This film celebrates the 250th anniversary of Armagh Robinson Library with the help of living history actor, Isaac Beattie. Isaac, taking on the role of ‘Captain Richardson’, re-enacts Georgian life in Armagh at the time of the Library’s founder, Archbishop Richard Robinson.
He visits Armagh Robinson Library where he views a census of Armagh dating from 1770, original architectural drawings of the Library by Thomas Cooley, and a silver medal struck to commemorate the opening of the Library in 1771. Afterwards he visits the Library’s second building which is located nearby at No 5 Vicars’ Hill.
When it was originally built in 1772 No 5 Vicars’ Hill was the Registry Office for the Diocese of Armagh. The Registry Officer shows some of the items on display in No 5, including a portrait of Archbishop Richard Robinson and some examples of prints from Robinson’s collection.
This film, funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, is the final in a series of films designed to engage audiences during the closure of the Library and No 5 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
