County Armagh was the most populous county…
September 1795 CE
Its population is equally split between Protestants, who are dominant north of the county, and Catholics, who are dominant in the south.
Sectarian tensions had been increasing throughout the decade and have been exacerbated by the relaxing of some of the Penal Laws, failure to enforce others, and the entry of Catholics into the linen industry at a time when land is scarce and wages are decreasing due to pressure from the mechanized cotton industry.
This had led to fierce competition to rent patches of land near markets.
By 1784, sectarian fighting had broken out between gangs of Protestants and Catholics.
The Protestants re-organized themselves as the Peep o' Day Boys, with the Catholics forming the Defenders.
The next decade sees an escalation in the violence between the two and the local population as homes are raided and wrecked.
The Diamond, which is a predominantly Protestant area, is a minor crossroads in County Armagh, lying almost half-way between Loughgall and Portadown.
For several days groups from both sides have been arriving at the crossroads.
The Defenders have made their base on Faughart Hill in the townland of Tullymore, less than a quarter of a mile south-west of The Diamond.
The Peep o' Day Boys, which historian Connolly states were of the "Orange Boys" faction, have encamped on a hill in the townland of Grange More to the north-east.
The Battle of the Diamond, a planned confrontation between the Defenders and the Peep o' Day Boys, takes place on September 21, 1795.
The Peep o' Day Boys are the victors, killing some thirty Defenders, with no casualties in return.
It leads to the foundation of the Orange Order and the onset of "the Armagh outrages".
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