The Navan Centre, on the Killylea Road just outside of the City of Armagh and well signposted, will strike most visitors first by ... its apparent absence. You are guided towards a sizeable car park and from there to a visitor centre that doesn't appear to be there until you literally are opening its doors. No magic or mystery involved: The whole building was sunk into the landscape and is virtually invisible from even a short distance. Actually, many visitors first head towards the re-created Celtic round house upon arrival.
Summer Season – Meet the Celts
This also is a definite visitor magnet during the summer season, as “living history” displays are given. Centring upon the domestic life of the Celts as it would have been. Guides in period costumes will show you how their distant ancestors cooked, weaved and raised vegetables. And how they made their home in a small, yet surprisingly comfortable hut.
While this may lack a bit in the “excitement” department, it is nonetheless educational and fun. Just don't expect fierce warriors battling it out.
The Audio-Visual Show – Getting Into the Spirit of Emain Macha
Upon entering the actual visitor centre, the action can however start in the spacious theatre, where a fairly spectacular audio-visual presentation will take you back in time. To see the goddess Macha competing in a race and giving birth to twins in the process ... the Twins of Macha or, in Irish, “Emain Macha”.
Apart from the legendary founding mother of nearby Navan Fort (or Emain Macha) you will also meet sundry important figures from the Ulster Cycle, one of Ireland's most important epics – Cuchullain, Cathbad and Deirdre of the Sorrows, to name but a few. Their legends are told (in abridged form) and you will come out of the theatre with a definite background in the mythology of the place.
Only to move on towards the archaeology of Navan Fort ...
The Exhibition on Navan Fort – Getting to Grips With the Real Past
The exhibition in the Navan Centre will flesh out the legends with tangible evidence of the former greatness of the place.
One of the most puzzling enigmas of Ireland is found here: Around 2,100 years ago a huge circular building, sporting a central oak post with four concentric rings of posts around it, was constructed on the hill near the Navan Centre. The floor was lovingly paved with stones, all in a circular arrangement. And after the immaculate construction of such a marvellous place ... the whole building was deliberately burnt down and covered with earth. By its owners,not by invaders or enemies.
Various theories of why this happened are put forward, a sacrifice of epic proportions seems to be the easiest solution. Just how immense the sacrifice must have been is made clear by comparing the normal lifestyle at the time with the massive erection at Emain Macha.
Though the lifestyle here seems to have been never that simple – even the skull of a Barbary ape was found here, an indication of far-reaching contacts.
Outside Activities – Go Take a Tour
After all those shows, exhibitions and displays you may be ready for a coffee (a café is operating on a seasonal basis) or to stretch your legs – a walk through a moderately landscaped area leads to Navan Fort proper, where you can climb Emain Macha yourself. You may want to join one of the guided walks offered by the Navan Centre or explore on your own.
Who Should Visit the Navan Centre?
Admission to Navan Fort is free and unrestricted, so why should you pay for the Navan Centre? Well, first and foremost because it is fun and educational. And because, unless you have read up comprehensively on Irish history,mythology and archaeology yourself ... you won't be able to completely “get” Emain Macha.
Especially if you are travelling with kids you should not miss the visitor centre, the living history displays and some hands-on activities will be just up their street and far more exciting than just climbing a hill somewhere in County Armagh ...
