Armagh

Armagh, a small inland county in Ulster, Ireland; bounded N. by Lough Neagh, E. by Down, S. by Louth, W. by Monaghan and Tyrone. Its greatest length is 32 miles, and breadth 20. Area, $512\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$ sq. m.; about one-half is under tillage, and the remainder in pasture, plantations, and bog, hill, and under water. The surface is hilly in the SW., and undulating in the centre, attaining in Slieve Gullion, in the SW., the height of 1893 feet. The country bordering upon Lough Neagh is low and boggy, and the Louth plain extends into the south end of Armagh. The principal rivers, navigable in their lower parts, are the Callan, the Tynan, the Upper Bann, flowing out of Down NW. for 11 miles before it enters Lough Neagh, and the Blackwater, which in its lower part separates Armagh from Monaghan. The rocks of Armagh are—Lower Silurian in the south and middle of the county; the trap of Antrim, with the underlying greensand, around Portadown; carboniferous limestone in the basins of the Blackwater and Callan; granite in the mountains of the SE.; and Tertiary strata bordering Lough Neagh. The soil is fertile, with a good deal of bog. The chief crops are oats, potatoes, wheat, turnips, and flax. The north and central parts of Armagh exhibit a dense population, low hills cultivated to the tops, hedgerows, orchards, and thickly scattered farmsteadings. Besides agriculture, linen and cotton weaving are the chief industries. Apples are largely grown. The county is mostly in the diocese of Armagh. It returns three members of parliament. The chief towns are Armagh, Lurgan, Portadown, and part of Newry. Pop. (1841) 233,024; (1871) 179,260; (1881) 163,177; (1891) 143,056, of whom 65,906 were Roman Catholics, 46,133 Episcopalians, and the remainder chiefly Presbyterians.