Armagh City, Banbridge, and Craigavon is a local government district in eastern Northern Ireland. At the time of the 2021 census, the district’s population was 218,656. The district covers an area of 514 square miles (1,332 square kilometers). Its borough council meets in Craigavon.
The district includes the historic city of Armagh, a religious center for Roman Catholics and Protestants. Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, founded a church on a hill in Armagh around A.D. 445. A Church of Ireland cathedral now occupies the site. A Roman Catholic cathedral stands on a nearby hill.
In the mid-1960’s, the national government created the community of Craigavon by establishing a new urban center between the nearby towns of Lurgan and Portadown. Portadown is the center of a fruit-growing and a rose-growing industry. Banbridge town lies on the River Bann in the eastern part of the district. Its main street is at a lower level than its side streets and is linked to them by a bridge.
Most of the district’s workers are employed in service industries, which include education, health care, government services, real estate, and retail and wholesale trade. The manufacturing, agriculture, and construction sectors also employ many people. The district’s many industries have included textile production, chiefly at Dromore; linen stitching and dyeing; shoemaking; and light engineering. Farmers in the district raise dairy cattle, hogs, and poultry. Chief crops include root crops and seed grasses.
Armagh City, Banbridge, and Craigavon covers much of the area of County Armagh, one of the six historic counties of Northern Ireland. County Armagh ceased to be used as an administrative area when local government was reorganized into smaller districts in 1973. In 2015, the Armagh City district joined with the Craigavon and Banbridge districts and a small part of the Dungannon and South Tyrone district to form the Armagh City, Banbridge, and Craigavon local government district.
