County Armagh

The city of Armagh is one of the most historic on the island. It was the seat of the ancient Kings of Ulster, who were crowned at nearby Emain Macha (Navan Fort). There’s a graciousness about the city, with its steep streets following the curves of the ditches that surrounded the ringfort or rath where Saint Patrick built his stone church in 445.

In the Palace Demesne are the ruins of a Franciscan friary, founded in 1263. Few medieval buildings have survived, but there are many fine examples of Georgian architecture, especially around the tree-lined Mall, which used to be the city’s racecourse. Richard Robinson, who became Archbishop of Armagh in 1765, was responsible for most of them, including the Palace, Public Library, Infirmary and Observatory. He spent about £40,000 (a fortune in those days) improving Armagh to encourage the foundation of a university, which didn’t happen – although today the Armagh campus of Queen’s University, Belfast , is housed in his Infirmary. He was the patron of Armagh-born architect Francis Johnston (1761-1829), who later left his mark on Georgian Dublin and elsewhere. Today, the Palace Demesne even includes a golf club.

Armagh City is small, with a population of under 20,000, but there is a lot to see and do. Visit St. Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral , built on the site of the saint’s church, which is mostly a 19th-century restoration around a 13th-century shell. Brian Boru, who drove the Norsemen out of Ireland in 1014, is said to be buried in its churchyard, and among other interesting monuments is an 11th-century high cross. St. Patrick’s Trian derives its name from the ancient division of Armagh City into three distinct districts, or “Trians.” They were known as Trian Mor (to the south and west), Trian Masain (to the east) and Trian Sassenach or Saxon (to the north). The city today has an English Street , Irish Street and Scotch Street , which roughly mark the boundaries of these Trians. The visitor complex now is in three 18th- and 19th-century buildings on English Street . There are three major exhibitions: The Armagh Story, Saint Patrick’s Testament and The Land of Lilliput, inspired by Gulliver’s Travels, whose author, Jonathan Swift, spent a lot of time in Armagh.

2½ miles (four km) west of Armagh , is Navan Fort, or Emain Macha, capital of the Kings of Ulster from 600 BC. The name Emain Macha means “twins of Macha” and it’s associated with the Ulster saga, The Táin. The story is that Macha was forced to race against the King’s horses when pregnant; she gave birth to twins and died after the race, but cursed the Ulstermen, saying that they would become weak with labor pains in Ulster ’s hour of need.

When Queen Maeve of Connaught marched her armies to Ulster to steal the famous brown bull of Cooley, sure enough the Knights were struck down with labor pains and only Cúchulainn was able to guard the pass at Glendhu, near Slieve Gullion.

Slieve Gullion, “the mountain of the steep slope,” is the highest in Armagh . The Slieve Gullion Forest Park is on the B113, five miles (eight km) southwest of Newry, and it’s an eight-mile (11-km) drive up and around it. There’s a mountain-top trail to walk (at 1,880 feet/573 m), which takes you to megalithic cairns and a lake with fantastic views. It’s not only the striking landscape that makes South Armagh interesting, but also its people. The area has been inhabited for more than 6,000 years, as you can see from burial chambers, megalithic tombs and cairns . It’s also associated with the saga from the Ulster Cycle, The Táin Bo Cuailgne (or The Cattle Raid of Cooley), as it’s here that Cúchulainn defended Ulster against the marauder, Queen Maeve of Connaught.

The Slieve Gullion area retains its culture and identity through music, poetry, folklore and art. It was known as “the District of Songs” and was home to all the most important Ulster poets of the 18th century, the last great age of literature in the Irish language. In Creggan Graveyard, northeast of Crossmaglen, there’s a beautifully kept Poets’ Glen. The graveyard is also where the Ulster chieftains, the O’Neills, were buried.

On the southern slope of Slieve Gullion is a large stone cairn covering a Neolithic (New Stone Age) passage tomb, known locally as Caillaigh Berra’s House. Its layout is similar to the one at Newgrange, and is probably the highest so far discovered on the island, with wonderful views from it. It’s also a notable feature in the landscape, as it sticks out from the mountain slope.

Killevy Churches, Graveyard & Holy Well on the eastern side of the mountain is well worth a visit. One of the earliest convents in the whole country was founded here by Saint Moninna, who died around 518. Her feast day is July 6, still celebrated with visits to the well higher up, reached by a path. The saint’s name survives locally as “Bline.” Water from this holy well, like many others all over the 32 counties, is said to cure a specific ailment – in this case eye problems. Many of the wells are signposted and are worth a look.