Exploring Armagh and the lands around Thursday 5th June

Armagh is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. The Vikings were here long ago.   It has faced its hardships over the years, was a hot spot in the IRA troubles and now seems like any other town that we have been to.  Lots of people, lots of new housing, lots of shops with no tenants, supermarkets galore and difficulties trying to get around the old market places to the centre of town.

So last night we managed to explore as we went out to grab dinner.  The city has two St Patrick's Cathedrals, but we only went to the huge one on top of the hill.  It forms the beginning of the heritage trail associated with Brian the King!  Look at the matching spires.

Looking back down towards the town

The cemetery alongside

The sun was out, and before we left our B&B we noticed a microwave for guest use.  We ended up getting a fresh Marks and Spencer 2 course meal including wine and cheese and bickies all for 14 pounds.  Mick and Lyn had told us they used to do this, but we haven't had anywhere that has had a microwave and a fridge in our room.  John thinks it is like a bit of an upmarket motel! and motels they don't have here.

On the town common at 7.30 the boys were having a cricket match! Might be future champions here!

The sun set after 9.40pm! 

The reason for coming to this neck of the woods was that my g.g. grandmother came from Tandragee not far away to the east, 10 miles.  Then also the Herron family lived in Newry, again 14 miles away to the south east.

So we headed off to Newry, my mission was to find some information about Sarah Cosgrove and Samuel Herron the first names that I have with this side of our family.  Newry is almost a city of churches, they are everywhere.  We visited St Patrick's Church on the top of the hill, Church of Ireland, and wandered through the cemetery, as you do when you are a researcher, and my interest also lies with restoration of crypts, as I have managed to do that in Tasmania.

Like most headstones they are unreadable.  The problem is now that we are getting more familiar with the effects of the potato famine, I realise that the poor didn't have the funds to pay for a funeral.  I think somewhere we learnt that it still cost 6p to the undertaker.  Added to that time and the elements have stripped the names from most of the old headstones.

I feel sorry for the parishioners, walking up the steep path would be difficult

Then they get to the top and still have to walk up

Before they get to the front door

Unusual in that it has twin spires on top

Now how is that for damage

Or that I could give them lessons in repairing them!

The top, it records all those inside, or provides a memory for them from 1700's

But tucked away was a David Buchanan, wonder if he was one of mine

We were looking for the tourist information sign, and ended up parked beside the canal.  And "when in doubt, ask a local" and I did, and he pointed me in the right direction.  Not only for the tourist centre but for the museum with historical records.  Yeah!  I thought.

The old terrace houses of the town

The cathedral it is huge

Skyline from the museum up another hill

The canal, built to transport flax and linen and other goods.

We met a researcher at the History centre in the museum, and he tried to assist, but he gave me some valuable information.  There are no recorded births marriages and deaths before 1864.  Probably one site that might help find Irish information is the Griffiths Valuations of Ireland, or of course the Family search.org

However the difficulty lies in where the people come from. Samuel Herron came from Newry.

Now Newry is a town, a parish, or a union.  So the family could have been in any one  of those places. They are all in Armagh, the county.  See how it gets difficult, but my researcher has determined to find them.

But he didn't all he could find was a death of a Samuel born 1824 and died 1879, which puts him in the correct time frame.  Even he kept hitting brick walls, and the earliest census record is 1901, because all the others are no more!  Researching the Irish ancestors is very difficult indeed.  But while it is a learning experience I have been able to research all about the Plantations, and who came here from Scotland and England, and how the lands were worked, so all is not lost.  For someone who didn't do history at school, I sure am learning an awful lot by being on the ground.

The town was rebuilt because James II burnt it down!

Linen production in the olden day

I came across this statue of a former convict from Australia who got back to Ireland, did he really escape?

Way back in those days you had to be sure to keep up appearances - and the people were small!

We then went to Tandragee home of John Mann and Sarah Leggitt.  On the way, however we saw some very picturesque scenery, just perfect for a picture!  

We didn't manage to find anything all about my family, and it was raining quite heavily by then.  Sarah lived at Tullyhill, a little way out of town, which is nothing more than farm land now.  

Back to town, and a couple of photo opportunities, the houses were again terraced and old, and all around the market square.  

Church of Ireland maybe where they were married

Old Methodist church, no graves I don't know where they would all be

Which is owned by a lady of the surname Leggitt

We parked across the road from the name sake, Herron's Chicken Shop - selling KFC style packs

We followed the road to Portsadown, another hot spot in the troubles, but there is nothing to be seen at all anymore, which is good.

Then back into Armagh and we went to the museum.  They had some interesting displays of old bikes.

Imagine riding this

Or this

I can't ride a bike of any sort, so maybe I might have been able to pedal the three wheeler variety!

 My brother in law is a clock man, so just for him

The displays of clothing in the museum were from the 1700's and onwards, the items must be very fragile.

This china is from 1600's

Very old pocketwatches

Our last stop was inside a walled parkland, leading to the Council chambers housed in an old castle.  There was a wedding party getting photos taken inside the Old Priory

Tomorrow we leave for Belfast.  Will have to work out a driving route, as it is not far down the road!