St Patrick’s Trian
Kids love this place, which in three separate and highly interactive exhibitions tells the history of Armagh, the story of St Patrick and recounts the tale of Gulliver’s Travels.
The name Trian [say: Tree-an] is taken from the three old divisions of Armagh – into Irish Town, English Town and Scots Town, but the stories it tells have much wider interest and they are very well told.
The Armagh Story
You will have driven through Armagh by the time you see this, and will see how the city grew, from it’s earliest pre-Christian origins though the arrival of St Patrick, raids by the Vikings and the development of a fine Georgian city right to the modern day.
It is not a dull presentation – kids are engaged with drawings and via interactive screens and get to join in with activities along the way.
St Patrick’s Story
Much of what was know about St Patrick is contained in The Book of Armagh, a treasure of early Christian Ireland which is on display here in facsimile (you can see the original in Trinity College, Dublin).
In this part of the Trian we learn not just about St Patrick, but about how these manuscripts were created. Visitors can trace some of the images from the book – after they have learned to make their own ink and quill pen! Interactive displays allow you to converse with and question some of those involved in creating the book.
Here the world expands and you become a tiny lilliputians, donning costumes and sitting in huge chairs, as you enter the home of the giant Gulliver to hear his amazing story.
It’s really fun and you even get to tie up the giant!
Visiting St Patrick’s Trian
The exhibitions are open year round, all day Monday-Saturday, afternoons only on Sunday. More detailed info at the website.
There is an auditorium at the site where events of various kinds, including musical events, are held. There is no information about these on the website, so you will need to contact them to find out if there is anything on when you are in the area.
The is a nice bright and airy cafe at the centre, serving good snacks and light meals, with a terrace to eat on if the weather allows.