See You in 2008

THE 2007 ARMAGH PROJECT was a great success largely due to the efforts of our dedicated students and the cooperation from the Armagh community. Our website with stories, videos and images is now available.

Our videos are also posted on YouTube.

Please feel free to reach out to us with any comments, critiques or corrections regarding this site, the official website or our videos. You can reach photo editor George Miller at gwm3@temple.edu.

For our closing images, we have Saint Patrick's Cathedral (Roman Catholic) on top. The middle image is Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Church of Ireland, as seen through an AMMA Centre window.

Below is a group of young kids photographed by Temple University student Chrissy Doughty.

Thank You, Armagh

FOR THE PAST FOUR weeks, we've been all over the city and the region shooting pictures, making videos and asking a lot of questions.

The people of Armagh have been incredibly gracious to us. Here are just a few of the kind folks who have indulged us during our month in Armagh.

Collections

THE ARMAGH PUBLIC LIBRARY, founded in 1771, is the oldest library in Northern Ireland. The library houses many rare books, including a 1726 first edition of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels.

The Armagh Sports shop houses (and sells) sports jerseys for many of the city's local teams.

Scenes from Armagh: Laura McKean-Peraza's View

LAURA MCKEAN-PERAZA created these images over the past few weeks during her daily explorations of the city.

The image above is through the window of the Armagh City Hostel during one of the rare days it rained in Ireland.

The Randolph Macon Woman's College student photographed these steps leading to the hill at Navan Fort.

This scene looking down a wet Russell Street was photographed around 7:00 am on Sunday, August 12.

Laura, an aspiring veterinary student, met this cow while trekking home from Navan Fort ... in the rain.

Ulterior Motive

THIS COW mannequin stands in front of an English Street butcher shop.

Brigid Carey Inside the Prison

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY student Brigid Carey had the rare opportunity to tour the defunct Armagh Women's Prison.

The prison housed many political prisoners during the Troubles and was the scene of many protests and hunger strikes. The prison closed in 1986.

Belfast and Beyond

LOYOLA COLLEGE student Juanita Dudhnath traveled to Belfast before catching a ferry to Scotland. She photographed Belfast's City Hall (left) along the way.

The classical renaissance building celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2006. Plans for the building began in 1888 when Queen Victoria designated Belfast as a city, acknowledging the region's rapid growth due to the arrival of linen and other industries.

Juanita created this image of football fans watching a match while on the ferry to Glasgow.

All the Way to Galway

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY student Lauren Hicks created this image on the west coast of Ireland, in Galway, about 200 kilometers from our base in Armagh.

Students completed the bulk of their content last week and then split town. Several went to London. Others traveled to Dublin, Belfast, the Giant's Causeway and elsewhere.

Lauren visited Galway with Temple University student Nora Daly who has family in that region.

Scenes from the Causeway Coast

TOURISTS STARE OUT at Larrybane Bay from Carrick Island in County Antrim. The island is only accessible by a rope bridge. Fisherman started using a rope bridge to get to the island 350 years ago because migrating salmon pass right by the rocks.

The ruins of Dunluce Castle. Formerly the home of the King of Ulster, the castle was abandoned in the 17th century after part of the kitchen fell into the sea while servants were preparing Christmas dinner.

A pair of reenactors firing matchlock muskets at Dunluce Castle.

The Giant's Causeway, which according to legend, was built by Finn McCool, a giant who commanded the King of Ireland's armies. McCool wanted a causeway to Scotland, the legend says, to either meet a woman or to do battle with a Scottish giant.

A surf shop and a church in the town of Portrush.

Colorful homes along the harbor in Portrush.

Visitors enjoying ice cream on a bench along Portrush's East Strand beach front.

A Nation of Storytellers

THERE IS NO such thing as a short conversation with an Irishman. A simple question elicits an answer full of detail, hyperbole, tangential references, humor, speculation, complaints about the weather, and often, a little Irish history.

These gents sat on a bench in front of the AMMA Centre and traded tales for hours a few days ago.

14 Degrees and Raining

THE WEATHER IN Ireland can change by the minute, so today we're watching the clock. Right now, it's drizzling and cold. Who knows what it will be in one hour? The forecast predicts a high of 14 degrees Celsius, which is roughly 57 degrees Fahrenheit.

The ominous clouds hover over a strip of colorful businesses on Thomas Street in the image above.

The Pipes are Calling

DARA VALLELY WELCOMED us into his home, told us tales of old Ireland and played the uillean pipes for us. His troupe, the Armagh Rhymers, perform traditional Irish music, theater and dance around the world.

The Seat of Kings and Queens

SARAH TURNER, A STUDENT from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma, trekked out to the Navan Fort and Centre, the grassy hill about two miles from Armagh where Queen Macha supposedly built a giant Celtic temple in 95 BC.

The site is a large park now, with a visitors center featuring interactive exhibitions.

Mysteriously, someone left a lock of hair on the hill.

This is a member of the Living History Team who resides in the early Christian period dwelling on the Navan grounds.

Content with Content (hopefully)

TODAY IS DEADLINE day for student content, and the lab has been buzzing all day.

Though the final web products won't be completed until next week, videos are already being placed on YouTube. Check them out.

Scenes from the North Coast: Judy Dobler's View

DR. JUDY DOBLER, a Loyola College writing professor, the Armagh Project chief copy editor and budding travel photographer, created these images from the North Coast, the northern-most part of Ireland.

Meg and Apples

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY'S Nora Daly photographed Meg Carey, a Gonzaga University graduate student, partially hidden behind the apple trees on the Brambly Farm just outside of Armagh city.

New Angle on Old Viking Slayer

ARMAGH IS AN old city, in fact, the oldest in Ireland. We're here to put a new spin on the place.

Lauren Hicks, a Gonzaga University student, took drastic steps to photograph this plaque marking the burial site of Brian Boroimhe, the Irish king who drove out the Vikings. Its located on the side of Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Church of Ireland.

Scenes from Northern Ireland: Kyle Saadeh's View

INTREPID PHOTOJOURNALIST Kyle Saadeh, a recent graduate of Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, has been traversing Ireland creating images for PICTURE ARMAGH.

Above is his evening shot of Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Church of Ireland, in Armagh.

This image was created in the tiny village of Ballintoy along the North Coast.

Cate Oliver, a Gonzaga University student, photographed Kyle on the rope bridge in Carrick-A-Rede.

Cricket on The Mall

THE MALL IN Armagh was once a horse track, but now its vast green space near the heart of the city. On any given day, you'll find locals taking advantage of the space by eating lunch in the grass, kicking around a soccer ball or playing cricket.

The Armagh Cricket Club is housed in the park and they have summer camps for children.

Nora Daly's Scenes from the North Coast

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY student Nora Daly traveled with her family to the far reaches of Northern Island, to an area with stunning scenery.

A few hours drive from Armagh, the Giants Causeway is a natural rock formation that leads, mostly under water, to Scotland.

County Antrim is also home to the remains of Dunluce Castle which dates back to the 13th century.

Links Between Religions

WE SEARCHED EVERYWHERE for a place to create a picture of both Saint Patrick's Cathedrals in Armagh in one frame. A kind elderly gentleman who answered an unexpected midday knock on his semi-suburban door suggested we check the Armagh City Golf Club, located south of the city center, off Newry Road.

The Church of Ireland is on the left of the golfer, and the Roman Catholic on the right.

The golf club is a wonderfully lush, green park that cascades down the hill and back up again.

Smile Armagh

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY student Chrissy Doughty (left) and Gonzaga University graduate student Caitlin Robirds shooting video down Scotch Street near Armagh City Centre. Students are now in their third week of the project and stories, images and videos are due by the end of the week.

The entire team, which includes a few new arrivals and one early exiting instructor, posed for a photo at Zio's restaurant yesterday. Not pictured are Margaret McCaliskey, the Irish culture instructor, and George Miller, the photo module instructor (who is on the other side of the camera).

Cork Rolls to Victory

SUPPORTERS OF ARMAGH'S Sean O'Reilly celebrate a strong bowl on Cathedral Road during the Junior B catagory competition of the Road Bowls All Ireland Finals.

Armagh's O'Reilly rolling the first ball (with Armagh Project video instructor Dustin Morrow in the background).

Enthusiasts and gamblers crowd the street while waiting for a roll ...

... and they scatter as the 20 ounce steel ball rolls past.

Hundreds of people followed the event down a long stretch of road. The finals are the culmination of months of competition.

Some people found the long stroll rather tiring.

In the end, it was County Cork's Ger Fitzpatrick who took the championship in the category. He topped O'Reilly by a full roll.