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arts · Friday 24 July 2026 · Various 
Nigel Swann Photography Exhibition
At Market Place Theatre & Arts Centre · Market Street, Armagh, Co. Armagh, BT61 7BW
At Market Place Theatre & Arts Centre · Market Street, Armagh, Co. Armagh, BT61 7BW
Portadown-born photographer Nigel Swann has spent decades making work that takes its time. His documentary and conceptual practice - exploring borders, architecture, and cultural identity across Hungary, Japan, Sri Lanka and Ireland - has been shown at the Irish Architectural Archive, the Royal Hibernian Academy, and the Gallery of Photography Ireland, where he was Photographer in Residence in 2019-2020. This summer exhibition at Market Place Theatre & Arts Centre in Armagh city is a chance to see that work in the county where Swann grew up, and to take it in at your own pace alongside Vikkie Patterson’s oil paintings, which run concurrently in the same building.
The exhibition runs across six weeks at Market Place Theatre & Arts Centre on Market Street in Armagh city. Swann studied at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin and later completed an MFA in Photography with Distinction at the University of Ulster. That combination of fine art training and sustained documentary practice shows in his work - images that tend to ask questions about place and belonging rather than simply describe what was in front of the lens. Series like “The Yellow Star Houses of Budapest” and “Borderlands” earned him international exhibition credits, and the Armagh show brings that body of work back close to where it started. Entry is free, with no booking needed during gallery hours.
Armagh city sits roughly equidistant between Dublin and Belfast, about 65 kilometres from each. By road, the A3 connects it to the M1 motorway from Dublin; from Belfast the A3 via Portadown is the direct route. Translink operates bus services from Belfast Europa Bus Centre to Armagh, with the journey taking around 80 to 90 minutes. Market Place Theatre is right in the city centre on Market Street - walking distance from the bus stop on Lonsdale Road. On-street parking is available on surrounding streets; the city is compact enough that most visitors will find a spot within a few minutes’ walk.
Armagh is one of Ireland’s oldest and most historically layered cities - the ecclesiastical capital of the island, with two cathedrals, a planetarium, a Georgian mall, and the county museum all within easy reach of Market Place. A half-day fits the exhibition and a walk through the city comfortably, with a longer day rewarding anyone who wants to go further afield into the county’s countryside and orchard villages. There is more to see in Armagh and across Co. Armagh.
Heading to Market Place Theatre & Arts Centre 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.