Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [557]
ST PATRICK’S CHURCH OF IRELAND CATHEDRAL
The city’s Anglican cathedral ( 3752 3142; Cathedral Close; admission free; 9am-5pm Apr-Oct, to 4pm Nov-Mar) occupies the site of St Patrick’s original stone church. The present cathedral’s ground plan is 13th century but the building itself is a Gothic restoration dating from 1834 to 1840. A stone slab on the exterior wall of the north transept marks the burial place of Brian Ború, the high king of Ireland, who died near Dublin during the last great battle against the Vikings in 1014.
Within the church are the remains of an 11th-century Celtic Cross that once stood nearby, and the Tandragee Idol, a curious granite figure dating back to the Iron Age. In the south aisle is a memorial to Archbishop Richard Robinson (1709–94), who founded Armagh’s observatory and public library. Guided tours, which should be arranged in advance, cost £2 per person.
ARMAGH PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Greek inscription above the main entrance to Armagh Public Library ( 3752 3142; www.armaghrobinsonlibrary.org; 43 Abbey St; admission free, guided tour £2; 10am-1pm & 2-4pm Mon-Fri), founded in 1771 by Archbishop Robinson, means ‘the medicine shop of the soul’. Step inside and you’d swear that the archbishop had just swept out of the door, leaving you to browse among his personal collection of 17th- and 18th-century books, maps and engravings.
The library’s most prized possession is a first edition of Gulliver’s Travels, published in 1726 and annotated by none other than Swift himself. It was stolen in an armed robbery in 1999, but was recovered, undamaged, in Dublin 20 months later.
Other treasures of the library include Sir Walter Raleigh’s 1614 History of the World, the Claims of the Innocents (pleas to Oliver Cromwell) and a large collection of engravings by Hogarth and others.
ST PATRICK’S ROMAN CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL
The other St Patrick’s Cathedral ( 3752 2802; Cathedral Rd; admission free; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 8pm Sat, 8am-6.30pm Sun) was built between 1838 and 1873 in Gothic Revival style, with huge twin towers dominating the approach up flight after flight of steps. Inside it seems almost Byzantine, with every piece of wall and ceiling covered in brilliantly coloured mosaics. The sanctuary was modernised in 1981 and has a very distinctive tabernacle holder and crucifix that seem out of place among the mosaics and statues of the rest of the church. Mass is said at 10am Monday to Friday, and at 9am, 11am and 5.30pm on Sunday.
THE MALL
The Mall, to the east of the town centre, was a venue for horse racing, cock fighting and bull baiting until the 18th century when Archbishop Robinson decided that was all a tad vulgar for a city of learning, and transformed it into an elegant Georgian park.
At its northern end stands the courthouse, rebuilt after being destroyed by a huge IRA bomb blast in 1993. It originally dates from 1809, designed by local man Francis Johnston, who later became one of Ireland’s most famous architects. At the southern end, directly opposite the courthouse, is the forbidding Armagh Gaol. Built in 1780 to the design of Thomas Cooley, it remained in use until 1988; there are plans to redevelop it into a luxury hotel.
The east side of the park is lined with handsome Georgian terraces. Charlemont Place is another creation of Francis Johnston, as is the portico fronting Armagh County Museum ( 3752 3070; www.armaghcountymuseum.org.uk; The Mall East; admission free; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Sat). The museum displays prehistoric axe heads, items found in bogs, corn dollies and straw-boy outfits, and military costumes and equipment. Don’t miss the gruesome cast-iron skull that once graced the top of the Armagh gallows.