churches historical armagh

The story of Armagh Cathedral begins in 445AD when, according to tradition, St patrick built a stone church on the hill known as Druim Saileach (Sallow Ridge).

Around the Church building in early days was built one of the most celebrated of the great Irish Monastic Schools to which students came from all over Europe. Here in 1014 on the north side of the great church was buried Brian Boru High King of Ireland. A plaque on the exterior west wall of the North Transept commemorates this...

Church of Ireland Cathedral of St Patrick:
Largely a rebuilding around a medieval core. Surrounding streets follow the rings of the Celtic rath on which St Patrick built his church. A rich variety of carved heads forms a frieze around the exterior. A west wall tablet marks the grave of High King Brian Boru, vanquisher of the Vikings in 1014.

Catholic Cathedral of St Patrick:
A complete contrast: almost Byzantine in this lavish colouring, mosaics and carvi...

Tablet memorials to 18th-century bards include Art McCooey (1738-73) and bandit poet Seamus Mor MacMurphy (1720-50).The church itself belongs to the Church of Ireland Diocese of Armagh. It was built in 1731. The tower on the church dates back from 1799....

A mile south east at Aghory (take B131) the Presbyterian church commemorates the father and son founders of the Disciples of Christ, a huge indigenous American fundamentalist church which now has over one and half million adherents....

St. Monenna, otherwise known as Darerca or Blinne, who died around 517, chose a peaceful spot on the eastern slope of Slieve Gullion for her foundation, one of the few known early Irish nunneries. It continued in existence for 1,000 years until the Reformation finally put an end to it. what seems at first like a very long church 112dt in length is, in fact, two separate churches built in a straight line, now partially joined by a wall 33 ft long.

The western church is the older of the...

An inscription on the south-east face records that Ternohc son of Ceran Bic put the place under the protection of St. Peter the Apostle. As Ternohc's death is recorded in 714 or 716, the inscription could make this the earliest historically datable stone monument in Ireland. Above the inscription is a Latin cross and, beneath it, a decorative equal armed cross in a circle.

The north-western face bears other forms of crosses, both with and without enclosing circle. The pillar stood at...