Armagh City Youth Hostel

Armagh City Youth Hostel Perfect for International Conferences – As Recommended by the Armagh Observatory!

Armagh City Hostel would not be an obvious location for an international conference however this hidden gem of a hostel turned out to be the perfect setting for a conference for amateur astronomers from all over the world.

Dr David Asher, Research Fellow at Armagh Observatory and part organiser of the International Meteor Conference 2010 provided excellent feedback on his and his colleagues’ experiences at Armagh City Youth Hostel.

“My colleagues and I work at the Armagh Observatory and we organised a conference for amateur astronomers from all over the world, in fact from 24 countries covering 5 continents.

We booked the entire hostel for the duration, as a place for participants to stay, to have most of their meals during the conference, and for socialising during the evenings. This last aspect is very important; I have been to many of the equivalent conferences in the past decade, in different European countries, and know that their success can depend on whether the right friendly and informal atmosphere has been created.

We have had a lot of feedback from the participants suggesting that this years Armagh meeting is one they will have great memories for a long time.

Quite simply, the youth hostel is ideally suited to an event like the one we hosted. The very clean and highly convenient bedrooms, the extensive catering facilities and the pleasant and spacious common rooms were all key to the success. The dining together and then socialising, chatting till late in the evening – the hostel was the perfect setting to let this happen.

We thank him [John Crowley, Armagh City Youth Hostel Manager] equally importantly for the smooth running of the place during the meeting and above all for his friendly welcome to every single visitor. Indeed for most of them it was a first visit to Ireland, but after this it is unlikely to be the last.

We know that things will reflect very well on us because of the excellent impression the participants will take back to their homes in more than twenty different countries, and it is no exaggeration to say that we could not have hosted the conference at all without the hostel. There is no other suitable venue in Armagh.

In my years in Armagh I have heard quite a number of visitors speak of a very pleasant stay at the youth hostel. Now, the conference has given me and my colleagues our own perspective on what a great asset the Armagh City Youth Hostel is to our historic city.”

Dr. David Asher
Research Fellow, Armagh Observatory
Organising Committee, International Meteor Conference 2010

Armagh City Hostel is located in the centre of Armagh City, or otherwise known as the ‘spiritual capital of Ireland’. The city is home to two cathedrals of Saint Patrick; St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral first built by the Saint in 445AD and St Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral. Armagh is a 45 minute drive from Belfast International Airport and 70 minute drive from Dublin Airport.

The Hostel Armagh City is within walking distance of the city’s main attractions, shops and restaurants. It provides ensuite bedrooms, free Wi-Fi, free onsite car parking, spacious dining and lounge areas, a fully equipped self catering kitchen, group catering and meeting room. All ages are welcome and the relaxed atmosphere of the hostel makes it perfect for a break in historic Armagh.

Book hostels in Ireland!