Crossmaglen
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- There is also a small town named Crossmaglen in New South Wales, Australia, near to the city of Coffs Harbour.
Crossmaglen (Crois Mhic Lionnáin in Irish) is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, near the Irish border . It has long been a predominantly Catholic and republican town, and the town centre is the site of a large British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary base and observation tower.
However, the British Army has always been an unwanted force, a prime target for those republicans unwilling to countenance a British presence in Northern Ireland. Since the start of The Troubles in 1969, at least 58 police officers and 124 soldiers were killed by the Provisional IRA in South Armagh, many in Crossmaglen itself. It was here that a team of snipers killed 12 members of the security forces in the 1990s and where the explosives were mixed for the Docklands, Manchester and Bishopsgate bombs.
British Army troops arriving at the heavily-fortified Army base at Crossmaglen -- or 'XMG' as it is called by troops -- are welcomed by the words "DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY, WELCOME TO XMG." painted in white, on a brick wall. For British Army personnel, Crossmaglen, known among the troops as "XMG" is one of the most dangerous assignments in Ireland.
In the bases of Bessbrook Mill, Crossmaglen and Forkhill, tension and frustration are high. As a condition of the IRA ceasefire, British soldiers are not allowed wear helmets, body armour, or face camouflage. They are now forbidden to aim their weapons at people, unless returning fire. Their mission has been ostensibly to provide support for the police.
- See also: List of towns in Northern Ireland