Culture
The Georgian character bringing Armagh’s 18th-century world to life
Armagh historian Aoife Cleland will portray an unusual 1780s woman during this year’s Georgian Festival, which runs from November 26 to 29.
Local archive
Latest
30 stories on this page
Community
Three orange lights over Armagh? New PSNI records reveal reported UFO sighting
A Northern Ireland UFO Society report says PSNI information released in March 2026 includes an account of three orange lights seen in a triangular formation over Armagh during August 2025.
Community Killylea
Killylea community mourns Reverend Bill Atkins after sudden death
Reverend Bill Atkins, Rector of Killylea, Caledon and Brantry, has died following the onset of a heart attack last week, prompting tributes from St Mark’s Parish Church and 1st Caledon Boys’ Brigade.
Education
Armagh-born academic seeks local memories of Northern Ireland’s changing funeral traditions
Dr Sharon Mallon, who is from Armagh, is leading a British Academy-funded study into how funerals, wakes, burials and cremations are changing across Northern Ireland. She is inviting people aged 18 and over who attended a funeral or wake in the past five years to share their experiences.
Crime & Public Safety Richhill
Killylea mourns beloved Reverend Bill Atkins after devastating heart attack
The Killylea, Caledon and Brantry community is mourning Reverend Bill Atkins, who died on Thursday, October 22, after suffering a massive heart attack the previous week. His family, parishioners and fellow clergy paid tribute to his faith, humour, kindness and service. Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced shortly.
Community
Armagh council marks 10 years of food hygiene ratings as diners urged to check scores
ABC Council is marking a decade of mandatory Food Hygiene Rating stickers across Northern Ireland, reminding Armagh residents and visitors that ratings show the food hygiene standards found during an inspection.
Community Loughgall
£3,248 Lottery grant gives Drumbreda and St Brigid’s Hill volunteers new power to transform their estates
A community association covering Drumbreda and St Brigid’s Hill in Armagh has used a £3,248 National Lottery grant to buy equipment for estate clean-ups, while continuing a programme of activities for children, families and older residents.
Community
Armagh quiz night raises £2,600 for WAVE Trauma Centre after County Armagh Golf Club event
More than 100 people took part in WAVE Trauma Centre’s annual fundraising quiz at County Armagh Golf Club on October 9, raising £2,600 for the charity’s work supporting people affected by injuries and trauma linked to the Troubles or conflict in Northern Ireland.
Crime & Public Safety
Nearly 900 people see powerful Speak Up hate-crime play across Armagh borough
A theatre production created and performed by Southern Regional College students reached almost 900 people during Hate Crime Awareness Week, using real-life-inspired scenes to explore hate crime, respect, prejudice and inclusion.
Business & Openings Keady
Enterprise Week 2026 brings free business events to Armagh, Keady and across the borough
ABC Council has announced a week of free events for entrepreneurs and business owners, featuring resilience, succession planning, wellbeing, female entrepreneurship and practical digital-skills workshops.
Crime & Public Safety
21-year-old arrested after 90mph Lurgan pursuit involving stolen Husqvarna motorcycle
A 21-year-old man was arrested in the Ardowen area after police said a stolen motorcycle was ridden dangerously through Lurgan, including along the wrong side of roads and onto a footpath.
Culture Navan
Halloween in Armagh: ancient fires, fireworks and family events across County Armagh
Families across County Armagh can choose from free fireworks, spooky activities and a Samhain storytelling experience at Navan Centre and Fort Armagh during the Halloween period.
Sport Demesne
A Georgian love story, fine dining and scandal await at Armagh’s Archbishop’s Palace
A lavish living-history dining experience will transport guests to Georgian society at the Archbishop’s Palace in Armagh on Friday 27 November 2026.
Crime & Public Safety
Armagh GAA murder compensation case adjourned after new UDR evidence emerges
A civil action linked to the 1975 murder of Armagh man Sean Farmer and another Gaelic football fan has been put on hold until January.
Business & Openings Markethill
Markethill’s final phase of £2m town improvement scheme gets under way
Contractors have begun the Markethill phase of a £2 million Environmental Improvement Scheme, with paving, kerb repairs and new street furniture planned along Main Street until spring 2027.
Culture The Mall
Armagh’s William Kennedy Piping Festival returns with four days of concerts, sessions and workshops
The William Kennedy Piping Festival will bring classes, concerts, lectures and informal music sessions to Armagh from 12 to 15 November 2026, with events planned at venues including Aonach Mhacha, Armagh First Presbyterian Church, The Charlemont Arms Hotel and The Hole in the Wall Bar.
Traffic & Construction
South Armagh cairn still closed after structural damage, tour guide says
A South Armagh tour guide has criticised delays in reopening a historical cairn that has been closed since July 2025 because of structural damage.
Crime & Public Safety
Armagh man spared prison after pub smoking-area shove caused head injury
An Armagh man who pushed another man in a pub smoking area, causing him to fall and suffer a head injury, has received a suspended prison sentence and been ordered to pay £500 compensation.
Community Keady
Armagh Aontú candidate calls for Stormont to cut 25 MLAs
Aontú’s Armagh representative Daniel Connolly is calling for the number of MLAs at Stormont to be reduced from 90 to 65, arguing that taxpayers are not receiving value for money from the current political system.
Crime & Public Safety Middletown
Armagh woman fined and banned after no-licence collision near Middletown
A 29-year-old Armagh woman has been fined and banned from driving for one month after admitting she was driving without a full licence when involved in a road collision near Middletown.
Crime & Public Safety
Police seek men after incident at Apache Pizza on Armagh’s Lower English Street
Police are appealing for information about an incident at Apache Pizza on Lower English Street, Armagh, on 8 February 2026, and have released images of men they believe may assist their investigation.
Crime & Public Safety
Armagh 1975 murder case: High Court told soldiers helped create bogus checkpoint
The High Court in Belfast has heard that serving soldiers helped set up a bogus military checkpoint used in the 1975 murder of Sean Farmer and another Catholic friend in Armagh.
Community
Community champions recognised at borough-wide Community Awards 2026 gala
ABC Council has celebrated 33 shortlisted groups and individuals at the Community Awards 2026, with winners announced across 11 categories during a gala evening at the Seagoe Hotel.
Community
Positive Ageing Month brings tea dances, activities and new connections across Armagh borough
Positive Ageing Month events are continuing across the ABC Borough, with activities for over-50s taking place in Armagh and other towns and rural centres. A recent tea dance was held at the Brownlow Hub in Lurgan.
Business & Openings City Centre
Armagh Gaol vision moves forward as public backs hotel and mixed-use future
Plans for a landmark hotel and mixed-use regeneration of historic Armagh Gaol have advanced after community engagement found overwhelming support for protecting its heritage while creating tourism, cultural, leisure and community uses. An outline business case is now being developed, with an outcome expected in March 2027, subject to appraisal and approval.
Culture
John Banville to bring Booker-winning literary event to Armagh City Library
Booker Prize-winning author John Banville will appear at Armagh City Library on Thursday, October 22, as part of Book Week NI 2026.
Culture Navan
Navan Fort UNESCO decision set for July 2031 as Armagh redevelopment plans move forward
A decision on Navan Fort’s proposed UNESCO World Heritage status is expected in July 2031, while ABC Council is pursuing funding for a masterplan and has agreed up to £30,000 for a creative engagement project at the ancient Armagh site.
Education Richhill
£30,000 Richhill AFC funding row deepens after Education Authority blames email typo
The Education Authority chief has said an email linked to a proposed £30,000 allocation for Richhill AFC was not received because of a typing error, amid criticism from an MLA.
Community
‘A little light’ brings Armagh families together for emotional baby loss event
Families gathered at Armagh Palace Stables for a candlelit ‘wave of light’ event, sharing memories of babies who died during pregnancy, at birth or in infancy.
Traffic & Construction Tandragee
Tandragee residents step inside dementia and autism experience bus
A mobile bus brought simulated sensory challenges to Tandragee during a Southern Health Trust and ABC Council wellbeing event for Positive Ageing Month.