Armagh

Armagh, a county and its chief town in the province of Ulster, Ireland. The county is bounded north by Lough Neagh, east by Down, west by Monaghan and Tyrone, and south by Louth. Its area is 512 square miles. The surface is diversified, being traversed by the Slieve Gullion and Newry Mountains, but half of it is good arable land, and a third is suitable for pasture. The rivers Bann, Blackwater, Callan, Tona, and their tributaries water the country well. Armagh, the chief town, stands on a hill above the river Callan, 33 miles from Belfast. From the fifth to the ninth century it was the metropolis of Ireland, and remains so still in an ecclesiastical sense, being the seat of the Protestant primate. It has also a Roman Catholic bishopric. A large market is held here, at which unbleached linen is sold in great quantities. The Great Northern Railway of Ireland has a station at Armagh.