British troops are to leave Crossmaglen, south Armagh, tomorrow.
There will be no official farewell after more than 30 years in what was once the IRA's most feared battleground, and some locals said they will be glad to see the back of them.
Philip O'Reilly (34), a barman, said: "We never wanted them here in the first place, and we're delighted they're finally going."
Demolition is already completed on the lookout tower and the British army and police base that loomed over Tomas O Fiaich Square.
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Earlier this month a British army helicopter crashed in a village field earlier this month, injuring six people inside. As police guarded the site, youths bombarded them with petrol bombs, stones and bottles.