Killylea

Killylea (/kɪliːˈleɪ/; from Irish Coillidh Léith 'grey forest') is a small village and townland in Northern Ireland.

In September 1887 events on the platform of Killylea railway station made it into the British House of Commons as Alexander Blane, Nationalist MP for South Armagh asked a question relating to an attack on a train by what he described as an "Orange mob".

Edward King-Harman, then Under-Secretary for Ireland, stated "that a party of Nationalists returning by train from a meeting at Middle-town, County Armagh, while passing Killylea Station, which is essentially an Orange district, made use of party cries" and that the only shot fired was from the train, concluding that "Nationalists appear to have been altogether responsible" for the events.

Following the outbreak of World War II, the school's population expanded dramatically because parents believed that it was safer than sending their children to England.

This expansion, however, was not to last and due to a decline in numbers in the years following World War II, the school was forced to close in 1954.

One of the most famous pupils to attend Elm Park school was Brian Faulkner who was to become the sixth and final Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, presiding over the prorogation of the Stormont Parliament in 1972 following the outbreak of the Troubles only a few years earlier.

[1] In the 2001 Census the village and some of the surrounding area including, Fellow's Hall, Aughrafin and Elm Park, had a population of 351 people.

A team representing the village used to compete in local leagues under the name of Killylea Swifts Football Club.

Barry Close, officer in the East India Company army, was born at Elm Park, near Killylea.