Keady
Keady is a small town and civil parish in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is south of Armagh and near the border with the Republic of Ireland. It is situated mainly in the historic barony of Armagh with six townlands in the barony of Tiranny. It had a population of 3,327 people in the 2021 census.
A tributary of the River Callan, known as the Clea, flows from its source in Clea Lake through the middle of the village. The River Clea once powered Keady's millwheels. In the middle of the town, on the banks of the river, stands the Old Mill, which has been converted into workshops and offices.
History
The Troubles
For more information see The Troubles in Keady, which includes a list of incidents in Keady during the Troubles resulting in two or more deaths.Transport
- The railway arrived in Keady in 1909, with the opening of the Armagh Railway">Armagh (barony)">Armagh Railway line from Armagh, which was extended to Castleblayney in 1910. Keady railway station opened on 31 May 1909, closed for passenger traffic on 1 February 1932 and finally closed altogether on 1 October 1957. As a cross border line, when the Irish Free State was created in 1922, it lost all passenger traffic in 1923, with freight being withdrawn from the cross border section from Castleblayney to Keady in 1924. The Armagh to Keady freight service was withdrawn on 1 October 1957.
- There is a railway viaduct in Keady as well as one of the more interesting artifacts of Irish railway history, the tunnel for the Ulster and Connaught Light Railway. This was a proposal for a narrow gauge line from Greenore, County Louth to Clifden, County Galway, for which the tunnel under the railway embankment at Keady was built, but never used. Ulsterbus now use part of the tunnel as a bus garage.
- Ulsterbus operates a few routes through the town to Armagh, these include the 69/a /c.
People
- Cathal Boylan, Sinn Féin MLA
- Michael Colgan, actor
- Jimmy Jones, footballer
- Tommy Makem, singer, musician, and songwriter
- Sarah Makem Traditional Irish singer
- Dessie O'Hare, Irish republican paramilitary
- John Dillon Nugent Irish nationalist politician
- Louisa Watson Peat was an Irish-born writer and lecturer.
Churches in Keady
- St Patrick's Church, Keady, is one of the largest churches in the Archdiocese of Armagh in regard to seating capacity. Built in 1860, it was extended and extensively renovated in 1989.
- Keady Baptist Church, Pastor Paul McAdam
- The Temple Presbyterian, Rev Ian Abraham
- Second Keady Presbyterian, Rev Alan Marsh
- St Matthew's Church of Ireland
Schools
- Clea Primary School
- Keady Primary School
- St. Francis of Assisi Primary School
- St. Mary's Boys' School (Keady)
- St Patrick's High School (Keady)
Demography
Keady is classified as an intermediate settlement by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency .At the 2011 census, the population of Keady was 3,051, accounting for 0.17% of the NI total. Of these:
- 21.53% were aged under 16 years and 14.00% were aged 65 and over
- 48.90% of the population were male and 51.10% were female
- 87.45% were from a Catholic background and 10.32% were from a 'Protestant and Other Christian ' background