Editing County Armagh (section)

===The Troubles===
{{Main|The Troubles in Armagh}}
The southern part of the county has been a stronghold of support for the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Provisional IRA]], earning it the nickname "Bandit Country".<ref>{{cite news | title = Myth of Bandit Country | url = http://www.cuchulainntours.com/recent-history | publisher = Iarchimi Ard Mhacha Theas | date = 16 May 2014 | access-date = 16 May 2014 | location = Armagh | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140517152636/http://www.cuchulainntours.com/recent-history | archive-date = 17 May 2014 | url-status = dead }}</ref> South Armagh is predominantly [[Irish nationalist|nationalist]], with much of the population being opposed to any form of British presence, especially that of a [[British army|military]] nature. The most prominent opposition to British rule was the [[Provisional IRA South Armagh Brigade]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Pirates, Terrorists, and Warlords: The History, Influence, and Future of Armed Groups Around the World|editor1-first=Jeffrey|editor1-last=Norwitz|page=107|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing|year=2009|isbn=978-1-626-36987-0}}</ref>

On 10 March 2009, the [[Continuity Irish Republican Army]] (CIRA), a republican paramilitary group that emerged from a split in the Provisional IRA, claimed responsibility for the fatal shooting of a [[Police Service of Northern Ireland|PSNI]] officer in [[Craigavon (planned town)|Craigavon]], County Armagh—the first police fatality in Northern Ireland since 1998. The officer was fatally shot by a sniper as he and a colleague investigated "suspicious activity" at a house nearby when a window was smashed by youths causing the occupant to phone the police. The PSNI officers responded to the emergency call, giving a CIRA sniper the chance to shoot and kill officer Stephen Carroll.<ref>{{cite news | title = Continuity IRA shot dead officer | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7934426.stm | work = BBC News | date = 10 March 2009 | access-date = 10 March 2009 | location = London | archive-date = 13 April 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210413171633/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7934426.stm | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Continuity IRA claims PSNI murder |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0310/craigavon.html |publisher=[[RTÉ News and Current Affairs]] |date=10 March 2009 |access-date=10 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090311135830/http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0310/craigavon.html |archive-date=11 March 2009 }}</ref>