Darkley

Darkley (from Irish Dearclaigh, meaning 'place of caves/hollows') is a small village and townland near Keady in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 224 people (80 households) in the 2011 Census. (2001 Census: 282 people)

Darkley Irish: Dearclaigh
Darkley Location within Northern Ireland
Population	224
Irish grid reference	H861312
• Belfast	51 miles
District	Armagh
County	County Armagh
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ARMAGH
Postcode district	BT60
Dialling code	028
UK Parliament	Newry and Armagh
NI Assembly	Newry and Armagh

History

Darkley is first mentioned on the Maps of the Escheated Counties (1609) which were drawn up at the beginning of the Plantation of Ulster. It was part of an ancient precinct called Toaghy (Irish: Tuath Uí Eachaidh), a narrow strip of land that stretched from Darkley to Killylea.

See Darkley Killings for a list of incidents in Darkley during The Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.

Education

The first schools in the Darkley were hedge schools. Later, schools were founded in the townlands that surround Darkley such as Aughnagurgan & Corkley and Tullyglush. The first school in Darkley was a Protestant school built in 1856 by William Kirk, M.P., and opened its doors in 1857. The first headmaster was James Young, who had previously taught at Berry Street National School in Belfast. In 1932, a piece of land was donated by Mr. James E. Calvert for the purpose of building a new school. The other school had fallen into disrepair and had been condemned. On 30 May 1932, the new school opened in Moss Row. The headmaster was William Clarke.

Sport

The local GAA club is Phelim Brady's (Irish: Cumann Fhéilim Mhic Bhrádaigh), which plays football in the Armagh Junior competitions.