SNIPPET: Once a racecourse, Armagh city's wonderful, tree-lined Georgian Mall is shaped like a cricket bat, a fitting design for a place where the thunder of horses hooves has long since been replaced by the echo of leather on willow. One can sit on a wall in the Mall with the gentle evening breeze tugging at the chestnut blossom, while white flannelled sportsmen, out there between the ranks of historic cannon, play leisurely cricket on its green, green grass. Many of the limestone buildings are a testament to the architect Francis JOHNSTON, and his sponsor Archbishop ROBINSON, harking back to a time when clerics were rich and sure patrons of the arts. Irish Georgian architecture is one of elegance, simplicity and style. At the south end of the Mall stands the old gaol, now minus gallows; at the north end JOHNSTON's 1809 Court House. On the east stands the one-time schoolhouse, which is now the Armagh County Museum. How improving it must have been for the school's pupils to be pulled by the ears and lined up in ranks to watch malfeasants, hobbling in irons from north to south to be held for deportation or worse. How reassuring for townhouse residents looking down from their elegant balconies, seemingly mindless of the poor and starving on the village edge. Today, Armagh is best savoured listening to the music in its uillean pipers' clubs, following its road-bowls champions along high-hedged lanes and by walking through its Bramley apple orchards in May. -- Excerpts, "Irish Counties," J. J. Lee (1997)

Jean, Where could I found info on Belfast and births and marriages back to the mid 1700's, or is there any good source? Thanks Ken Hess ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jean R." <jeanrice@cet.com> To: <IRELAND-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, November 07, 2005 9:39 AM Subject: [IRELAND] Armagh City's Features > SNIPPET: Once a racecourse, Armagh city's wonderful, tree-lined Georgian > Mall is shaped like a cricket bat, a fitting design for a place where the > thunder of horses hooves has long since been replaced by the echo of > leather on willow. One can sit on a wall in the Mall with the gentle > evening breeze tugging at the chestnut blossom, while white flannelled > sportsmen, out there between the ranks of historic cannon, play leisurely > cricket on its green, green grass. > > Many of the limestone buildings are a testament to the architect Francis > JOHNSTON, and his sponsor Archbishop ROBINSON, harking back to a time when > clerics were rich and sure patrons of the arts. Irish Georgian > architecture is one of elegance, simplicity and style. > > At the south end of the Mall stands the old gaol, now minus gallows; at > the north end JOHNSTON's 1809 Court House. On the east stands the one-time > schoolhouse, which is now the Armagh County Museum. How improving it must > have been for the school's pupils to be pulled by the ears and lined up in > ranks to watch malfeasants, hobbling in irons from north to south to be > held for deportation or worse. How reassuring for townhouse residents > looking down from their elegant balconies, seemingly mindless of the poor > and starving on the village edge. > > Today, Armagh is best savoured listening to the music in its uillean > pipers' clubs, following its road-bowls champions along high-hedged lanes > and by walking through its Bramley apple orchards in May. > > -- Excerpts, "Irish Counties," J. J. Lee (1997) > > > ==== IRELAND Mailing List ==== > Ireland Mailing List website..surname registry, links, lookup > volunteers,unsubscribe, change your subscription from L to D or D to L > http://www.connorsgenealogy.com/IrelandList/ >