St Patricks day Bessbrook, County Armagh, Northern
St Patrick's day Bessbrook Comander in Chief HRH Princess Ann Bessbrook saw some of the worst violence in the Troubles. The linen mill was converted by the British Army into a major military base. A helicopter landing area was established to supply other military outposts in the area since road-borne movements of troops and supplies were vulnerable to landmine attack. At one stage the little village was reportedly the busiest helicopter airport in Europe. On 25 June 2007 the British Army withdrew their military presence from Bessbrook and closed all of their facilities, marking an end to British military presence in the South Armagh region.[3] The end of the Troubles, following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, has led to some recovery for the village. Traffic restrictions have been relaxed and the visible security presence has been reduced. It has been confirmed that the local police station will be disposed of within the current financial year, one of twenty-six stations that the Police Service of Northern Ireland has announced will be closing due to cost efficiency measures.[4] For more information, see the Troubles in Bessbrook, which includes a list of incidents in Bessbrook during the Troubles
Size: 3776px × 2291px
Location: Bessbrook, County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
Photo credit: © robert Leyland / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: shamrock troubles, ann, armagh, army, british, day, guards, hrh, ireland, irish, mod, northern, patricks, princess, shamrock, south, st
