County Armagh

County Armagh is one of six counties that together make up Northern Ireland. It is also one of the 32 counties of Ireland. County Armagh lies in the north-east of the island of Ireland. The county is 1,326 km² big. About 174,792 people live there.

The county is named after the city Armagh. The name "Armagh" comes from the Irish word Ard meaning "high place" and Macha. In stories, Macha is a goddess of Ireland. Armagh was the main town for the historic Ulaid kings of Ulster.

Landscape
The landscape has hills in the south. Slieve Gullion is the highest mountain. It goes down from there and becomes flatter with small hills called drumlins in the middle and the west. It is fairly flat in the north, and is at sea level at Lough Neagh. There are a few small islands in the lake.

History
Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid people before the year 400. The Red Branch ruled the county. Their capital was a fort called Emain Macha near Armagh. The Red Branch play an important role in the stories in the Ulster Cycle. They are also part of the story the "Cattle Raid of Cooley".

Armagh was the Roman Catholic home of Saint Patrick.

The Troubles
South Armagh is mostly nationalist. In the late 20th century, a significant minority of its inhabitants supported the IRA.

Main towns
 Newry (though part of the settlement is in County Down)
 Craigavon, includes:
 Lurgan
 Portadown
 Armagh (has city status)
 Bessbrook
 Keady
 Richhill
 Tandragee

Baronies
Baronies are old divisions of Ireland. Below is a list of the baronies in County Armagh.

 Armagh
 Fews Lower
 Fews Upper
 Oneilland East
 Oneilland West
 Orior Lower
 Orior Upper
 Tiranny

Transport

Two major highways run through County Armagh. The M1 links Belfast to Dungannon in the north of the county. The A1/N1 from Belfast to Dublin runs in the far south east. Armagh has lots of local roads connecting the towns and villages.

There used to be many railways in County Armagh, but at the moment there are only a few stations left.

Ulsterbus is the bus company that runs most public transport in the county. It includes buses from most towns to Belfast. Railway companies Northern Ireland Railways and Iarnród Éireann together run the Enterprise service. It has trains that go to Dublin (about an hour) and Belfast (about forty minutes) a few times daily. There are many more Northern Ireland Railways trains into Belfast and Bangor.

Inland waterways
The Ulster Canal and the Newry Canal run through County Armagh. The canals are not fully open for boats to use.

People associated with County Armagh
 Frank Aiken (1898–1983), born in County Armagh, Irish Republican, Irish Minister for External Affairs, Tánaiste
 Saint Benignus of Armagh, (d. 467), first rector of the Cathedral School of Armagh and Bishop of Armagh
 Brian Boru (941–1014), buried in Armagh City, victor of Clontarf, High King of Ireland
 Arthur Hunter Palmer (1819–1898), born in County Armagh, 5th Premier of Queensland
 Seamus Mallon (1936– ), born in County Armagh, first deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland
 Colin Morgan (1986– ), born in County Armagh, Actor
 Paul Muldoon (1951- ), born in County Armagh, Poet, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the T. S. Eliot Prize
 Tomás Ó Fiaich (1923–1990), born in County Armagh, Cardinal (Catholicism), Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland 1977–90
 Eunan O'Neill (1982), born in County Armagh, journalist, Russia Today
 Sir William Olpherts (1822–1902), born in County Armagh, soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross
 Ian Paisley (1926– ), born in County Armagh, clergyman, politician, second First Minister of Northern Ireland
 Saint Patrick (fifth century), first Bishop of Armagh
 George William Russell 'Æ' (1867–1919), born in County Armagh, author, critic and painter
 Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh (1759–1822), educated in The Royal School, Armagh. British Foreign Secretary, Secretary for War, Leader of the United Kingdom House of Commons and Chief Secretary for Ireland
 Colin Turkington (1982), born in Portadown, County Armagh, professional racing driver and 2009 British Touring Car champion.
 James Ussher (1581–1656), Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland 1625–1656
 Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley (1760–1842), educated in The Royal School, Armagh. Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and Governor General of India

Places of interest
 Armagh Observatory, founded in 1790 & Armagh Planetarium, a modern working astronomical research institute with a rich heritage
 Armagh Public Library on Abbey Street in Armagh City
 Navan Fort, now a tree ring mound. It once housed the rulers of Ulster. It now has a modern interactive visitor centre
 Saint Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathederal which was founded in 445.
 Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathederal
 Gosford Castle, 19th-century castle with a lot of grounds
 Slieve Gullion, extinct volcano with crater lake. It has the highest burial cairn in Ireland. 9 counties can be seen from the top. There is also a visitor centre.

References

Other websites

 
 Armagh and Down tourism
 Armagh history
 Public Records Office of Northern Ireland – Irish Administrative Divisions
 Triskelle – County Armagh
 Notes on County Armagh
 Selected Monuments in County Armagh
 Poyntzpass Presbyterian Church, Armagh