Tandragee, United Kingdom

On 12 May 1643, General Robert Monro led an army of 4,000 Covenanters to Tandragee, and burned homes in the surrounding region. Felim O'Neill's forces, comprising both cavalry and infantry, engaged Monro's men. During this skirmish, the lieutenant of Colonel Monro's cavalry, along with two captains and several soldiers, lost their lives. Ultimately, the O'Hanlons lost their hold of Tandragee, with the castle left in a state of disrepair as a result of the conflict.

On 9 September 1679 a group of Redmond O'Hanlon's followers murdered Henry St John, grandnephew of Sir Oliver St John, when horse-riding near Knockbridge. He was the owner of Tandragee Castle and its demesne at the time.

In the late 18th century, Britain was engaged in the American Revolutionary War. This heightened the risk of invasion by French and Spanish forces, especially in Ireland. In response, groups of Irish Volunteers were formed throughout Ireland. They were equipped and managed independently and mostly consisted of Protestants, mainly from the Church of Ireland. Several companies were set up in the Tandragee area.

The Tandragee Volunteers, organised by Captain Nicholas Johnston in 1779, were fitted with scarlet uniforms faced with white details. Johnston set up another company in Tandragee known as the Tandragee Invincibles. In the churchyard, there is a grave dedicated to one of its volunteers, John Whitten, who died in 1785.

Other companies included the Tandragee Light Dragoons, led by James Craig. Volunteer activities were mostly ceremonial, featuring reviews and shooting competitions. The Tandragee Volunteers played a notable role in a skirmish at Lisnagade in 1791. A group of Catholic Defenders set up camp at Lisnagade fort, planning to confront a group of Protestant Peep O' Day Boys commemorating King William's triumph at the Battle of the Boyne. This skirmish inspired the creation of a ballad known as Lisnagade ("Ye Protestants of Ulster").

The Volunteers' influence waned after the American Revolutionary War as new government-sanctioned groups emerged, such as the Yeomanry. Following the Battle of the Diamond, the Yeomanry became associated with the Orange Order. Established in 1796, the Tandragee Yeomanry, along with the County Armagh Yeomanry, played a key role in suppressing the 1798 United Irishmen Rebellion. The Newry Telegraph estimated that 40,000 met at a demonstration in Tandragee. With the Irish Volunteers disbanded and the United Irishmen defeated, the Acts of Union 1800 dissolved the all-Ireland Parliament.

From the introduction of the First Home Rule Bill in 1886, the Protestant community in Tandragee strongly opposed the idea and played a role in the establishment of a proposed 'Orange Army'. An effigy of Prime Minister William Gladstone was set alight in the town following an anti-Home Rule demonstration.

Tandragee also had a strong representation in the Ulster Defence Union. In the central assembly of 600 members appointed on 21 October 1886, the southern region, including Armagh, Cavan, and Monaghan, was represented by eight local representatives: Rev. P.A. Kelly, Rev. W. McEndoo, Rev. R.J. Whan, Maynard Sinton, Thomas White, William O’Brien, John Atkinson, and Rev. George Laverty.

In 1910, branches of the Unionist Club were founded in Tandragee, Clare, Scarva, Poyntzpass, and Ballyshiel. In September, under the supervision of William Montagu, 9th Duke of Manchester, members of the Tandragee Club engaged in drills prior to the Ulster Covenant.

During the Third Home Rule Crisis, the Ulster Unionist Party leadership chose to unite the various unionist paramilitary groups. By December 1912, the County Armagh Committee included several figures from the business sector, the legal field, and the local aristocracy. The representatives from Tandragee were Rev. R.J. Whan and George Davison. These people played a role in the eventual formation of a local battalion of the Ulster Volunteers.

Tandragee was identified by the Royal Irish Constabulary in 1912 as one of ten locations where unionist paramilitary drills were occurring. The population of the Tandragee area became a majority of the Third Battalion of the County Armagh Regiment of the Ulster Volunteer Force - also known as the Tandragee Volunteers. Tandragee Castle was the headquarters of the Tandragee Volunteers, with records indicating that the 9th Duke of Manchester occasionally inspected the troops and permitted the use of his estate.

A mural commemorating the Third Battalion of the County Armagh Regiment UVF is located at the junction of Montague Street and Ballymore Road in Tandragee.