Armagh
Irish Place|
name = Armagh |
gaeilge = Ard Mhacha |
crest image = Armagharms.PNG |
motto = |
map image = NorthernIrelandArmaghBorough.png |
pin coords = left: 105px; top: 114px |
north coord = 54.339 |
west coord = 6.656 |
area = ? km² |
province = Ulster |
county =
County Armagh | NI district =
Armagh City and District|
population = 14,590 |
census yr = 2001 |
web = www.armagh.gov.uk |}}
Armagh is a
city in
Northern Ireland, the
county town of
County Armagh. In
Irish it is known as 'Ard Mhacha', or 'Macha's Height'. 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 Northern Ireland, and the second least populated in the island of Ireland,
Kilkenny being the smallest. It had a population of 14,590 people in the
2001 Census.
The city is home to
Armagh Observatory, founded in
1790 and to the
Armagh Planetarium established in
1968 to complement the research work of the Armagh Observatory. It has a
Georgian area of heritage importance.
*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, he is a former
IRA 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 an
Anglican and a
Roman Catholic archbishop, the
Archbishop of Armagh, both of whom hold the position of
Primate of All Ireland for their respective denomination.
*
Emain Macha or Navan Fort, at the edge of the City, has a genuine claim to be the oldest settlement in
Ireland, dating back to
Queen Macha in 600 BC. The Celtic Queen gave her name to the City -
Ard Macha, meaning The Height of Macha, reflecting the fact that the City developed on the hill overlooking Navan Fort.
*The claim that Armagh is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland dates back to AD
445 when
Saint Patrick established his principal Church in Ireland here. It is the historical center of the
cultus of Saint Patrick, the centre of a network of congregations.
*
Brian Boru is buried in the cemetery of the
Anglican,
St. Patrick's Cathedral ,the center of the
Church of Ireland. He is credited with driving the
Norsemen out of
Ireland in
1014.
*It has also been an educational centre since the time of Saint Patrick, leading to it being known as the city of saints and scholars. Saint Patrick decreed that only those educated in Armagh could spread the gospel. The educational tradition was carried on with the foundation of
The Royal School, Armagh in
1608. Generously assisted by Archbishop Robinson in the
18th century, the school, along with the
Armagh Observatory, formed part of the Archbishops 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 City Hospital building.
*Armagh acquired rail links to
Belfast in 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 in 1957.
*The
Armagh rail disaster occurred on June 12, 1889 near Armagh on the line to
Newry.
*
1 January 1986: Two members of the
Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) (James McCandless (39) and Michael Williams (24), both
Protestants), were killed by a
Provisional Irish Republican Army remote controlled bomb hidden in a litter bin and detonated when their foot patrol passed, Thomas Street, Armagh.
Armagh city is classified as a Medium Town by the
NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie 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
*5.1% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.
For more details see:
NI Neighbourhood Information Service*
Armagh Integrated College*
Armstrong Primary School*
City of Armagh High School*
The Royal School, Armagh*
Saint Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh*
NI Conflict Archive on the Internet*
Culture Northern Ireland*
Architecture of Armagh*
Armagh Observatory*
Armagh Planetarium*
St. Patricks Grammar School, Armagh*
The Royal School, Armagh*
Lisanally Special School, Armagh*
Armagh Pipers' Club*
Armagh Market House*
Armagh Franciscan Friary*
St Patrick's Cathedral*
Armagh Baptist Church*
Armagh City F.C.*
Armagh Public Library*
Book of Armagh*
List of towns in Northern Ireland*
List of villages in Northern Ireland
