The Robinson Trail - Starts at Archbishop's Palace, Palace Demesne, Armagh BT60 4EN.

A walk around Armagh's historical sites built by Church of Ireland Archbishop Richard Robinson, 1st Baron Rokeby (1708 – 1794) in his ambition to put Armagh City on a par with Dublin and re-establish Armagh as a university city.

Richard Robinson was a very rich man and rich men can afford to have grand ideas. The buildings he commissioned remain today and form a major part of the Georgian architecture in the city.

Details of this walk are contained within a leaflet produced by St. Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral. Download at www.stpatricks-cathedral.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/The-Robinson-Trail-DL-6pp-4.pdf - it reads:

“Richard Robinson was enthroned as Archbishop of Armagh in 1765 and is remembered for transforming Armagh into a city of stunning architecture. He was responsible for building several iconic buildings in the City e.g.: Armagh Public Library; Armagh Infirmary; Armagh Observatory; the Royal School; the Gaol; the Archbishop’s Palace, the Primate's Chapel, and the Palace Stables. He also transformed the racecourse into the pleasant public park we now call The Mall.”

Read more about Richard Robinson at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Robinson,_1st_Baron_Rokeby

The buildings and spaces listed on the Robinson Trail leaflet are:

1. The Palace, Primate’s Chapel and Palace Stables

2. Armagh Public Library

3. The Mall

4. Armagh Public Library

5. Armagh Observatory

6. Armagh Gaol

7. Armagh Royal School

8. Armagh Infirmary

9. No 5 Vicars' Hill

10. St Patrick ’s Cathedral – where he was Archbishop, but built earlier.

Richard Robinson was also responsible for the Palace Demesne Park and the Rokeby Obelisk (now in the middle of County Armagh Golf Club).

The pdf. leaflet, linked to above, has more information on some of the buildings it lists.

As part of www.aboutarmagh.com, below is a possible route to follow, plus two maps. The route starts and finishes at the Palace as there is free parking all day. The walk is just over 4 miles, but if you visit every point of interest, included on the Google map below, then this will add about half a mile.

1. The first map is a is on MapMyWalk, from which you can download a GPX Map to a tablet or a phone. This should help you find your way around the route. See map at www.mapmywalk.com/routes/view/5312286286

2. The map, in the box below, is on Google and has points for all the places of interest which you pass. Each point has extra information and some have photos and videos, etc.

On this map the points are colour-coded as follows:

Yellow – built or connected to Archbishop Robinson.

Red – places which were there before his time and long removed.

Blue – places there before his time, and are still there.

Green – things which came into existence after his time.

The photo at the top is Armagh Palace, colourised by Martin McGoldrick and where this walk starts. The second is Richard Robinson by Joshua Reynolds - http://artuk.org/discover/artworks/richard-robinson-17091794-baron-rokeby-228948, Public Domain.