In the normal scheme of things, far removed from that two-word misnomer of the easily forgotten Pro-Consol Merlyn Rees – a slur I choose not to repeat! – South Armagh now struggles to return to that idyllic rural backwater it was of old, preserver of the best of our ancient customs that the Newry Journal extols.
The ‘dealing men of Crossmaglen’ go about their business. Crossmaglen Rangers go from strength to strength. Its people attempt to raise their families with a love of Irish culture in all its facets and preserve their children from the worst excesses that beset cities, towns and more populous places. And for the most part, they do so most successfully.
It maintains its sense of fun and irony. Its best-loved son of the last generation, Cardinal Tom