ARMAGH

Irish Ard Mhacha city, seat, and district (established 1973), formerly in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The hill fort of Ard Mhacha, around which modern Armagh city developed, became important in the 4th century. In the 5th century St. Patrick established his principal church in Ireland on the hill-fort site, which later became a medieval ecclesiastical capital. Armagh's capture by English (Protestant) forces in the 16th century was followed by the opening of a number of educational institutions, including a Royal school (1627), a library, and an observatory (1765). The prosperity of the Protestant clergy and gentry in the 18th century is reflected in the city's many Georgian monuments and buildings. Contemporary Armagh is the seat of both Church of Ireland (Anglican) and Roman Catholic archbishoprics, and the city is the market centre for the district and manufactures textiles, chemicals, optical items, and processed foods. Armagh district covers an area of 261 square miles (676 square km) located south of Lake Neagh and is bordered by the districts of Dungannon to the northwest, Craigavon to the northeast, Banbridge to the east, Newry and Mourne to the southeast, and the Republic of Ireland to the southwest. Southern Armagh district is rugged terrain that slopes gradually down to more fertile lowlands in the north. Northern Armagh district is the main fruit-growing region on the island of Ireland, and the villages of Richhill and Loughgall are market centres for apples and strawberries. Light industrial centres include Keady, Laurelvale, and Tanderagee in addition to Armagh city. Most of the formerly important linen mills in the district have closed or diversified into the production of synthetic fibres. Southern Armagh district and adjacent areas near the Irish Republic's border were continuing hotbeds of sectarian violence during the late 20th century. Pop. (1981) city, 12,700; (1987 est.) district, 50,700. former (until 1973) county, Northern Ireland. It was bounded by Lake Neagh (north), former County Tyrone (northwest), former County Down (east), and by the Republic of Ireland (south and west). In late prehistoric times and at the dawn of history, Armagh was an important populated area in Ulster. At the beginning of the Christian era, the fortress of Emain Mhacha, at the site known as Navan Fort, served as the centre of a kingdom of Ulster extending to the Rivers Shannon and Boyne in the west and south. Also associated with that period is an ancient frontier earthwork, Black Pig's Dyke. Following the decline of Ulster in the 4th century, Emain Mhacha lost its importance; and Ard Mhacha (now Armagh, the county town) became the political centre. It gained added importance after St. Patrick made it his metropolitan see in the 5th century. The area was later ravaged by Anglo-Norman and also Danish (841) invaders, but they made no permanent settlements. Not until the 17th century did English influence become important in the county. Made shire ground in 1586 and included in the scheme for the Plantation of Ulster of the early 17th century, Armagh was colonized mainly by Protestant landowners from England. Armagh's prosperity in the 18th century is attested to by many monuments and buildings. In the 1973 administrative reorganization of Northern Ireland, the county was divided into the district of Armagh and portions of Craigavon and Newry and Mourne districts.