| Armagh is a city
in Northern Ireland, 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 Northern
Ireland. It had a population of 14,590 people in the 2001 Census.
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.
Armagh Market House built 1815, two storey,
five bay building, currently used as a Library and Learning Centre. 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. Among the city's
chief glories is the Public Library on Abbey Street, close to St Patrick's
Church of Ireland cathedral also known as the Stolen Church. 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. |