Ireland Guide
Down and Armagh
Armagh Friary
Address: Just off Friary Road by the entrance to the grounds of the Archbishop's Palace (now the District Council offices
Website: www.visitarmagh.com
Opening time: Palace Stables Heritage Centre April, May & Sept Sat & Sun noon–5pm; June– Aug Mon– Sat 10am–5pm, Sun noon–4pm
Price: Palace Stables Heritage Centre £4.75
The ruins of Armagh Friary, founded by the Franciscans in 1263, lie within easy walking distance south of the city centre. The ruins are those of the church alone, and the site is an unfortunate example of how atmosphere can be destroyed when a major road runs alongside. The focus now is the Palace Stables Heritage Centre where tableaux of life-sized figures depict July 23, 1776, the day on which Archbishop Robinson entertained the notable English agriculturalist and writer Arthur Young – his Tour of Ireland was published in 1780 – and you're guided around the exhibits by living history interpreters garbed in contemporary costumes. From here you move into the main part of the palace, which dates from around 1770, though the final storey was added in 1825, and was inhabited by subsequent archbishops until 1975, when the private Primate's Chapel next door was deconsecrated. In the grounds there's a well-preserved ice house, a curious tunnel by which servants accessed the basement kitchens, a stimulating sensory garden and, somewhat incongruously, the municipal dog-pound.