The spiritual Capital of Ireland for 1500 years and the seat of both Church of Ireland and Catholic archbishops, Armagh is the oldest and most venerated of Irish Cities and has a long Christian heritage.

In Pagan times Armagh was the seat of the High Kings of Ulster who built the Royal mound at Navan which is an important stop on any tour. St. Patrick founded his chief church on the Hill of Armagh where the Church of Ireland Cathedral now stands as early as 445 AD.

On the opposite hill, two large marble archbishops, who gaze across the town, flank the twin-spired Catholic Cathedral.No visit to Armagh is complete without a visit to both St. Patrick’s Cathedrals and St Patrick’s Trian, a major visitor centre which tells the story of the city and the Patron Saint’s work here.

The Palace Stables exhibition with its living history characters shows what life would have been like in the household of the Archbishop of Armagh in the Georgian city and Armagh County Museum provides fascinating exhibitions and archaeological finds from the Early Christian period. Anyone with a research interest in the Irish church should visit both the Ó Fiaich Memorial Library and Archive and the Armagh Public Library.

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