County Armagh is a located in Mid-Ulster in the north east of Ireland. It is the smallest of the six counties that form Northern Ireland in area and second smallest in Ulster. County Armagh is known as the " Orchard County" because the land is so fertile for apple-growing. Traditionally the centre of Christianity in Ireland, both Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland administrations are based in Armagh City which was accorded this status in 1995. The Roman Catholic Armagh Cathedral is the finest landmark of the city. The County also boasts a broad range of historical sites and remains and was served as the power centre of a number of important leaders down the through the ages.
County Armagh borders Lough Neagh to the north, County Down and Carlingford Lough to the east, County Tyrone to the north-west, and counties Louth and Monaghan, both in the Republic of Ireland, to the south and south-west respectively. Whilst not having the profile for tourism as much as the coastal counties, Armagh has a host of interesting places and things to see and do. One of the most interesting is Armagh Observatory, founded in 1790 and the Armagh Planetarium, a modern working astronomical research institute with a rich heritage
The Navan Fort, now a tree ring mound which once housed the rulers of Ulster with modern interactive visitor centre that explores the deep and rich past of the area. Slieve Gullion dominates the landscape coming from north or south. It is an extinct volacano with a crater lake, and the highest burial cairn in Ireland, comprising the benefit of views of nine counties complete with visitor centre. The Mountain forms the core of the Ring of Gullion and stands as the highest point in the county with an elevation of 573 metres. Slieve Gullion plays a prominent role in the mythology and history of the area surrounding it and dominates the countryside around it.
The other main towns are Craigavon, population 57,685. Portadown (30,000), Lurgan (38,000). The county of Armagh was severely affected by the troubles as the South Armagh area was under control of the IRA in towns like Crossmaglen and Forkhill which border counties Monaghan and Louth. Nonetheless, Armagh remained a thriving industrial county particularly in the northerly located towns where engineering, baking, and packaging and pharmaceuticals were main job providers. Only now is tourism really being promoted in the county with joint North/South marketing initiatives being undertaken. A good range of hotels and other accommodation are available along with ever improving and wide-ranging dining choice.
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