Overview
Neither of Armagh’s two great justice buildings is open for a look inside on an ordinary day, so it’s worth knowing that before you make the trip. Francis Johnston’s neoclassical courthouse and the older Georgian gaol face each other from opposite ends of the Mall, the courthouse still a working court and the gaol long empty. What you can do is admire the stonework from the outside, and, if you time it right, get through the gaol’s doors on one of its occasional heritage open days. The two sites are a five-minute walk apart, easily combined into a single stop.
Armagh Courthouse
Architecture and history
Commissioned to replace an older assizes house in Market Street, the courthouse was designed by Francis Johnston, one of Ireland’s most celebrated architects, and completed in 1809. Clad in local limestone, the symmetrical five-bay façade carries a tetrastyle Doric portico, a triglyph frieze and a classical pediment; it stands at the head of the Mall and is a Grade A listed building. After the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 it also served as the meeting place of Armagh County Council, until the council moved to Charlemont Place in 1945. In the early 1970s a major interior overhaul replaced much of the original plasterwork, staircase and woodwork, though the exterior was preserved.
The 1993 bombing and reconstruction
On 3 September 1993, a 1,000 lb IRA bomb detonated directly outside the building, wrecking the roof, façade and main courtrooms; the blast shifted one of the Doric pillars by nine inches. An £8 million reconstruction added a three-storey rear extension and restored the historic frontage, and the courthouse reopened in January 1999. It remains an active judicial facility, handling magistrates’ court hearings and county court civil matters, and it hosted the high-profile 2011 trial of Robert Black. In 2012 the justice minister accepted a recommendation to close it as part of a rationalisation of court estate, but it is still open as of 2026.
The one time the building comes alive for visitors is during Armagh’s Georgian Festival, when it hosts mock trials and costumed reenactments. These are popular, so book tickets ahead.
Armagh Gaol
Georgian origins
Construction of the gaol began around 1780, largely to a design by Thomas Cooley, the architect Archbishop Richard Robinson brought in to shape Armagh’s civic centre. It was extended in the 1840s and 1850s in the manner of London’s Pentonville Prison, giving it the radial wings that still define the shell today. The gaol has stood empty for many years, its Gothic arches and stonework weathering behind the perimeter wall.
Getting inside
For most of the year the gaol is closed, but it does open for occasional heritage days, and ‘Behind Bars’ guided gaol tours turn up now and then on the Visit Armagh events listings – worth checking if seeing the cell blocks in person matters to you. Its long-term future is under discussion, with regeneration proposals floated over the years, but for now access is limited to those events.
Visiting and practical information
- Access: Both buildings are closed to general interior visits. The courthouse is a working court; the gaol is vacant and under council care, opening only for occasional tours and heritage days.
- Viewing: The exteriors can be photographed at any time from the Mall and Gaol Square. Daylight is best for the limestone façade and Georgian stonework.
- Virtual experience: A 360° virtual tour of Armagh Gaol is available online, covering the cell blocks, corridors and interiors that are otherwise off-limits.
- Parking: There is a free council car park at Court House on Lonsdale Road (31 spaces), with pay-and-display bays elsewhere in the centre.
- Courthouse contact: The Courthouse, The Mall, Armagh BT61 9DJ; phone 0300 200 7812; email armaghcourthouse@courtsni.gov.uk.
- Tips: As the courthouse is an active legal building, keep a respectful distance from the entrance during court hours.
Exploring more of Armagh
Further reading
- Armagh Courthouse – architectural history and case records.
- Armagh Gaol Virtual Tour – 360° panoramic walkthrough of the former prison.