The Shambles Variety Market - Armagh City (Weekly)

What to Expect

The Shambles Variety Market is held every Tuesday and Friday, 8am to 4pm, in the Shambles Yard at Cathedral Road in Armagh city, with the next trading day on Friday 7 August 2026 and the Tuesday-Friday pattern continuing week after week. The market has a long history in the city and operates both in the open trading yard and inside the listed Johnston Building, giving traders and shoppers cover when the weather turns. Traders sell a wide range of goods including fresh fruit and vegetables, clothing, household goods, textiles, and general miscellaneous items, so it functions more as a general market than a single-theme food or craft stall.

It is a working local market rather than a tourist attraction, serving residents of Armagh city and the surrounding rural area who come in for their weekly shop, and it has operated on the same site for generations. The Johnston Building itself is a notable part of the city’s built heritage, and the mix of indoor and outdoor trading space means the market keeps going through most weather. Council-run car boot sales are held separately on alternate Saturdays at the same yard, so regular visitors sometimes combine a Friday market trip with the fortnightly boot sale.

Good to Know

• Every Tuesday and Friday, 8am to 4pm; next trading day Friday 7 August 2026.

• Shambles Yard, 2 Cathedral Road, Armagh city, BT61 7QX.

• Free admission; open to the public year-round.

• The Johnston Building at the site is a listed historic structure.

• Car boot sales are held separately on alternate Saturdays at the same yard.

Getting There

The Shambles Yard is on Cathedral Road in Armagh city, close to the city centre and within walking distance of the main bus stops on English Street and Scotch Street. On-street parking and town centre car parks are nearby.