Armagh is an inland county of Ulster. It is largely agricultural and there are no major rivers apart from those which form its boundaries: the Blackwater separating County Armagh from Tyrone, and the Newry, separating it from County Down. Both rivers fall into Lough Neagh, which thus forms Armagh’s northern border.
In the south of the county is a remarkable formation (which overspreads the border into the Irish Republic): the Ring of Gullion, consisting of a huge ring of rounded hills or Drumlins, in the centre of which stands Slieve Gullion, the county’s highest hill, topped with an ancient burial mound. All across the county are the signs of ancient ages.
The City of Armagh is the seat of the Primate of All Ireland; the Archbishop of Armagh. The claims of Armagh as a seat of power are part of an ancient tradition leading back to the nearby site of Emain Macha, the royal seat of the Kings of Ulster which appears in the legend of Cú Chulainn.
County Facts
County Town: Armagh
Main Towns: Craigavon, Crossmaglen, Portadown, Lurgan, Tandragee, Loughgall.
Main Rivers: Blackwater, Bann, Callan, Newry.
Highlights: Armagh Planetarium; County Museum, Armagh; Slieve Gullion Forest park; Palace Stables Heritage Centre.
Highest Point: Slieve Gullion, 1,893 feet.
Area: 512 sq miles
Flower: Cowbane
