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| County Armagh |
County Armagh is one of the 6 counties belonging to Northern Ireland and hence belonging to the United-Kingdom. County Armagh is one of the four counties of Northern Ireland to presently have a majority of the population from a Catholic community background and which would be in favour of being part of the Republic of Ireland. In summer, you will see green/white/orange flags in the streets of major towns. The county is actually nicknamed the "bandit county" by the English. When you're French and somewhat external to the matter, you can feel sometimes a bit uncomfortable to this display of allegiance. Other than that, the county is nice to visit, however, don't try to use the secondary roads as you may find yourself turning in loops, and no road signs will be there to help you find your way... If you plan to visit County Armagh, here are some illustrated examples of activities to do and sites to visit... |
| 1. Pray with the Catholics... [   ] When you walk through the streets of Armagh town, you will see signs indicating the proximity of a church and specifying if it is of the Catholic religion (Roman Catholic) or of the Protestant religion (Church of Ireland). The Catholic Cathedral of St Patrick was built in the second half of the 19th century and is the highest monument in the county. |
| 2. Pray with the Protestants... [ ] However, one St Patrick can hide another! Armagh is indeed the only city in the world to have two cathedrals with the same name. On the right-hand side, you can see Market Place Saint Patrick Cathedral (Church of Ireland) in the background. |
| 3. Witness the "curfew"... [ ] during the weekdays, Northern Ireland sees all its shops closed from 6pm on. It is not even easy to find an decent restaurant open. My advice would be to go to eat at around 5pm! Armagh City doesn't break the rule as all its shops were closed and the streets deserted when I arrived. Sometimes I felt like there was a curfew. (see photo on the right-hand side). |
| 4. Climb Navan Fort... [ ] One would expect a monument like Alamo Fort, but you will find yourself in front of a hill. However, this is a special one... The site is dated from 95 BC, has a diametre of 250 m. and is surrounded by a ditch. Despite its modern name, it seems that it was not built with a defensive function, but was like Tara (County Meath), a site of pagan rituals or used for other ceremonies. |
| 5. Walk through Gosford Forest Park... [  ] Only a few kilometers from Armagh, you can enter Gosford Forest Park. Generally, it looks like there is an admission charge to enter the park (around £4 in 2010). The location is pleasant, but I'm not fully convinced it is well worth the money. A bit of luck for me: there were no guards or gates when I entered the park! You will find several well sign-posted ways, including one dedicated to cyclists. |
6. Walk by Gosford Catle... |
| 7. Observe the birds at Oxford Island... [ ] It was a minor nightmare to find my way to reach Oxford Island... After Croghavan, the key is to follow the road to Lurgan. In fairness, after that the road is well sign-posted. Oxford Island is a natural park, on the shores of Lough Neagh, which shelters several species of birds. Some hides allow you to observe them without disturbing them. The site turns out to be a bit disappointing, because I haven't seen that many birds on site, and the ones which were there were not really rare or endangered (ducks, seagulls, water hens). Maybe it was a bad time. |
| County Armagh in pictures | ||
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 Photo 2. St Patrick Cathedral (C of I). |
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 Photo 3. 6pm, curfew? |
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 Photo 4. Navan Fort. |
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 Photo 5. Gosford Forest Park. |
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 Photo 6. Gosford Castle. |
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 Photo 7. Oxford Island. |
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Legend:
Nice; Worth a visit; Well worth visiting
Please note that this grading system is only based on my interests and personal experience as a French expat in Ireland. Feel free to visit the same locations and share your experience 
.
Free or Not Applicable Entrance fee ≤€5 ; €5<Entrance fee≤€10 ; €10<Entrance fee≤€15 and so on...
These price ranges are indicative only to help you plan your holiday budget and are subject to change. Discounts generally apply for families, groups, children, students and seniors citizens.
While the admission to this site is free, a parking fee may apply.
Heritage Site managed by the Office of Public Works. Most OPW sites are free of charge on the first Wednesday of every month during 2011. A Good tip: the Heritage Card entitles you unlimited admission for one year to all OPW sites (around €21).