All posts by Richard

Events

March Meeting & AGM

This month’s meeting will take place in the Observatory Library as usual on Wednesday, 11th March at 7:00 pm. We will start with our Annual General Meeting. The Chairperson will present this year’s Annual Report, our Treasurer will also present the Annual Statement of Accounts. These reports and the minutes for last year’s AGM have been circulated to members earlier this month.

This will be followed by the election of officers and members of the Committee.

The AGM will be followed by our monthly talk, starting at 7:30pm.

The speakers this month are ‘History Detectives’ Leanna Russell, Moira Concannon and Lesley Simpson. They will be talking about their research into their new book, ‘Balloo, Killinchy: A Hidden History’! Their talk will focus on the sources they used in their ‘detective work’ and how to approach Local History as a beginner.

Events

February Meeting

Our next monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, 11th February at 7:00pm in the Observatory Library. Our speaker this month is Sean Hayes from the Public Record Office for Northern Ireland (PRONI), who will be discussing:

Now We’re Talking: An Exploration of the Archive of Michael J. Murphy

The talk will showcase the unique and rich archival collection left by folklorist, writer, and broadcaster Michael J. Murphy (1913-1996). A native of Dromintee in South Armagh, Murphy amassed a large collection of stories, phrases, and customs from across Ulster which informed much of his creative writing. This archive alongside that of his friend and collaborator, Sam Hanna Bell, are being made available to the public thanks to the Now We’re Talking project. The project is funded by an Archives Revealed consortium grant and is led by PRONI and The Nerve Centre and is supported by Cuimhneamh, The National Folklore Collection, BBC NI, and NI Screen.

You can find out more about the project on the Nerve Centre website at Now We’re Talking

For those of you who are new to the group, this map shows how to access the library at the Observatory.

News

History Armagh, Vol.6, No.1, January 2026.

The Armagh & District History Group produces a magazine “History Armagh” each year.  The latest copy of the magazine will be available in local shops and other outlets following its launch on Wednesday, 15th December just in time for a last minute stocking filler.

The magazine is free to members and costs £4.50 to non-members.  It will be available in the following local outlets:

Armagh County Museum, The Mall
Charlemont Hotel
Cultural Heritage Services Library, 1 Markethill Road, Armagh
Emerson’s Supermarket
Macaris Newsagents
McAnerny’s Supermarket
Navan Centre
Rocks, Thomas Street
Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum, The Mall
Whittle’s Supermarket, Newry Road

If you live at a distance from Armagh postage can be arranged by contacting: magazine@history-armagh.org

Some sample articles from the early magazines can be found here.

Some pdf copies of earlier magazines can be found here.

Events

January Meeting

Wishing you all a healthy, happy and peaceful New Year

Our next monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday 14th January at 7:00 pm in the Observatory Library.

Our speaker this month is one of our own members, Gerry Oates, who will be discussing:

‘Irish female names from pre-Christian times to present day’.

For those of you who are new to the group, follow this Link to the map which shows how to access the library from the front of the Observatory.

Events

December Meeting – Magazine Launch

 We will be launching of the 2026 edition of our magazine History Armagh on Wednesday, 17th December in Armagh County Museum at 7:00 pm.

Copies of the magazine are now in the usual outlets. Members will be able to collect their free copy on the night and to purchase additional copies if they wish.

If you are unable to attend, you will still be able to get your free copy by calling at the Museum shop after this date.

Events

November Meeting

Our next monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, 12th November at 7:00 pm in the Observatory Library.

This month’s meeting will be a workshop/discussion on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Local History research. Sean will share a few examples. If you have used AI for research before, we would love you hear of your experiences and you are welcome to share any examples you may have.

I hope you will be able to attend.

Please be aware that the Observatory carpark will be in use for a different event that night so please use the Planetarium carpark accessed from College Street.