← All events
heritage · Thursday 10 September 2026 · 7:00pm 
Armagh History Group: Dr Edward Burke on Ulster's Lost Counties
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 opens its 2026-27 season with a lecture that reaches into one of partition’s least-examined corners. Dr Edward Burke - Assistant Professor in the History of Warfare at University College Dublin and author of the widely reviewed Ulster’s Lost Counties (Cambridge University Press, 2024) - talks about what happened to loyalist communities in Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan after 1920, when those three Ulster counties were left outside the new Northern Ireland. If you have any interest in Irish history, the Troubles, or the long shadow of partition on identity and politics, this is a rare chance to hear a leading scholar speak on home ground, in a room that holds its own remarkable history.
Burke’s central argument is that partition did not simply sideline the Protestant and loyalist communities of the three “lost” counties - it forged something durable and eventually dangerous. Violence against these communities in the 1920s created an intergenerational sense of abandonment and betrayal, and many who later moved north carried that identity into Ulster’s political conflicts. The book traces the story from the Anglo-Irish War through to the Troubles and beyond.
The talk is the monthly lecture format the group has run for years - a speaker presents for around 45 minutes to an hour, typically followed by discussion from the floor. Attendance is open to all; no membership card, no prior knowledge required. These evenings attract a genuine mix of academics, local historians, teachers and people who simply find Irish history interesting. It is a good room to be in.
The venue - the Observatory Library at Armagh Planetarium - is a characterful setting for any gathering. Armagh Observatory itself dates to 1789, making it the oldest scientific institution in Northern Ireland, and the library sits within that historic complex on College Hill, just above the city.
Armagh city is well connected by road from Belfast (roughly 45 minutes via the A3) and from Dublin (about 1 hour 40 minutes via the M1 and A28). Bus Éireann and Translink both serve Armagh from Dublin and Belfast respectively; check current timetables before travelling as evening services can be limited. College Hill is a short uphill walk from the city centre - follow signs for the Planetarium. On-street parking is available on College Hill itself and on surrounding streets.
Armagh rewards time before or after an evening lecture - the two cathedrals, both named St Patrick’s, sit on opposite hills and are worth seeing in daylight. 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.