There is no such place as Silverbridge. It’s just a name on a bridge which spans the Cully Water river in South Armagh and links the townlands of Legmoyland and Cargan. It also links the modern Parish of Upper Creggan with Forkhill. The name Silverbridge is modern taken from the gaelic "Beal - Atha - An Airgid" meaning the Silver Ford. The name is historic, however, for the silver ford was on the "Bealach Mor Na Feadha" meaning the great or passage of the Fews.
Constructed in the second century one of the five great roads which left Tara the then capital of Ireland for the north of the country. It entered the Fews at Ballynaglera now Ballsmill and travelled north by the modern Silverbridge through the large townland of Dorsey and over Armaghbrague on to Armagh City. The road and ford which Brian Boru as High King of Ireland passed over in 1004 on his way to Armagh City to place an offering on the altar of Saint Patrick. The road and ford ten years later his funeral passed over on its journey northwards to the same Church of Saint Patrick for burial after he was slain at the battle of Clontarf in 1014.
The road and ford over which the great Hugh O'Neill at the head of his army so often passed over. The road on which the said Hugh O'Neill passed southwards on one of his last journeys in Ireland to surrender his sword at Melifont. A tradition here-abouts tells us he stayed a night at the "Silver Ford" rather than seek the hospitality of his half brother 'Turlough' at nearby Glassdrummond Castle.
The road and ford over which King James's army marched southward after the siege of Derry to do battle at the Boyne in 1690. About half a mile north of the "Silver Ford" and along side the "Bealach Mb'r" is a ledge of rock still known as "The King's Table" where tradition says he took his breakfast.
The road and ford over which Cromwell's army marched northwards in their trail of destruction.
The road and ford over which the Dublin - Armagh stage coach, the "Armagh Lark" travelled for some years before the present bridge was built to accommodate it.
Half a mile north of the "Silver Ford" and also along side the "Bealach Mor" where Sammy Burns has his hay barn now in 1980, is the site of Bleeks Inn, the kindly Cromwellian soldier who often sheltered St. Oliver Plunkett and who also along with his wife made arrangements for him to have meetings with his clergy of the district. The Saint and his clergy would also have used the road and ford.
The "Silver Ford" was sited some 300 yards north west of the present modern bridge and connected the townlands of Carnally and Dorsey. When the bridge was erected to accomodate the passage of the stage coach, the old road in some places was dropped. From Silverbridge northwards the new road ran east of the old road and again connected with the old road at a place now known as "McMahon's Corner" some two and a half miles away in the north of the town-land of Dorsey. The straightening out meant another bridge had to be erected over the Ummericam river and those two bridges are identical to this very day.
Another place of straightening out was in the townland of' Dunreavy a mile or so south of Silverbridge. here the old road ran west of the coach road for about half a mile or so, which brought it alongside Dunreavy Lake now grown up with "conulans" in this area it is still locally known as and pronounced as "Ard-An-Vore which would likely be "Ard-An-Bohur," the "High Road."
The stages in the area were Markey’s in Drumbilla now Joseph Callaghan's, unoccupied 1980. Fearons of Legmoylan now Mr. and Mrs. Felix Boyles occupied 1980. Johnsons of Camlybridge now Samuel Beggs unoccupied 1980
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