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Armagh
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The city of Armagh is an ancient religious site of worship of both Celtic paganism and Christianity, the oldest of the five cities in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. Armagh was granted a Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994, and city status was officially re-conferred in 1995. Armagh is the least-populated city in both Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland. It had a population of 14,590 people in the 2001 Census.
lass="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m1861098",this)' onMouseout='hide("m1861098")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Emain_Macha">Emain Macha (or Navan Fort) at the city's edge, is believed to have been used as an ancient pagan ritual or ceremonial site.
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The city of Armagh is an ancient religious site of worship of both Celtic paganism and Christianity, the oldest of the five cities in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. Armagh was granted a Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994, and city status was officially re-conferred in 1995. Armagh is the least-populated city in both Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland. It had a population of 14,590 people in the 2001 Census.
History
Foundation
Emain Macha (or Navan Fort) at the city's edge, is believed to have been used as an ancient pagan ritual or ceremonial site. According to Irish mythology it was once the capital of Ulster, until it was abandoned during the 1st century. The site was named after the goddess Macha, and as the settlement grew on the hills nearby, it was also named after the goddess — Ard Macha means "The Height of Macha".
When Christianity spread to Ireland during the mid-400s, Armagh became the island's "ecclesiastical capital", as Saint Patrick established his principal church there. Saint Patrick decreed that only those educated in Armagh could spread the gospel. According to the Annals of the Four Masters, in the year 457:
Medieval era
In 839 and 869, the monastery in Armagh was raided by Vikings. As with similar raids, their objective was simply to acquire valuables such as silver, which the churches and monasteries often kept.
The Book of Armagh came from the monastery. It is a 9th century Irish manuscript now held by the Library of Trinity College, Dublin (ms 52). It contains some of the oldest surviving specimens of Old Irish.
Brian Boru is believed to be buried in the cemetery of the St. Patrick's Church of Ireland cathedral. After having conquered the island during the 990s, he became High King of Ireland in 1002, until his death in 1014.
In 1189, John de Courcy, a Norman knight who had invaded Ulster in 1177, plundered Armagh.
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 and the Armagh Observatory in 1790. This was part of the Archbishop's plan to have a university founded 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 Troubles
For more information see The Troubles in Armagh, which includes a list of incidents in Armagh during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.
Buildings of note
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 Roman Catholic cathedral was constructed during the latter half of the 1800s and features twin 64m spires, making it the tallest such structure in the county. Armagh is the only city in the world which is home to two cathedrals of the same name.
The city is home to the Armagh Observatory, founded in 1790, and to the Armagh Planetarium, established in 1968 to complement the research work of the Observatory. It has a Georgian area of heritage importance.
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 1700s, which was once part of the Archbishop's estate.
Among the city's chief glories is the public library on Abbey Street. Founded in 1771 by Archbishop Richard Robinson (later Lord Rokeby), using his own library as its nucleus, it is especially rich in 17th and 18th century English books, including Dean Jonathan Swift'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.
Administration
The city is run by Armagh City and District Council, headquartered in Armagh, which covers a larger area than just the city, but not the entire county. Together with part of the district of Newry and Mourne, it forms the Newry & Armagh constituency for elections to the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly. The Member of Parliament is Conor Murphy of Sinn Féin, who is a former Provisional Irish Republican Army prisoner and a member of the Sinn Féin negotiations team. He won the seat in the United Kingdom general election, 2005, after the retirement of long-serving SDLP MP Seamus Mallon.
The city has a long reputation as an administrative centre and currently located in the city is the headquarters of the Southern Education and Library Board and the Southern Health and Social Services Board.
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.
Armagh is the seat of both the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, both of whom hold the position of Primate of All Ireland for their respective denominations.
Demographics
Armagh city is classified as a medium town by the (i.e. with population between 10,000 and 18,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 14,590 people living in Armagh. Of these:
- 25.1% were aged under 16 years and 17.5% were aged 60 and over
- 48.1% of the population were male and 51.9% were female
- 68.3% were from a Catholic background and 30.2% were from a Protestant background.
For more details see:
Education
Primary
- Armstrong Primary School
- Christian Brothers Primary School Armagh
- Collone Primary School
- The Drelincourt Primary School
- Drumhillery Primary School
- Mount St Catherine's Primary School
- St. Colmcille's Primary School
- St. Malachy's Primary School, Armagh|St. Malachy's Primary School
- St. Patrick's Primary School, Armagh|St. Patrick's Primary School
- Saints and Scholars Integrated Primary School
Post-primary
Transport
Armagh acquired rail links to Belfast in 1848 (Armagh railway station opened on 1 March 1848), Monaghan in 1858, Newry in 1864 and Keady in 1909. The line to Newry was closed in 1933, and all other lines to Armagh were closed on 1 October 1957.
The Armagh rail disaster occurred on June 12 1889 near Armagh on the line to Newry.
Sport
Gaelic football is popular in Armagh, its two major clubs being Armagh Harps and Pearse Ógs.
In 2004, The Royal School, Armagh became only the second team in history to win both the schools' rugby and hockey cups in the same year.
The City of Armagh Rugby Club is based in the city.
The Mall in Armagh has a long association with cricket, and is the location of the the Armagh Cricket Club clubhouse.
Armagh City Football Club currently plays in the IFA Championship.
Town twinning
Razgrad, Bulgaria
See also
External links
- - an interactive galleria which comprises assorted images of Armagh architecture, landscape and society.
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