You can't keep a good book down!
With the brand-new Waterstones seeing success in Rushmere, can old-fashioned books co-exist with the new-fangled e-readers?
Good morning! Welcome to the Armagh I newsletter, which drops into your inbox every Tuesday and Friday morning.
Book lovers rejoice! Waterstones has finally opened its doors in Rushmere Shopping Centre, meaning Co. Armagh readers haven’t far to go to get their literary fix.
We’ve been in a few times over the past few weeks and one thing that’s stood out is the sheer number of people in-store!
It seems like an age ago now when the arrival of e-readers, like the Kindle, heralded the inevitable demise of good, old-fashioned paperback books, with many readers becoming early adopters of what seemed then to be a revolutionary new way to consume knowledge.
The footfall in bookstores across the country today seems to tell an entirely different story. The very fact that Waterstones decided to open a brand spanking new store in Rushmere tells us that the death knell for physical books is far from sounding.
Whether it be the familiar smell of paper, or the majestic sight of a filled bookshelf, physical books just seem to have something else going for them.
In an age when digital technology seems to be killing off so many other seemingly ‘obsolete’ mediums, are books the exception to the rule?
That’s not to say that people have abandoned e-readers, but it does seem however that they haven’t quite taken off in the way that most of us expected.
But back to Waterstones…..
One key area of the new store that stood out to me was the ‘local history’ section. I ended up leaving the store with the aptly named ‘The Little Book of Armagh’ under my arm.
Authored by Barry Flynn, the book contains dozens of quirky, interesting and sometimes heart-breaking tales from a Co. Armagh of yesteryear.
One interesting titbit states:
“In 1894, there was concern about a marked increase in the prevalence of lunacy in Armagh. It was suggested that one of the causes was drinking poor-quality tea” - Barry Flynn
It’s hard to imagine stories like that once being part-and-parcel of day-to-day life in Armagh, but the records are there to prove it.
It just makes you wonder - how would we ever cope without books?
Headlines
⚽ Former Armagh player Justin McNulty set to be appointed Laois GAA boss on three-year term
🧨 Boy (13) arrested after firework placed in schoolgirl’s blazer
🤝 ‘Work with us’: DUP MP in pre-poll ‘pact’ plea to Unionist leaders to protect seats
🔥 Cars burnt out as anti-social behaviour in Keady and Newtownhamilton escalates
🚬 Man (59) arrested following seizure of half a million illegal cigarettes in Newry
💔 Family heartbreak at passing of young mum-of-two Rebecca just days after dear daddy
🚴 Plans to approve extension of Newry Canal greenway to border deferred at 11th hour
👮 Witnesses sought for two incidents in and around Magowan West in Portadown
📈 Almac’s £80m expansion to Co Armagh HQ will create 550 jobs
💷 HMRC cash forfeiture against Keady woman adjourned pending outcome of criminal case
👮 Concerns as two men call at rural house purporting to be police officers
⚖️ Anonymity rejected for under threat ‘completely out of control’ violent offender
🚔 ‘No injuries’ as police attend scene of petrol bomb attack in Newry
🏃♂️Co Armagh man chosen to represent Ireland at New York City Marathon Parade Of Nations
☘️ St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Newry district facing huge budget cuts
👨⚖️ Armagh man jailed for rape and indecent child images
⚖️ Lurgan man accused of attempting to murder three men acquitted ‘on grounds of insanity’
Armagh Jobs
✅ Aonach Mhacha are recruiting a Receptionist/Administrator.
✅ KonFloor require a Concrete Labourer and Junior / Trainee Estimator.
✅ Linwoods Healthfoods require a Cleaner and Key Operative.
✅ Salley’s Restaurant in Aughnacloy require a Pastry Chef.
✅ Mount Charles have several vacancies available.
✅ Armagh City Hotel require a Night Porter and part time Fitness Instructor.
✅ ASEE are recruiting for a number of roles which can be found here.
✅ McElmeel Mobility Services are offering a number of exciting opportunities.
🛎️ If you have a job and want to advertise it to 40,000 daily users on www.armaghjobs.com, www.armaghi.com, as well as almost 8,000 people on this newsletter and our 100,000 social media followers, get in touch.
Notice Board
🍳Family Breakfast | Edenderry Presbyterian Church | Saturday, October 21 | 8am - 11am | Fourth Portadown Boys' Brigade are holding a Family Breakfast in aid of Company Funds in First Presbyterian Church Hall, Watson Street, Portadown.
❓Table Quiz | Bourneview Mill Football Club | Tandragee Road, Portadown | Saturday October 21 | 7.30pm | £5 per person
🎃 Lá Teaghlaigh na Samhna | Aonach Mhacha | Saturday October 28 | 2pm to 5pm | Aonach Mhacha and the Armagh Rhymers are inviting boys and ghouls to a bilingual Halloween family fun day. Admission is free to the fun day which will consist of workshops with the Armagh Rhymers, an art workshop, music in Irish from other local musicians, games, and competitions!
💚🤍Green and White fundraising Night | Trainor’s Bar at Dan’s Bessbrook | Saturday November 4 | In aid of Micéal Lynch who fell ill while on holiday in Crete with his wife, Jennifer. More details here.
⛪ No Greater Love | Wednesday November 8 - Sunday November 12 | Armagh Elim Church | Armagh Elim will have a service each night for children, ladies, men, youth and the Sunday will be a day for the whole family. As a church, they simply want to share a message of hope to people that they are loved by God.
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If you’ve made it this far, impress us by telling us whereabouts in Armagh this wooden ceiling is?
Let us know by leaving a comment below! 👇
No idea. you tell me..