Cross straight over road onto narrow paved footpath.

It was on this part of the road, in St Matthews Estate, where the Soap Box Derby was held in the 1970s and the 1980s. It mainly involved making go-carts from old pram wheels, pieces of wood and anything which helped hold everything together, then using gravity to cover a downhill course the quickest. Health and safety wasn't a thing then and some did use heavier materials, but the heavier carts tended to have difficulty negotiating the corners as you can see in the photo below.

I am in the cart going past the overturned one. In this race Barney Carroll was first, I was second and Joe McNally was third.

0.75 Out of cul-du-sac to cross over Madden Row and turn left along pavement.

0.79 Turn right and past St Francis of Assisi Primary School. 

0.86 Go through pedestrian metal gate on LHS of road to enter what was the Old Convent Grounds.

0.87 Then turn right and follow wide footpath downhill.

0.89 Footpath turns left, then right, then left.

The car park, where we enter the Old Convent Grounds, is where the Sisters of St Clare convent stood since July 20, 1871. The nun's were moved to a new home in Madden Row and the old convent and nun's chapel were demolished in ..... Just four day short of the 150th anniversary of the convent first opening the nuns were relocated from Keady and their home in Madden Row is to be demolished to make way for a new housing development. Read more at Armagh i and more about the Poor Clare Sisters in Keady at the Sisters of St Clare.

Watch a short video about the Poor Clares in Keady, entitled  "The Convent 1970s Keady South Armagh" at YouTube. It features Sister Mercedes, who many of you may remember.

0.96 Past “The Grotto” to your LHS.

0.97 Exit grounds and past St Patrick’s Chapel.

1.0 Cross straight over road and turn left past the gate to the graveyard.

Continue straight on staying on the RHS pavement for 0.2 miles.

1.03 miles. Past a solitary house with a second gate to the graveyard immediately afterwards. Next to the gate is a plaque to Father Cornelius Short (died 22 January 1925, aged 63). He is buried in the graveyard, behind the house. If you wish to visit his grave, go through the gate, take first right, then next left and his grave is on the left.

The effects of the Famine (The Great Hunger) on Keady and Armagh areas.

After researching much about Keady History, we still have little about The Famine (aka. The Great Hunger) and its affect on the Armagh, Keady and surrounding areas. So with some searching I have found more, the best seems to be at jstor under a document entitled, “Some Aspects of the Great Famine in County Armagh. A lecture by James Grant from 1977.” – Read more at this link.

However, the then people of Keady were scared to face up to or discuss The Famine, thus tried to hide its true affects. Due to the large amount of information, I have placed it on its own sub-page to make it easier to read.

At 1.1 miles we past Crossmore Downs. This was the site of the Technical School/Fever Hospital built in first half of the 19th century. According to "Journal of Keady & District Historical Society (1992)" 

"Before St Mary's Boy's Primary School was built there stood on that ground a Technical School but it wasn't always a "Tec". The older folk always called it the "Fever Hospital" and that indeed was the purpose for which it was originally built. During the Famine it was used as a temporary workhouse and as a hospital for the Famine fever victims. It was sometimes called Meeper's Hospital after Dr. Leeper who was for sometime the doctot in charge. The fact that it was found necessary to erect another if smaller hospital on the site where Mr McSorley now lives at Iskeymeadow to cater for those whom the Keady couldn't accommodate, would suggest that the area had been pretty severely affected. There is a hill in the Crossmore district locally known as Skull Hill and the story of how it got its name would lead to the same conclusion.

It would appear that people were dying in alarming numbers and the local people feared the Fever was spreading and gripped with ths fear some people objected to the burial of Fever victims in some of the local cemeteries. We, living in a happier age are not in a position to judge or condemn for we cannot appreciate the terrible position these poor people were in. It is said that even the air was foul with the smell of rotton and diseased vegetation in the ground. At this time a much reported quaker family lived in the area on a property known as Daisy Hill. Dr Dunlop, the then head of the family, owned the land on which Skull Hill is situated and he very generously offered a plot for burial for these poor souls. This is how the hill got its name and it stands as a terrible reminder of a national tragedy."

The famine had a huge effect on the Lurgan Workhouse. In desperation many came here to survive, but food and hygiene was poor, disease was rampant, and many hundreds died - 95 in the week ending 6 February 1847 alone, as you can see in the certificate. You can read more about the Famine at Wikipedia, the Lurgan Union Workhouse at Lurgan Ancestry.

1.23 Turn right into “Unnamed Road”, stay along RHS pavement.

The road climbs, and when high enough look back over your left shoulder to see St Patricks High School. According to Wikipedia:

St Patrick's High School was founded in 1970 by the De La Salle Brothers to educate pupils from Derrynoose, Keady, Madden, Ballymacnab, Granemore, Clady and Middletown, County Armagh. St Patrick's now also has students from Armagh and Monaghan. Upon opening the school had 450 pupils and 22 teachers which has now grown to an enrolment of 1015 pupils, which includes 240 Sixth Form pupils, and 70 Members of Staff.

In September 2000, St. Patrick's moved into a new purpose-built school with facilities including a 500 square metre sports hall, assembly hall, drama studio, lecture theatre, and oratory. The school has since been further enhanced with the completion of the Keady Recreation Centre.

In June 2015 St Patrick's High School, Keady was voted best secondary school in the UK in the 2015 TES school awards. Read more at BBC News.

1.36 At T-junction cross straight over Crossmore Road and turn right along pavement. Stay on LHS.

As you descend to the junction with Crossmore Road there are some great views ahead (north) over the GAA Grounds, the surrounding countryside and towards Armagh. On a clear day you can see both of the city's cathedrals. Also, to the right (east) of this are the hills of Armaghbreague.

Across the road, at the junction, was the small Church of Ireland Primary School. It opened in ???? closed in ???? and was bulldozed in 2020 to make way for a new factory.

As you walk along Crossmore Road, in the next field to the left was Keady Swimming Pool. The pool opened in the 1970s. It was small and just 4 feet at its deepest end, so no diving boards.

Keady Swimming Pool (site of), Crossmore Road, Keady, Armagh BT60 3RH (nearest).

A strange thing to put on here, but I have decided to include it.

The pool opened in the 1970s. It cost £Lots k to build, was small and just 4 feet at its deepest end, so no diving boards.

When interviewing for Life Guards, the local council forgot to ask applicants if they could swim. Of course, one of those employed couldn’t swim. However, that probably didn’t matter because of how shallow the water was.

Soon after it opened, the structure of the building was found to be unsafe and it closed. It never re-opened and was eventually demolished 1992. The site remained empty up until recently, and at present a factory is being built here.

A local singer/songwriter, Sean Mone, wrote a wonderful song entitled "Will they ever reopen Keady Swimming Pool".

The image carousel below shows photos of Keady Swimming Pool and its site from different years.

1.5 Past Keady Orange Hall to your right.

There are three halls, all next to each other. Orange Hall, Church of Ireland Parish Hall and Keady Gospell Hall.

2.36 Turn left into Armagh Road. 

At the junction of Crossmore Road and Armagh Road is a Beetlers Trail sign. The trail is a partly waymarked 8.6-mile rural walk around Keady, Tassagh and Granemore (see map of route at MapMyWalk. It remembers the importance to the linen industry in the area However, although I'll give the person who came up with it a bit of credit, it hasn't been well thought out, covers some unnecessary ground, can be unsafe in places, could be better waymarked and at least get a mention on the Internet.

2.42 Past entrance gates to Willowbank. 

Willowbank House is one of the oldest in Keady and is shown on maps back as least as far as the 1830s. Both house and gates are listed. It is set in large grounds and has been a doctor's surgery and in the same family for over 100 years - the Dorman Family. The house and grounds were recently sold and the property is now a holiday let.

1.69 Turn right to cross Armagh Road and onto enclosed “Black Pad”.

1.75 Out onto Tassagh Road. Turn right along RHS pavement.

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.

1.85 Past entrance to SFM Engineering factory.

The Tassagh Road Factory stands on the site of Keady Railway Station which opened in 1909 and closed in 1957. The block of flats to the south and above it, was where the station master's house sat. Since first opening in the 1970s the factory has been the largest employer in the town. It has been occupied by a number of companies, including Stedaraywarp (or something which sounded like this), Courtaulds, Mayfair, Warners, Natural World Products (NWP). The building has been enlarged and spruced up by current owners, a local family business named SFM Engineering.

Video: The Giro d'Italia Keady Sunday 11 May 14 coming up the Tassagh Road and past here.

1.88 At junction, stay left along Kinelowen Street (Main Street) on LHS pavement.

Below is an image carousel with photos and information covering some of the history of the lower part of Kinelowen Street. These are in the order we walk past them.

1.96 Cross over entrance to Glen Road, to your LHS.

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.

Read more at:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callan_River.

2. http://callanriver.co.uk.

Just before Kinelowen Street crosses over the entrance to Glen Road, look left to see the Keady Railway Viaduct, and just to the left of this, where the factory now stands, was Keady Railway Station. The station was completed in 1909, the year as the Armagh to Keady line opened. The viaduct over the Glen Road was completed in 1910 and the Keady to Castleblayney section the Castleblayney, Keady and Armagh Railway was completed the same year. 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.

You can 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:

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".

Below are some photos, old and new, and in no particular order of Keady Railway Viaduct and Keady Railway Station.

Just a 100 yards down the Glen Road is the entrance to the childrens' playpark. In the 1970s and 1980s, in what is now the seating area next to the waterfall, there were two handball alleys, though records state handball was popular in the town since at least 1951. According to Wikipedia:

"Handball-like games have originated in several places at different times. Hieroglyphs in the temple of Osiris in Egypt portray priests taking part in a game very similar to handball, and civilisations Mesoamerica and South America had a handball-like game.

An early origin for the game in Ireland is supported by recent archaeological finds in the Callan and Mooncoin areas of Kilkenny, which may indicate a Celtic antecedent to the modern game was played in the area in ancient times. An ancient Celtic version of the game is supported by the existence of Welsh handball (Welsh: Pêl-Law), a similar sport, which has been attested in the literature of Wales since the ninth century.

In Ireland, the earliest written record of a similar ball game is contained in the town statutes of Galway in 1527, which forbade the playing of ball games [generic] against the walls of the town. The first depiction of an Irish form of handball does not appear till 1785. On the west coast of Ireland, Galway had many trading links with Spain, especially the Basque regions, where the similar game of pelota is played. According to Dublin Handball GAA "It is highly likely that one game is derived from or influenced by the other."

Irish immigrants brought the game to many countries in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. It is still played in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Wales, Africa and England.

Father John Murphy, a leader in the 1798 rebellion was one of the best handball players of his time and he frequently held rebel meetings at his local handball alley.

The GAA wrote the first rules for the modern game of handball. Handball was included in the GAA Charter of 1884 as one of the sports to be promoted by the new Association."

In Ireland, there are four forms or codes of handball. These are played of courts varying from 20 x 16 feet to 60 x 30 feet. The alleys, shown below, at Keady, were the large ones.

On the left, immediately past Glen Road, is Keady Dental Surgery, a well based here for the past 35 years. Before this it was used by the clergy as a home to the Brothers who taught in Keady Schools.

On the LHS as we pass St Patrick's Street is O'Neill's traditional barbers. It was established in 1890 by Patrick O’Neill and trading in the same premises ever since. Dermot O'Neill, the proprietor, claims the business is the second oldest still continuing to trade in the town. The oldest being that of Arthur Mone's bar in Market Street.

2.0 Turn right to cross over Kinelowen Street to JP Electrics - then continue straight on along St Patrick's Street for another 80 yards to St Patrick's Hall.

2.01 Turn left to cross over St Patrick’s Street and turn left back to Kinelowen Street.

2.05 Turn right along Kinelowen Street on RHS pavement.

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 may seem to have a different version of what happened to them - .see LINK.

On 16 August 1976 Elizabeth McDonald (38) and Gerard McGleenan (22), both civilians, were killed by a car bomb going off outside the pub (then named The Step Inn), Twenty-two others were wounded. The local GAA Grounds are named in memory of Gerard McGleenan.

St Patrick's Hall (aka the Parochial Hall) was built in 1955. Since then it has been the main focal point of the town. Over the years it has hosted bingo, concerts, dances, comedy, meals after funerals and other functions, card clubs, keep fit, etc.

According to Parish of Keady, Derrynoose & Madden:

St Patricks Hall  in Keady was opened early 1955 and has become a hub of the parish recently with a new revival of users.

In the past Aiken Promotions brought the following British groups:  The Troggs, The Who, Dave, Dee, Dozy, Beeky, Mick and Tich and Eddie Calvert famous trumpet player.

Irish Artists included The Dubliner's, Furey Bros., Rory O'Connor School of Dancing, Little Derry Singers, (a famous choir from Derry), Johnny McEvoy, Brendan Grace and a Variety Show from Dublin, featuring Gay Byrne and Joe Lynch.

Keady Dramatic Society performed two very successful Operas, PIRATES OF PENZANCE and HMS PINAFORE.

These are a few of the many Showbands who played in the hall:  The Royal, Capital. Miami, Joe Dolan, Cadets,Melody Aces, Mainliners, etc.

Local Showbands The Clippertones, Majestic and The Zodiacs along with the famous   McCusker Bros. Ceili Band also played there. Watch Video: "PART 5......Final part of the Majestic Showband reunion 1998 In St Patrick’s Hall Keady. (🎺in memory of Leo Nugent)" at Facebook. 

The Hall was also used as a cinema (known as the picture house)showing all the popular films at the time. The Song of Bernadette showing was packed. Roller Skating provided entertainment for the younger people on Sunday afternoons.

The Hall committee also ran TOP TOWN COMPETITIONS, TALENT COMPETITIONS, GUEST TEAS, PRESENTATIONS, etc.

Today the Hall is still alive and going strong – The Keady people and surrounding areas are still very supportive in keeping their hall opened.  The parishioners have supported all parish events surrounding the halls upkeep.

On the LHS as we pass St Patrick's Street is O'Neill's traditional barbers. It was established in 1890 by Patrick O’Neill and trading in the same premises ever since. Dermot O'Neill, the proprietor, claims the business is the second oldest still continuing to trade in the town. The oldest being that of Arthur Mone's bar in Market Street.

2.11 Past Masonic Hall (and straight on past the service road leading down to Keady Mill car park), both are across street to your left.

2.13 Past Peter Cullen (formally Northern Bank) to LHS.

2.15 At “The Close Bar” turn left to cross pelican crossing, then turn right past Keady Mill.

As you walk along Kinelowen Street you'll pass Keady Credit Union, but you'll notice the lack of banks. The Credit Union was founded in October 1967 and currently has membership of over 6,500. Up to a few years ago Keady had two banks, Danske Bank (formally Northern Bank) which closed 14 June 2013 and Bank of Ireland closed 19 November 2021, both were near here on Kinelowen Street.

Kinelowen Street climbs to just past Keady Credit Union, it then flattens out to pass Keady Mill and onto the Market Square.

When the word Keady is claimed to come from Irish: "An Céide", meaning 'the flat-topped hill', this is the area I believe is being referred to. Though, looking at the landscape, I do sometimes find it difficult to visualise this as the outstanding feature of the town. However, the top of Kinelowen Street and Market Square do encompass the oldest and busiest part of the town.

There's much to write about this area of the town. I've covered much of it at other places on this page, so I won't go all through it again. Hopefully, the two image carousels below will do most of that. The first is of photos from the past and present, the second is of events over the years. If you believe you can help me improve on any of the photos here or anywhere else on this website, then please contact me. 

The image carousel below is of events which took place over the years in the Kinelowen Street and Market Square area of Keady Town in County Armagh - they are in no particular order..

2.17 Follow pavement as it turns left into Bridge Street and past Keady Library.

2.20 Immediately after library, turn left and follow footpaths towards the back of Keady Mill.

Video: Keady Mill Wheel working in 2009 at YouTube.

2.21 Turn right towards Tommy Makem Arts & Community Centre (TMAC).

2.22 Finish at Tommy Makem Arts & Community Centre (TMAC).