Tourism Minister Arlene Foster officially opened a new interpretative and historical centre in Armagh on Monday 14 March, as part of the city’s St Patrick’s Festival celebrations.
Known as ‘No 5’, the interpretative centre on Vicars’ Hill is housed in the city’s former Registry. The 18th century building has been fully restored and will display coins, prints and antiquities formerly held in Armagh Public Library, which owns the building. Historic church and public records for Armagh Cathedral and Dioceses will also be kept there.
The Minister said: “Armagh is one of the key clusters along the Saint Patrick’s Trail. The Registry is an excellent example of the rich culture and heritage that the city has to offer. The completion of ‘No 5’, together with the other attractions in Armagh, will encourage visitors to come to the area, stay a while, and hopefully return in the future.
“Culture and heritage tourism has been identified as a key product development area in Northern Ireland, and ‘No 5’ is an excellent example of a project that brings the theory to life. Along with improved accessibility to the Library’s collections, visitors to this new tourist attraction can find out more about the priceless collections and curiosities of Archbishops Robinson and Beresford.”
The Registry Project has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) as part of the St Patrick/Christian Heritage Signature Project. NITB provided £181,459 towards the project and the Heritage Lottery Fund contributed £304,500. Armagh Public Library has contributed £30,000.
http://www.ireland.anglican.org/index.php?do=news&newsid=3517