Visit Armagh.

Armagh (Irish: Ard Mhacha) is a town in Northern Ireland, in the county of the same name. This picturesque little town is home to 2 cathedrals, one Catholic, the other Protestant, symbolizing the town’s division into 2 religious communities, whose age-old conflicts led to more than 30 years of turmoil in the 20th century…

History of Armagh

A city developed by Saint Patrick in the name of Christianity

Armagh was established as an ecclesiastical capital as early as the 4th century. At this time, Saint Patrick is said to have founded the town’s main religious buildings, including a church and a monastery of monks and nuns. He was later quoted as saying that only those who had received a religious education in Armagh would be entitled to spread the gospel.

From 839 to 869, the monastery of Armagh was pillaged by the Vikings, but managed to preserve a number of precious manuscripts, including the “Book of Armagh”, a 9th-century manuscript in Old Irish, now on display at Trinity College of Dubin.

The famous king Brian Boru (941-1014) is said to have been buried in the 11th century in the cemetery of St. Peter’s. St. Patrick’s Church of Ireland cathedral.

Armagh develops, then goes through a period of turmoil

Over the centuries, the town of Armagh has gradually grown, with new buildings springing up around the town center. Armagh soon became a highly reputed center of education, offering high-quality courses in religion, science and literature. Following this success, Armagh opened the Royal School in 1608, and an observatory in 1790.

During the 20th century, Armagh became the center of particularly high political tensions between the British and the Irish (Protestants and Catholics), who clashed in a series of extremely violent attacks and assassinations that left many civilians dead from 1969 to 1995…

Today, the situation is more peaceful, thanks to a peace process that has helped to ease tensions between Catholics and Protestants… Nevertheless, Armagh’s current population is 50% Protestant, compared with 48.7% Catholic…