Local archive
Culture City Centre
Thousands gathered in Belfast city centre on 22 August 2026 as the nine-day Mela festival opened with a parade, international food and arts displays, and performances. The event will culminate in Mela Day at Botanic Park on Sunday, 30 August.
Traffic & Construction
Eithne Vallely, an 81-year-old musician whose work helped shape traditional Irish music in Armagh and across Ireland, has died after being struck by a truck in the Portadown Road area. Police are appealing for witnesses following the crash on Friday morning.
Traffic & Construction
Eithne Vallely, an 81-year-old woman from Armagh, has died after a single-vehicle collision involving a lorry on the Portadown Road. She has been remembered for her decades of work teaching and promoting traditional Irish music, including through the Armagh Pipers Club.
Crime & Public Safety
Eithne Vallely, 81, from Armagh, died at the scene after a single-vehicle collision involving a lorry and a pedestrian at about 8.20am on Friday. The PSNI is appealing for information.
Culture
Tributes have been paid to Eithne Vallely, the former St Patrick’s Grammar School teacher and long-serving Armagh Pipers Club Director of Music, who has died aged 81.
Community
A volunteer transport service is helping older people in rural South Armagh reach hospital appointments that would otherwise require lengthy journeys by bus and taxi.
Culture
The four-day Armagh Food & Cider Festival will celebrate Bramley apples, local cider and Northern Ireland produce from September 3 to 6, with orchard tours, markets, feasts, masterclasses and unusual ticketed experiences.
Crime & Public Safety Markethill
A Markethill man accused of administering a substance, rape and false imprisonment has been returned for trial at the Crown Court, according to a report published on August 22, 2026.
Crime & Public Safety
A man in his thirties has been arrested in the Newry Road area of Armagh on suspicion of several fraud-related offences following a cross-border police operation targeting cold-callers and rogue traders.
Traffic & Construction
Police have confirmed that renowned traditional music educator Eithne Vallely, aged 81, died at the scene of a collision involving a lorry and a female pedestrian on Armagh’s Portadown Road. The road has reopened, while investigators appeal for witnesses and dash-cam footage.
Culture Keady
Tributes have been paid across Armagh and the traditional music community following the death of Armagh Pipers Club Director of Music Eithne Vallely, aged 81. Mrs Vallely, who made Armagh her home after moving from Donegal, spent six decades teaching children and young people and helped establish the club with her husband Brian.
Traffic & Construction
Portadown Road in Armagh has fully reopened after a serious collision on Friday morning, with the Air Ambulance and several emergency crews sent to the scene and temporary closures affecting routes around Killuney Roundabout.
Traffic & Construction
Emergency services attended a serious road traffic collision at the Killuney Road roundabout in Deansbridge, County Armagh, shortly before 8.30am on Friday, August 21, 2026. The Portadown Road around the roundabout remains closed, with local diversions in place.
Traffic & Construction
Emergency services are responding to a serious road traffic collision involving a vehicle and a pedestrian at the Killuney Road roundabout in Deansbridge, County Armagh. The Portadown Road remains closed, with local diversions in operation.
Culture
Members from Armagh are expected to join thousands taking part in the Royal Black Institution’s Last Saturday demonstration in Dungannon on August 29, one of five major parades marking the end of Northern Ireland’s parading season.
Traffic & Construction
Police are at the scene of a serious collision on Portadown Road in Armagh, with the Killuney Road roundabout closed and diversions in place.
Traffic & Construction
The Killuney Road roundabout in Armagh city is closed following a serious collision on the Portadown Road, with police advising motorists to avoid the area and use alternative routes.
Sport Cathedral
Mourners are due to gather in Salford Cathedral on Friday afternoon for the funeral of comedian Jimmy Cricket, according to a Press Association report published by the Belfast Telegraph.
Education
St Patrick’s Grammar School Armagh is celebrating a sharp rise in GCSE performance, with 81% of pupils achieving five A*–C grades including English and Maths and several pupils recording eight or more A*/A grades.
Education
Students at St Catherine’s College Armagh have been celebrating an outstanding set of GCSE results, including perfect profiles of 10 A* grades achieved by Aoibhe Delaney, Emily McCooe and Zoe Mulholland.
Traffic & Construction
Motorists have been urged to avoid the Portadown Road area in Armagh after a serious collision led to road closures and diversions around Killuney roundabout, College Hill, Victoria Road and Stonebridge roundabout.
Community
Armagh fundraiser Willie Nugent’s dog Maisie has turned 16 while helping prepare the eighth book in their charity series, which is due out in early November and has already helped raise £21,000 for selected charities.
Crime & Public Safety
Two neglected dogs were found dead inside crates at an abandoned Lurgan home after residents said they repeatedly contacted police and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council about barking and welfare concerns. A 47-year-old man has been charged and is due before Craigavon Magistrates’ Court on 9 September, while elected representatives seek answers about how the reports were handled.
Business & Openings Markethill
A new partnership between Age NI and Markethill-based Dalzells Beds will give members access to specialist advice, showroom support, free Northern Ireland-wide delivery and help with eligible VAT relief on mobility products.
Business & Openings
A Fair Employment Tribunal has dismissed an Armagh woman’s claim that she was dismissed from a senior role at Benburb Priory because of her “conservative Catholic” beliefs.
Community
Newry and Armagh MLA Gareth Wilson has urged newly appointed Health Minister Robbie Butler to make domiciliary care an immediate priority, warning that families and care workers are under growing pressure across the Southern Health and Social Care Trust area.
Crime & Public Safety Keady
A lorry was seized and a man reported to the Public Prosecution Service after PSNI officers carried out a co-ordinated day of action against suspected rogue traders and cold callers across the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon borough, including the Keady area.
Community
An Armagh pensioner says two men fled his Desart Lane land after he disturbed them, damaging a seven-foot gate as they escaped. Police are appealing for information about the alleged attempted burglary.
Education
City of Armagh High School has reported a strong set of GCSE and equivalent results, with 84.5% of pupils completing five or more qualifications achieving grades A*–C. The school also highlighted outcomes through its partnership with Southern Regional College, subject-level successes and improvements in Mathematics and English.
Education Killylea
A sensory-friendly dairy farm and machinery show organised near Tassagh has raised more than £9,000 for Lisanally Special School in Armagh, with donations still arriving and a possible 2027 event under discussion.
