← All events
heritage · Thursday 10 September 2026 · 7:00pm 
Armagh and District History Group Monthly Talks
At Observatory Library, Armagh Planetarium · College Hill, Armagh, Co. Armagh, BT61 9DB
At Observatory Library, Armagh Planetarium · College Hill, Armagh, Co. Armagh, BT61 9DB
The Armagh and District History Group has been running public talks for many years, drawing local historians, archaeologists, and curious residents into the same room every second Wednesday of the month. This September session marks the start of the 2026-27 season, with the group’s opening speaker Hugh Daly from the Poyntzpass and District History Society. The talks are free, open to everyone, and need no prior booking - making them one of the most accessible history events in the north of Ireland.
Talks take place at 7:00pm in the Observatory Library at Armagh Planetarium on College Hill. The library sits within one of the oldest scientific institutions in Northern Ireland - Armagh Observatory was founded in 1789, and the building itself carries a palpable sense of the past. The group covers a wide range of topics: social history, biography, archaeology, folklore, film, and local stories that rarely make it into mainstream histories.
The 2026-27 season is typically announced in September and runs through to June. Past talks have included explorations of Ulster folklore archives, the Irish dimensions of the Brontë family, the history of Whites Porridge Oats in Tandragee, and an outing to Dan Winter’s Cottage in Loughgall - birthplace of the Orange Order in 1795. October 2026 brings a Digital Film Archive screening of folklore films from the North; November features Cormac Hamill, the Armagh-born broadcaster known for BBC and TG4 series. The format is a single talk followed by open questions - typically wrapping up well before 9pm.
Armagh is well served from Belfast by direct Translink bus from Grand Central Station (roughly 70 minutes, services every few hours). From Dublin, Bus Éireann and Translink both run services - the journey is around 90 minutes. By car, Armagh sits on the A3 from Belfast and the N51/A3 from the south; junction 12 off the M1 brings you in from the motorway network.
The Observatory Library is on College Hill, a short uphill walk from the city centre. Street parking is available on College Hill itself and on the surrounding roads.
Armagh is one of the oldest cities in Ireland, with two cathedrals on facing hills and a Georgian city centre well worth a slow walk around before or after the talk. There is more to see in Armagh and across Co. Armagh.
Heading to Observatory Library, Armagh Planetarium in Armagh? Armagh has plenty more to see. Read the Armagh area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.