Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "

Macha Macha () was a sovereignty goddess of ancient Ireland associated with the province of Ulster, particularly the sites of Navan Fort (''Eamhain Mhacha'') and Armagh (''Ard Mhacha''), which are named after her.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A H ...

's height") is the county town of

County Armagh County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of an ...

and a city in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, as well as a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

. It is the

ecclesiastical capital The religious capital or ecclesiastical capital of a region is a place considered pre-eminent by the adherents of a particular religion within that region. This is most often significant for the region's predominant religion or state religion, if a ...

of Ireland – the seat of the

Archbishops of Armagh In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

, the Primates of All Ireland for both the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the secon ...

. In ancient times, nearby Navan Fort (''Eamhain Mhacha'') was a pagan ceremonial site and one of the great royal capitals of Gaelic Ireland. Today, Armagh is home to two cathedrals (both named after Saint Patrick) and the

Armagh Observatory Armagh Observatory is an astronomical research institute in Armagh, Northern Ireland. Around 25 astronomers are based at the observatory, studying stellar astrophysics, the Sun, Solar System astronomy and Earth's climate. In 2018, Armagh Obs ...

, and is known for its Georgian architecture. Although classed as a medium-sized town, Armagh was given

city status City status is a symbolic and legal designation given by a national or subnational government. A municipality may receive city status because it already has the qualities of a city, or because it has some special purpose. Historically, city status ...

in 1994 and Lord Mayoralty status in 2012, both by Queen Elizabeth II. It had a population of 14,777 people in the 2011 Census.

History

I love her cathedral and city (27198346843)

Armagh Library and open air market - geograph

Foundation

''Eamhain Mhacha'' (or Navan Fort), at the western edge of Armagh, was an ancient pagan ritual or ceremonial site. According to

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by Ch ...

it was one of the great royal sites of Gaelic Ireland and the capital of

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

. It appears to have been largely abandoned after the 1st century. In the 3rd century, a ditch and bank was dug around the top of Cathedral Hill, the heart of what is now Armagh. Its circular shape matches the modern street layout. Evidence suggests that it was a pagan sanctuary and the successor to Navan. Like Navan, it too was named after the goddess

: ''Ard Mhacha'', meaning "Macha's height". This name was later anglicised as ''Ardmagh'',Placenames Database of Ireland
(see archival records) which eventually became ''Armagh''. Navan and Armagh were linked by an ancient road which passes over Mullacreevie hill. After Christianity spread to Ireland, the pagan sanctuary was converted into a Christian one, and Armagh became the site of an important church and

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

. According to tradition, Saint Patrick founded his main church there in the year 445, and it eventually became the head church of Ireland. Muirchú writes that a pagan chieftain named

Dáire Dáire is an Old Irish name which fell out of use at an early period, remaining restricted essentially to legendary and ancestral figures, usually male. It has come back into fashion since the 18th century. The anglicised form of this name is Da ...

would not let Patrick build a church on the hill of Ard Mhacha, but instead gave him lower ground to the east. One day, Dáire's horses died after grazing on the church land. He told his men to kill Patrick, but was himself struck down with illness. They begged Patrick to heal him, and Patrick's holy water revived both Dáire and his horses. Dáire rewarded Patrick with a great bronze cauldron and gave him the hill of Ard Mhacha to build a church. Dáire has similarities with the Irish god

the Dagda The Dagda (Old Irish: ''In Dagda,'' ga, An Daghdha, ) is an important god in Irish mythology. One of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the Dagda is portrayed as a father-figure, king, and druid.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia ...

Medieval era

By the 7th century, Armagh had become the site of the most important church, monastery and

monastic school Monastic schools ( la, Scholae monasticae) were, along with cathedral schools, the most important institutions of higher learning in the Latin West from the early Middle Ages until the 12th century. Since Cassiodorus's educational program, the st ...

in the north of Ireland.Duffy, Seán. ''Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia''. Routledge, 2005. pp.48-50 The ''

Book of Armagh The ''Book of Armagh'' or Codex Ardmachanus (ar or 61) ( ga, Leabhar Ard Mhacha), also known as the ''Canon of Patrick'' and the ''Liber Ar(d)machanus'', is a 9th-century Irish illuminated manuscript written mainly in Latin. It is held by the L ...

'' was produced in the monastery in the early 9th century and contains some of the oldest surviving specimens of

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writt ...

. Armagh was at the heart of the kingdom of the Airthir, a part of the Airgíalla federation. The church at Armagh looked to both the Airthir and neighbouring

Uí Néill The Uí Néill (Irish pronunciation: ; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who died c. 405. They are generally divided into t ...

for patronage. The Uí Néill High King,

Niall Caille Niall mac Áeda (died 846), called Niall Caille (Niall of the Callan) to distinguish him from his grandson Niall mac Áeda (died 917), was High King of Ireland. Background Niall belonged to Cenél nEógain, a northern branch of the Uí Néill, ...

(Niall of the Callan), was buried at Armagh in 846 after drowning in the River Callan. His son, High King

Áed Findliath Áed mac Néill (died 879), called Áed Findliath ("fair-grey Áed"; Modern Irish: ''Aodh Fionnadhliath'') to distinguish him from his paternal grandfather Áed Oirdnide, was king of Ailech and High King of Ireland. He was also called Áed Olac ...

, had a house at Armagh. The first

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

raids on Armagh were recorded in 832, with three in one month, and it suffered at least ten Viking raids over the following century. A hoard seemingly lost by Vikings in the River Blackwater shows the high quality of metalwork being made in Armagh at this time.

Brian Boru Brian Boru ( mga, Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig; modern ga, Brian Bóramha; 23 April 1014) was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domination of Ireland. Br ...

, High King of Ireland, visited Armagh in 1004, acknowledging it as the head church of Ireland and bestowing it a large sum of gold. Brian was buried at Armagh cathedral after his death at the

Battle of Clontarf The Battle of Clontarf ( ga, Cath Chluain Tarbh) took place on 23 April 1014 at Clontarf, near Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland. It pitted an army led by Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, against a Norse-Irish alliance comprising the for ...

in 1014. Armagh's claim to being the head church of Ireland was formally acknowledged at the

Synod of Ráth Breasail The Synod of Ráth Breasail (also known as Rathbreasail) ( Irish: ''Sionad Ráth Bhreasail'') was an Irish Catholic church council which took place in Ireland in 1111. It marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan and ...

in 1111. Following the

Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land from the Irish, over which the kings of England then claimed sovereignty, all allegedly san ...

, Armagh was attacked by Anglo-Normans led by Philip de Worcester in 1185 and by

John de Courcy {{Infobox noble , image = Sir John de Courcy (1150-1219).jpg , caption = , alt = , more = no , succession = , reign = , predecessor = , successor = , ...

in 1189. It was also raided by Ruaidrí mac Duinn Sléibe of

Ulaid Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or Ulaidh ( Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include Ulidia, which is the Latin form of Ulaid, and i ...

in 1196 and 1199. Archbishop

Máel Patraic Ua Scannail Máel Patraic Ua Scannail or Patrick Ó Scannail (sometimes Patrick O'Scanlan) was an Irish Roman Catholic cleric. He served as Bishop of Raphoe, and later as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland from 1262 to 1272. In 1268 he laid ...

rebuilt Armagh cathedral in 1268 and founded a

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

friary, whose remains can still be seen. There was also a small

Culdee The Culdees ( ga, Céilí Dé, "Spouses of God") were members of ascetic Christian monastic and eremitical communities of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England in the Middle Ages. Appearing first in Ireland and subsequently in Scotland, attac ...

community in Armagh until the 16th century.

Early modern era

During the 16th century

Tudor conquest of Ireland The Tudor conquest (or reconquest) of Ireland took place under the Tudor dynasty, which held the Kingdom of England during the 16th century. Following a failed rebellion against the crown by Silken Thomas, the Earl of Kildare, in the 1530s, ...

, Armagh suffered greatly in the conflict between the English and the O'Neills. Armagh was strategically important as it lay between the

English Pale The Pale (Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast st ...

and the O'Neill heartland of Tyrone, and the town changed hands many times during the wars.Quinn, Kevin
"The Lost Castle of Armagh"
''History Armagh''. In the 1560s, English troops under Thomas Radclyffe occupied and fortified the town, which was then attacked and largely destroyed by Shane O'Neill. After the

Battle of the Yellow Ford The Battle of the Yellow Ford was fought in County Armagh on 14 August 1598, during the Nine Years' War in Ireland. An English army of about 4,000, led by Henry Bagenal, was sent from the Pale to relieve the besieged Blackwater Fort. Marching f ...

in 1598, the

rout A rout is a panicked, disorderly and undisciplined retreat of troops from a battlefield, following a collapse in a given unit's command authority, unit cohesion and combat morale (''esprit de corps''). History Historically, lightly-e ...

ed English army took refuge at Armagh before surrendering to Hugh O'Neill. By the end of the Nine Years' War, Armagh lay in ruins, as shown on Richard Bartlett's 1601 map. Following the Nine Years' War, Armagh came under English dominance and the cathedral came under the control of the Protestant

. The cathedral was rebuilt under Archbishop Christopher Hampton and the town began to be settled by Protestants from Britain, as part of the Plantation of Ulster. During the Irish Rebellion of 1641, many British settlers fled to Armagh cathedral for safety. After negotiations with the besieged settlers, Catholic rebels under Felim O'Neill occupied the town. In May 1642, following several rebel defeats and massacres by settlers elsewhere, the rebels in Armagh seized the settlers' property and set fire to the town.

Modern era

Armagh has been an educational centre since the time of Saint Patrick, and thus it has been referred to as "the city of saints and scholars". The educational tradition continued with the foundation of the Royal School in 1608, St Patrick's College in 1834 and the

in 1790. The Observatory was part of Archbishop Lord Rokeby's plan to have a university in the city. This ambition was finally fulfilled, albeit briefly, in the 1990s when Queen's University of Belfast opened an outreach centre in the former hospital building. The Catch-my-Pal Protestant Total Abstinence Union was founded in 1909 in Armagh by the minister of 3rd Armagh (now The Mall) Presbyterian Church, Rev. Robert Patterson. Although relatively short-lived it was very successful for that time, attracting many tens of thousands of members. It was influential in the development of a 'two-community' narrative in Ulster which was important in the Ulster Unionist campaign during the Third Home Rule Crisis. A 'blue plaque' historical marker commemorating Rev. Patterson was erected on The Mall in 2019. Three brothers from Armagh died at the Battle of the Somme during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. None of the three has a known grave and all are commemorated on the

Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who died in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. It is near the ...

. A fourth brother was wounded in the same attack. On 14 January 1921, during the Irish War of Independence, a

Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ga, Constáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the country was part of the United Kingdom. A separate ...

(RIC) sergeant was assassinated by the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief th ...

(IRA) in Armagh. He was attacked with a grenade as he walked along Market Street and later died of his wounds. On 4 September 1921,

republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

leaders Michael Collins and

Eoin O'Duffy Eoin O'Duffy (born Owen Duffy; 28 January 1890 – 30 November 1944) was an Irish military commander, police commissioner and politician. O'Duffy was the leader of the Monaghan Brigade of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and a prominent figure i ...

addressed a large meeting in Armagh, which was attended by up to 10,000 people. During

the Troubles in Armagh The Troubles in Armagh recounts incidents during The Troubles in Armagh City, County Armagh, Northern Ireland; the violence was substantial enough for a stretch of road on the outskirts of the city to be referred to by one RUC officer as "Murder ...

, the violence was substantial enough for a stretch of road on the outskirts of the city to be referred to by one RUC officer as " Murder Mile". Over the span of 36 years, although mainly concentrated in the years from 1969 until 1994, the small city, including some outlying areas, saw 86 deaths in the Troubles, including those of a number of people from the city who lost their lives elsewhere in Troubles-related incidents. Armagh City Hall, which had been built as the Tontine Buildings in 1828 and converted into a municipal building in 1910, was badly damaged in a bomb attack on 27 September 1972 and subsequently demolished.

City status

As the seat of the

Primate of All Ireland The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. ''Primate'' is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in ...

, Armagh was historically regarded as a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

, and recognisably had the status by 1226.Beckett 2005
p.134
It had no charter granted but claimed the title by prescription; Acts of the

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland ( ga, Parlaimint na hÉireann) was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two cham ...

in 1773 and 1791 refer to the "City of Armagh". Armagh lost the status with the abolition of its city corporation by the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840 after it was deemed ineffective and unrepresentative of its population. From 1953, Armagh began to argue for the restoration of the status lost in 1840,Beckett 2005
p.133
with several applications to the Home Office being made. The council used the appellation "city" unofficially until 1994 when, at Queen Elizabeth's personal request, Armagh along with the Welsh town of St Davids was awarded the status.

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

during a visit in July 1994 announced it had been granted to mark the 1,550th anniversary of the traditional date of Armagh's foundation by Saint Patrick, and also "in recognition of rmagh's and St Davids'important Christian heritage and their status as cities in the last century". The award of city status is typically granted to a

local authority Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

body, and the letters patent was initially presented to dignitaries and Armagh District Council by Queen Elizabeth during a visit on 9 March 1995. Following this, it was renamed Armagh City and District Council from 1 October 1995.

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council is a local authority that was established on 1 April 2015. It replaced Armagh City and District Council, Banbridge District Council and Craigavon Borough Council. The first elections to the a ...

presently holds the status on behalf of the city as there is no localised council body since the aforementioned districts were merged in 2015 as a result of local government reform. Armagh contains the lowest population of all the cities of Northern Ireland, and is fifth smallest in the UK. Its urban area covering , makes it the smallest city by size in Northern Ireland, however several other cities are smaller when the UK is taken as a whole.

Notable buildings

Armagh is the site of two cathedrals, both on hills and both named after Saint Patrick. The Church of Ireland cathedral dates back to around 445. The present-day, post-Reformation, Roman Catholic cathedral was constructed during the latter half of the 19th century and features twin 64m

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires a ...

s, making it the tallest such structure in the county. Armagh is one of the few cities in the world that is home to two cathedrals of the same name. Armagh has a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

area of heritage importance. Perhaps one of the more well known of the buildings is the former women's prison.Kerr, Robert: ''Three Gaols: Images of Crumlin Road, Long Kesh and Armagh Prisons'', MSF Press, 2011, The construction of Armagh Gaol began in 1780 and was extended in the 1840s and 1850s. The front façade of the prison was built in the Georgian style, while the later development, based on the design of

Pentonville (HM Prison) HM Prison Pentonville (informally "The Ville") is an English Category B men's prison, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Pentonville Prison is not in Pentonville, but is located further north, on the Caledonian Road in the Barnsbury area ...

, is Victorian. For most of its working life it was a women's prison although not exclusively so. Armagh Gaol was the primary women's prison in Northern Ireland. In 1986 the prison closed and its prisoners were transferred to the new prison at

Maghaberry Maghaberry or Magaberry (pronounced , ) is a village and townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is west of Lisburn and north of Moira. In the 2011 Census it had a population of 4,716 people. It is one of the biggest villages within ...

. The city is home to the

, founded in 1790, and to the Armagh Planetarium, established in 1968 to complement the research work of the Observatory. The palace of the Archbishop of Armagh is now the local council offices and, along with the archbishop's private chapel, is open to the public. The Palace Stables heritage centre is a reconstructed stable block dating from the 18th century, which was once part of the Archbishop's estate. Among the city's chief glories is Armagh Public Library on Abbey Street. It was founded in 1771 by Archbishop Richard Robinson (later created The 1st Baron Rokeby in 1777), using his own library as its nucleus. It is especially rich in 17th- and 18th-century books in English, including Dean

Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet, and Anglican cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dubl ...

's own copy of the first edition of his '' Gulliver's Travels'' with his manuscript corrections. Armagh Market House was built in 1815 as a two-storey five-bay building, and is currently used as a library. Armagh County Museum is the oldest county museum in Ireland. The building dates from 1833 and was originally a school house. It was opened as th
County Museum
in 1937.

Townlands

Armagh is within the civil parish of Armagh. Like the rest of Ireland, this parish is divided into

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

s, whose names mostly come from the Irish language. When these townlands were built upon, they lent their names to various streets, roads and housing estates. In 1830, most of Armagh's urban townlands were amalgamated for administration and became known as Corporation Lands or simply Corporation. The surrounding townlands remained as separate units and they were eventually built upon too. They are listed below alongside their likely etymologies. *Aghamoat () *Ballynahone More (from ''Baile na hAbhann'', "townland of the river") *Cargagh (from ''Cairgeach'', "rocky land") *Cavanacaw (from ''Cabhán an Chatha'', "hollow of the battle" or ''Cabhán na Cáithe'', "hollow of the chaff") *Drumadd (formerly Drumadokeenan, from ''Dromad Uí Chianáin'', "O'Keenan's ridge") *Drumarg (from ''Droim Mairge'', "ridge of the boundary") *Drumman More (from ''Dromann'', "the ridge") *Killuney (from ''Cill Liamhna'', "Liamhain's church") *Legarhill or Mullaghcreevie (from ''Mullach Craoibhe'', "hilltop of the branch"; ''legar'' is from an old English word for a military camp) *Longstone (named after a standing stone) *Lurgyvallen (from ''Lorga Uí Mhealláin'', "O'Mallon's long low ridge") *Mullynure (from ''Mullach an Iúir'', "hilltop of the yew") – part of Grange parish *Parkmore (from ''Páirc Mhór'', "great field") *Tullyelmer (originally Tullyelmaine, possibly from ''Tulaigh Alúine'', "hillock of the yellow clay") *Umgola (from ''Iomghuala'', "hill-shoulder") Some of the former townlands included: *Doonullagh (possibly from ''Dún Ulaidhe'', "fort of the tomb")Corporation
Place Names NI. *Drumbreda (from ''Droim Brighde'', "Brigid's hill")Oates, Gerry
"Origins of some Armagh place-names"
''History Armagh'', Spring 2007. *Knockadrain (from ''Cnoc an Droighin'', "blackthorn hill") – site of the Catholic cathedral *Knockamell (from ''Cnoc Uí Ághmaill'', "O'Hamill's hill") – site of the Observatory *Knockenboy (from ''Cnocán Buidhe'', "yellow hillock") *Lisanally (formerly Liosconalia, possibly from ''Lios Chon Allaidh'' meaning "fort of the wolf" or "Con Allaidh's fort") *Tullynalecky (from ''Tulaigh na Leice'', "flagstone hill") – site of St Patrick's Catholic graveyard *Templebreed (from ''Teampall Brighde'', "Brigid's chapel") *Templefertagh (from ''Teampall Fearta'', "chapel of the graves or miracles") *Tullyasnagh

Demography

On Census day (27 March 2011) there were 14,777 people living in Armagh (5871 households), accounting for 0.82% of the NI total, representing an increase of 1.3% on the Census 2001 population of 14,590. Of these: * 20.90% were aged under 16 years and 15.44% were aged 65 and over; * 52.52% of the usually resident population were female and 47.48% were male; * 68.85% belong to or were brought up in the Catholic Christian faith and 26.95% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' religion; * 44.39% had an Irish national identity, 27.18% indicated that they had a British national identity and 26.43% had a Northern Irish national identity (respondents could indicate more than one national identity); * 37 years was the average (median) age of the population; * 18.76% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaelic) and 4.08% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots.

Governance

Armagh City and District Council Armagh City and District Council was a district council in County Armagh in Northern Ireland. It merged with Banbridge District Council and Craigavon Borough Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to beco ...

was a single district council until 2015 when it merged with

Banbridge District Council Banbridge District Council was the local authority of Banbridge (district), Banbridge in Northern Ireland. It was created in 1973 when the Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 came into force. In May 2015, it merged with Arma ...

and

Craigavon Borough Council Craigavon Borough Council was a local council in counties Armagh, Down and Antrim, in Northern Ireland. It merged with Armagh City and District Council and Banbridge District Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Nort ...

under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become

, sometimes colloquially referred to as the ABC council. Armagh is part of the

Newry and Armagh (Assembly constituency) Newry and Armagh (, Ulster Scots: ''Newrie an Airmagh'') is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996. Since 1998, it has elected membe ...

. Together with part of the district of Newry and Mourne, it forms the Newry & Armagh constituency for elections to the

Westminster Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremacy ...

and Northern Ireland Assembly.

Administration

The Education Authority (Southern) and the Southern Health and Social Care Trust have their headquarters in the city, which has a long reputation as an administrative centre. The secretariat of the North/South Ministerial Council is based in Armagh, and consists jointly of members of the civil services of both Northern Ireland and the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

. Armagh is the seat of both the

Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh The Anglican Archbishop of Armagh is the ecclesiastical head of the Church of Ireland, bearing the title Primate of All Ireland, the metropolitan of the Province of Armagh and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Armagh.

and the

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh The Archdiocese of Armagh ( la, Archidioecesis Ardmachana; ga, Ard-Deoise Ard Mhacha) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the northern part of Ire ...

, both of whom hold the position of ''

'' for their respective denominations.

Education

Primary

*Armstrong Primary School *Christian Brothers Primary School Armagh *The Drelincourt Primary School *Dromintee Primary School *Drumhillery Primary School *Mount St Catherine's Primary School * The Royal School Preparatory School *Saints and Scholars Integrated Primary School *St. Malachy's Primary School *St. Patrick's Primary School

Post-primary

* City of Armagh High School *

St. Brigid's High School St. Brigid's High School was a secondary school located on the edge of Armagh City, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The school was founded in 1971 and closed in 2015. It was the only Catholic maintained boys' non-grammar school in Armagh City ...

St. Catherine's College, Armagh Saint Catherine's College Armagh (Irish: ''Coláiste Chaitríona Ard Mhacha'') is an all level Catholic school in Armagh, Northern Ireland. It caters for the 11-18 age group and is associated with the international group of schools served by th ...

* St. Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh *

The Royal School, Armagh The Royal School, Armagh is a co-educational voluntary grammar school, founded in the 17th century, in the city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. It has a boarding department with an international intake. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Hea ...

Southern Regional College Southern Regional College (SRC) is a further and higher education college in the southern area of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom. The College has a total of 5 campuses incorporating the two council areas of Armagh, Banbridge and Craigav ...

Transport

The

Ulster Railway The Ulster Railway was a railway company operating in Ulster, Ireland. The company was incorporated in 1836 and merged with two other railway companies in 1876 to form the Great Northern Railway (Ireland). History The Ulster Railway was auth ...

linked Armagh with

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

in 1848 and

Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Ireland. It also provides the name of its civil parish and barony. The population of the town as of the 2016 census was 7,678. The town is on the N2 road from Dublin to Derry and Lette ...

in 1858. The Newry and Armagh Railway (N&A) opened in 1864 and the

Castleblayney, Keady and Armagh Railway The Castleblayney, Keady and Armagh Railway (CK&A) was an Irish gauge railway in Ulster. It linked in County Armagh with in County Monaghan. The Armagh – section was opened in 1909 and closed in 1957. The Castleblayney – Keady section w ...

(CK&A) was completed in 1910. In 1876 the Ulster Railway became part of the new Great Northern Railway (GNR), which took over the N&A in 1879 and the CK&A in 1911. The

Armagh rail disaster The Armagh rail disaster happened on 12 June 1889 near Armagh, County Armagh, in Ireland, when a crowded Sunday school excursion train had to negotiate a steep incline; the steam locomotive was unable to complete the climb and the train stall ...

, which killed 80 people, occurred on 12 June 1889 on the N&A line near Armagh. The

partition of Ireland The partition of Ireland ( ga, críochdheighilt na hÉireann) was the process by which the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland divided Ireland into two self-governing polities: Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. ...

in 1922 hastened the railways' decline, and the GNR closed the

Keady Keady () is a village and civil parish in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is south of Armagh and near the border with the Republic of Ireland. It is situated mainly in the historic barony of Armagh with six townlands in the barony of Tirann ...

–

Castleblayney Castleblayney (; ) is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town had a population of 3,607 as of the 2016 census. Castleblayney is near the border with County Armagh in Northern Ireland, and lies on the N2 road from Dublin to Derry and Let ...

section of the CKA in 1923.Hajducki, ''op. cit.'', map 39 The GNR withdrew passenger trains from the Armagh – Keady section of the CKA in 1922 and closed the Armagh –

Markethill Markethill () is a village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is beside Gosford Forest Park. It had a population of 1,647 people in the 2011 Census. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under th Open Governme ...

section of the N&A in 1933. The

Government of Northern Ireland The government of Northern Ireland is, generally speaking, whatever political body exercises political authority over Northern Ireland. A number of separate systems of government exist or have existed in Northern Ireland. Following the partitio ...

forced the GNR Board to close all remaining lines serving

Armagh railway station Armagh railway station was a railway station that served Armagh in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Development The Ulster Railway opened Armagh station in 1848, linking the city with Belfast. The Ulster Railway was extended from Armagh to Mon ...

on 1 October 1957: the goods branch from Armagh to Keady and the main line through Armagh from as far as the border at

Glaslough Glaslough ( ; ) is a village and townland in the north of County Monaghan, Ireland, on the R185 regional road south of the border with Northern Ireland and northeast of Monaghan town. Glaslough won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition in 1978 a ...

on the way to Monaghan.

Northern Ireland Railways NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) ( ga, Iarnród Thuaisceart Éireann); and for a brief period Ulster Transport Railways (UTR), is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink, whose paren ...

train services run from to Belfast Great Victoria Street and the cross-border

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...

service runs via

Newry Newry (; ) is a City status in Ireland, city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Newry River, Clanrye river in counties County Armagh, Armagh and County Down, Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011. Newry ...

Dublin Connolly Connolly station ( ga, Stáisiún Uí Chonghaile) or Dublin Connolly is one of the busiest railway stations in Dublin and Ireland, and is a focal point in the Irish route network. On the North side of the River Liffey, it provides InterC ...

Poyntzpass Poyntzpass ( Irish: ''Pas Phoyntz'' or ''Pas an Phointe'') is a small village on the border between southern County Armagh and County Down in Northern Ireland. It is situated in the civil parish of Ballymore and the historic barony of Orior Low ...

also has a limited service. When he was Minister for the

Department for Regional Development The Department for Infrastructure (DfI, ga, An Roinn Bonneagair; Ulster-Scots: ''Depairment fur Infrastructure'') is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. Up until May 2016, the department wa ...

, then MLA Danny Kennedy had indicated plans to restore the railway from Armagh station to .

Sport

Armagh City Football Club, which plays in the

NIFL Championship The Northern Ireland Football League Championship (known as the Lough 41 Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second level of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national football league in Northern Ireland. Clubs in the Championshi ...

is the main association football club, and the City of Armagh Rugby Club is the local rugby club.

Lisanally Rangers F.C. Lisanally Rangers was an intermediate-level football club, based in Armagh and playing in the Mid-Ulster Football League in Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, No ...

is another football team, playing in the Mid-Ulster Football League. Gaelic football is represented by Armagh Harps and

Pearse Óg Pearse may refer to: * Pearse (surname), includes list of people with the name * Pearse Island, an island on the north coast of British Columbia, Canada * Pearse Islands, a small archipelago at the northern entrance to Johnstone Strait, near Alert ...

s. The local GAA handball club is Eugene Quinn's, named after a player from the Armagh area who died on an attempted swim from

Tory Island Tory Island, or simply Tory (officially known by its Irish name ''Toraigh''),Toraigh/Tory Island

Donegal. The local hurling club is Armagh Cúchulainns. In 2004

the Royal School, Armagh The Royal School, Armagh is a co-educational voluntary grammar school, founded in the 17th century, in the city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. It has a boarding department with an international intake. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Hea ...

became only the second team in history to win both the schools'

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

and

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

cups in the same year. The Mall in Armagh has a long association with

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

, and is the location of the

Armagh Cricket Club Armagh Cricket Club is a cricket club in Armagh, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, playing in Section 1 of the NCU Senior League. The club was formed in 1859.Armagh Athletics Club Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archb ...

was founded in 1969. The club organises the Armagh International 5k Road Race annually. The race was first organised in 1980 and takes place every February with athletes coming from England, Scotland, Wales, continental Europe and the United States.

Notable people

Only people who are sufficiently notable to have individual entries on Wikipedia have been included in the list and, in each instance, their birth or residence has been verified by citations. * Tom Boyd, Irish professional golfer, was born in Armagh in 1888 * Daragh Carville, playwright and screenwriter, whose works include '' Cherrybomb'', was born in Armagh in 1969 * David Cunningham (born 1954), musicianDavid Toop (2008)
Cunningham, David
''Grove Music Online''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Accessed June 2018. . * Moses Harvey, clergyman and naturalist, famous for studies of the

giant squid The giant squid (''Architeuthis dux'') is a species of deep-ocean dwelling squid in the family Architeuthidae. It can grow to a tremendous size, offering an example of abyssal gigantism: recent estimates put the maximum size at around Trac ...

, was born in Armagh in 1820 *

John Lennox John Carson Lennox (born 7 November 1943) is a Northern Irish mathematician, bioethicist and Christian apologist. He has written many books on religion, ethics, the relationship between science and faith (like his books, ''Has Science Buried Go ...

(born 1943),

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

who grew up in Armagh and attended the Royal School. He specialises in

group theory In abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as group (mathematics), groups. The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as ring (mathematics), rings, field ...

, is a

philosopher of science A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

and a

Christian apologist Christian apologetics ( grc, ἀπολογία, "verbal defense, speech in defense") is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity. Christian apologetics has taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul the Apostle in ...

* Patrick Magee, actor and director known for his collaborations with Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter, was born in Armagh in 1922 *

Saint Malachy Malachy (}; Modern ga, Maelmhaedhoc Ó Morgair; ) (1094 – 2 November 1148) is an Irish saint who was Archbishop of Armagh, to whom were attributed several miracles and an alleged vision of 112 popes later attributed to the apocryphal ...

of Armagh was born there in 1094 * Seamus McGarvey,

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-nominated cinematographer (''

Atonement Atonement (also atoning, to atone) is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some other ...

'', ''

Anna Karenina ''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, «Анна Каренина», p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Widely considered to be one of the greatest works of literature ever writt ...

''), was born in Armagh in 1967 *

Colin Morgan Colin Morgan (born 1 January 1986) is a Northern Irish actor. He is best known for playing the title character in the BBC fantasy series ''Merlin'' (2008–2012), Leo Elster in ''Humans'' (2015–2018), and Billy Clanton in Kenneth Branagh’s ...

, actor, known for playing the lead role in '' Merlin'', was born in Armagh in 1986 * Ian Paisley, politician, founder of the Democratic Unionist Party and

First Minister of Northern Ireland The First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland are the joint heads of government of the Northern Ireland Executive and have overall responsibility for the running of the Executive Office. Despite the different titles for the two ...

, was born in Armagh in 1926 *

Thomas Romney Robinson John Thomas Romney Robinson FRS FRSE (23 April 1792 – 28 February 1882), usually referred to as Thomas Romney Robinson, was a 19th-century Irish astronomer and physicist. He was the longtime director of the Armagh Astronomical Observatory, ...

(1792–1882), astronomer, lived in Armagh * Christopher Vokes, Major General, was born in Armagh in 1904 * Charles Wood, composer, was born in Armagh in 1866

Climate

Armagh has a temperate maritime climate (''Cfb'') according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system. The nearest Met Office standard weather station, at Armagh Observatory, provides long term weather data back to 1794. The lowest temperature was on 7 February 1895. This is also the coldest temperature on record for February in Northern Ireland. Armagh also holds the record for highest daily minimum temperature in Northern Ireland, at on 31 July 1868. The lowest daily maximum temperature on record is which occurred on 20 December 2010. Typically, the warmest day of the year will reach , and 3.7 days a year should attain a maximum temperature of or above. Typically the coldest night of the year should fall to and 40.4 nights should register an air frost. All averages refer to the 1981–2010 observation period.

Annalistic references

See

Annals of Inisfallen Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction between ann ...

(AI) * ''AI715.2 Flann.Febla,

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The ...

of Ard Macha, rested.'' * ''AI729.1 Kl. Repose of Suibne, abbot of Ard Macha.'' * ''AI750.1 Kl. Repose of Congus, abbot of Ard Macha.'' * ''AI768.3 Repose of Feradach son of Suibne, abbot of Ard Macha.'' * ''AI772.2 Suibne, abbot of Ard Macha, ested'' * ''AI791.1 Kl. Cú Dínisc son of Cú Ásaig, abbot of Ard Macha, rested.'' * ''AI793.1 Dub dá Leithe, abbot of Ard Macha, rested.'' * ''AI794.1 Kl. Airechtach, abbot of Ard Macha, ested'' * ''AI795.3 Repose of Faendledach Bec, abbot of Ard Macha.'' * ''AI807.1 Kl. Connmach son of Dub dá Leithe, abbot of Ard Macha, rested.'' * ''AI808.1 Kl. Taicthech grandson of Tigernán,

lector Lector is Latin for one who reads, whether aloud or not. In modern languages it takes various forms, as either a development or a loan, such as french: lecteur, en, lector, pl, lektor and russian: лектор. It has various specialized uses. ...

of Ard Macha, rested.'' * ''AI834.1 Kl. Eógan, bishop of Ard Macha, rested.'' * ''AI845.2 Forannán, abbot of Ard Macha, was carried off by the heathens from Cluain Comarda, and the shrine of Pátraic was broken and carried off by them.'' * ''AI846.1 Kl. Niall son of Aed, king of Temuir, was drowned in the Calann, i.e. a river beside Ard Macha.'' * ''AI852.2 Forannan and Diarmait, abbots of Ard Macha, fell asleep.'' * ''AI852.2 Repose of Cathasach, abbot of Ard Macha.'' * ''AI874.1 Kl. The third

feria In the liturgy of the Catholic Church, a feria is a day of the week other than Sunday. In more recent official liturgical texts in English, the term ''weekday'' is used instead of ''feria''. If the feast day of a saint falls on such a day, the ...

uesday ninth of the moon. Féthgna, abbot of Ard Macha, rested in Christ.'' * ''AI883.2 Repose of Cathasach, abbot of Ard Macha.'' * ''AI888.3 Repose of Mael Coba son of Crunnmael, abbot of Ard Macha.'' * ''AI893.1 First after

Bissextile A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) added to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year or s ...

. Kl. Repose of Mochta, bishop of Ard Macha.'' * ''AI924.2 Muiredach son of Domnall, abbot of Mainister Búiti and tanist-abbot of Ard Macha, rested.'' * ''AI927.1 Kl. Repose of Mael Brigte son of Tornán, abbot of Ard Macha and abbot of Í Coluim Chille.'' * ''AI936.1 Kl. Repose of Ioseph, abbot of Ard Macha; and Mael Pátraic succeeded him in the abbacy.'' * ''AI966.2 Repose of Muiredach son of Fergus, abbot of Ard Macha.'' * ''AI973.3 Dub dá Leithe,

coarb A coarb, from the Old Irish ''comarbae'' (Modern Irish ''comharba'', Latin: ''hērēs''), meaning "heir" or "successor", was a distinctive office of the medieval church among the Gaels of Ireland and Scotland. In this period coarb appears intercha ...

of Patrick, came to Mumu and made his visitation; and he and the coarb of Ailbe quarrelled regarding the levy, and Mathgamain, king of Mumu, made peace between them, and they agreed upon the perpetual right of

he coarb of He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

Patrick.'' * ''AI996.4 Ard Macha was set on fire by lightning, which did not leave unburnt a steeple therein, nor a house, nor the house of an elder inside the fort.'' * ''AI996.5 Dub dá Leithe, coarb of Ard Macha (or, of Patrick) and coarb of Colum Cille, rested in Christ.'' * ''AI1001.2 Muirecán, abbot of Ard Macha, was expelled from his abbot's seat, and Mael Maire took the abbacy instead.'' * ''AI1005.5 Repose of Eochaid ua Flannacáin, historian of Ard Macha.'' * ''AI1020.3 Mael Muire son of Eochaid, coarb of Patrick, rested in Christ.'' * ''AI1020.4 Ard Macha was burned, both stone-church and bellhouse, and all the buildings.'' * ''AI1026.3 The coarb of Patrick, accompanied by his venerable clerics, and Donnchadh son of Gilla Pátraic, king of

Osraige Osraige (Old Irish) or Osraighe (Classical Irish), Osraí (Modern Irish), anglicized as Ossory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is now County Kilkenny and western County Laois, corresponding to the Diocese of Ossory. The home o ...

, erein the house of Donnchad, son of

Brian Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word me ...

, at Cenn Corad at Eastertide.'' * ''AI1029.8

Flaithbertach Ua Néill Flaithbertach Ua Néill (before 978–1036) was king of Ailech, a kingdom of north-west Ireland. He abdicated in 1030 and undertook a pilgrimage to Rome, for which reason he was known as Flaithbertach an Trostáin (Flaithbertach of the Pilgr ...

, on his pilgrimage to Ard Macha.''

References

External links

Visit Armagh
*
Online Guide to Armagh City
{{authority control 457 establishments Cities in Northern Ireland Civil parishes of County Armagh County towns in Northern Ireland