Cullyhanna (fromIrishCoilleach Eanach, meaning 'wood of the marshes')[1] is a smallvillage andtownland close toKeady inCounty Armagh,Northern Ireland. The village extends further over the townlands of Tullynavall and Freeduff. It had a population of 306 in the2001 Census. It is within theNewry and Mourne District Council area.
Cullyhanna lies on the main road betweenNewtownhamilton (4.9 mi (8 km)) andCrossmaglen (4.8 mi (8 km)).
It's 13.3 mi (21 km) west ofNewry, 49.1 mi (79 km) south west ofBelfast, 13.3 mi (21 km) north west ofDundalk, and 64.7 mi (104 km) north ofDublin.
In June 1920, during theIrish War of Independence, theIrish Republican Army ambushedRoyal Irish Constabulary officers in Cullyhanna. Three officers were wounded, one fatally. The RIC returned fire, killing a civilian.[2]
Cullyhanna, along with the rest of South Armagh, would have been transferred to theIrish Free State had the recommendations of theIrish Boundary Commission been enacted in 1925.[3]
Cullyhanna is in South Armagh, a region that has been a stronghold of support for theProvisional Irish Republican Army, earning it the nickname "Bandit Country". TheBritish Army nicknamed thelocal IRA unit the "Cullyhanna Gun Club". The village and the surrounding area were among the most dangerous areas in Northern Ireland for the British security forces.
For more information seeThe Troubles in Cullyhanna, which includes a list of incidents in Cullyhanna during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.
Cullyhanna is home toSt Patrick's Gaelic Football Club (Cumann Naomh Pádraig). It consists of men and women'sfootball teams and also hascamogie teams.[citation needed] The recently built[when?] club house facilities are a focus for community activity. They beatCrossmaglen Rangers on 2 October 2016 to reach the Armagh Senior Championship final for the first time in their history.[citation needed]
AshfieldGolf Course is an 18-hole course at Cullyhanna.[citation needed]
Cullyhanna forms theNewry & Armagh constituency for elections to theWestminster Parliament. TheMember of Parliament isDáire Hughes ofSinn Féin. He won the seat in the2024 United Kingdom general election.
