This year we mark the 20th anniversary of the death of our beloved Cardinal Tomas O Fiaich and to commemorate this occasion, the society is publishing a number of the Cardinal's own writings as well as a number of tributes paid to him after his death. Two of the Cardinal's writings we publish here were originally written in the Irish language, the first one is the introduction to Imeacht na nIarlai written in 1972; and the second one is the lecture which he delivered to "The Oireachtas Committee" on Cardinal Patrick O'Donnell. Both of these writings have been translated for the `Creggan Journal' by our good friend Rory S. Kieran.

Canon Mark Diamond was a classmate of the late Cardinal at St. Peter's College, Wexford and is from the diocese of Killala. His tribute to the late Cardinal is published with kind permission of the secretary of the North Mayo Historical and Archaeological Society Mrs Carmel Hughes as is the Cardinal's lecture on the Migration from Ulster to Co Mayo in 1795-96 delivered in Castlebar in 1989.

We are also indebted to Mr William Nolan of the County Tipperary Historical Society for their permission to publish a lecture on The North and Young Ireland delivered by Cardinal Tomas O Fiaich in Ballingarry parish hall in South Tipperary on 28th July 1989.

Kieran McConville has come up with a novel article on Fr. Patrick Carragher uncle to Cardinal Tomas O Fiaich. The fact that this priest is virtually unknown in South Armagh makes Kieran's research all the more interesting.

Joe McManus a well-known Journalist in GAA circles pens a tribute `The Cardinal who loved Clones'. This completes the first part of the journal. South Armagh is renowned for its storytelling, ballad singing and poetry. The late Hugh McVeigh; a former principal of St Patrick's primary school Cullyhanna captures the banter, the humour and folklore of the people around Cullyhanna in the making of the South Armagh Ballad "O'Hanlon's Harp and Crown".

Mary Cumiskey the Chairperson of our society pens two articles; the first one is on The Great Flu of 1918-19. Mary's research covers incidents of the epidemic in South Armagh, South Down and North Louth. Her second article is reminiscences of her childhood days growing up in the townland of Drumbally.

This year is the 260th anniversary of the death of Seamus Mor MacMurphy (Tory and Poet). Michael McArdle and Michael McShane have penned this account of the life and times of the South Armagh Outlaw.

As editor of `Creggan' Journal of the Creggan Local History Society and this special issue to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the late Cardinal Tomds O Fiaich I acknowledge the assistance given to me by Kevin McMahon, Rory S. Kieran, Eugene McCann and members of our society.

I am also indebted to Liam Flynn and his very courteous staff for their professionalism in the production of this issue.

The Society wishes to acknowledge the financial assistance from a generous donor towards this issue.

Michael McShane
May 2010