Charity No NIC 101 110
Armagh Robinson Library
Annual Report
for the Year ended
31 December 2023

ARMAGH ROBINSON LIBRARY
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year
ended 31 December 2023
CONTENTS
Page
References and Administrative Details of the Charity
Trustees, Report
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees
Appendix I
Statement of Financial Activities
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
Statement of Cash Flows
Notes to the Financial Statements
Detailed Income and Expenditure Account
Appendix 2

ARMAGH ROBINSON LIBRARY
References and Administrative Details
Charity Name:
Armagh Robinson Library
Charity Registration Number: NIC I O I I I O
HMRC Number:
XN45495
Business Address:
43 Abbey Street, ARMAGH, BT617DY
Trustees:
The Trustees are the Governors and Guardians of Armagh Robinson Library, as prescribed in the
Governing Document.
The Governors and Guardians in 2023 were:
The Most Revd J F McDowell, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland
The Very Revd T S Forster, Dean of Armagh
The Revd Canon R J N Porteus, Precentor of Armagh Cathedral
The Revd Canon W J A Dawson, Chancellor of Armagh Cathedral (retired December 2023)
The Revd Canon W M Adair, Treasurer of Armagh Cathedral
The Ven T Scott, Archdeacon of Armagh (retired January 2023)
The Ven Dr P A Thompson, Archdeacon of Armagh (from February 2023)
The Revd Canon Dr P A Thompson, Prebendary of Mullabrack (until February 2023)
The Revd Canon M Hagan, Prebendary of Mullabrack (from April 2023)
The Revd Canon D Hilliard. Prebendary of Tynan
The Revd Canon J Moore, Prebendary of Loughgall (retired June 2023)
The Revd Canon B Paine, Prebendary of Ballymore
Mr R B Hannam
Mr J-G Willis

Keeper
The Very Revd T S Forster
Independent Examiner
WHR Accountants Ltd
Chartered Certified Accountants
26 The Square
Moy
DUNGANNON
Co Tyrone
BT717SG
Bankers
The Library's primary working account is at:
Danske Bank
78 Scotch Street
ARMAGH
BT617DJ

TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE YEAR I JANUARY TO 31 DECEMBER 2023
The Purpose of the Charity
The purpose of the charity is as defined in an Act of the Irish Parliament of 1773-4, for 'settling and
preserving a publick library in the City of Armagh for ever, (George111. Chap. XL}.
The Act of Parliament provided for the incorporation and establishment of the Library with funds
and collections donated by the then Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, Richard
Robinson. The legislation covers the building to house the collections and the Keeper, makes
provision for the increase and preservation of the collections, and specifies the constitution of
Governors and Guardians to oversee the fulfilment of the Act. Archbishop Robinson provided an
endowment of land in the townland of Lisanally, to be held in trust for the Library, which is now
represented by a number of properties in the City ofArmagh. The rents of these properties support
the upkeep and management of the Library.
In accordance with this purpose, the mission and values of the Charity have been established as
follows:
Mission
To safeguard and share the treasures of the past for the enjoyment, enrichment and enlightenment
of the city [of Armagh] and the world forever.
Core Values
Stewardship." Safeguard, preserve and conserve the building and collections for future generations
by ensuring that the collections are researched, catalogued, and stored in a well maintained and
cared for building.
Sharing.. Share the collections with a broad audience, facilitating original scholarship in the fields of
its collection; making new ideas relevant, enriching. enjoyable and exciting to a broad audience by
means of the display of books and collections, as well as outreach, public tours and educational
programmes, keeping the stories of the past alive for future generations.
Partnership.. Foster a strong relationship with the community; developing and maintaining strategic
partnerships, and working with those who can assist the Library to meet its mission and strategic
objectives, and whom we can assist to deliver their own mission and goals.
Developing and Inspiring.. Develop our skills and expertise to understand, and care for the
collections and building, in order to provide a stimulating, and inspiring environment for visitors of
all ages.
Independent Status of the Library
The Library is a registered charity and an accredited museum. For the sake of clarity, it should be
stated thaL although the governing body is constituted primarily by the Archbishop of Armagh and
the Dean and Chapter of Armagh Cathedral, the Library is neither owned nor funded by the Church
of Ireland and is not under the authority of its central institutions. From its foundation by Archbishop
Richard Robinson, the Library has enjoyed a relationship with the Church of Ireland, but it is
independent of it, with no religious mission or function. The Library is, in the great tradition of the
European Enlightenment to which it owes its foundation, a place of learning and scholarship open to
all, irrespective of creed and background.

Background
Armagh Robinson Library, the oldest public library in Northern Ireland, was founded in 1771 by
Archbishop Richard Robinson. He gave his own library as the nucleus of its collections.
The Library was the first of Archbishop Robinson's public building projects in Armagh between 1771
and 1794, including also the Diocesan Registry at No 5 Vicars, Hill, the Infirmary, the Armagh
Observatory and the Gaol. His Palace now serves as the mayoral headquarters of Armagh City,
Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. He laid out The Mall as the civic space that remains to
this day at the heart of the City.
The Library building is Grade A listed, in ashlar limestone and classical style, whose oldest parts date
from 1771 to the design of Thomas Cooley. Extensions date from 1785 and, by Robert Law
Monsarrat, 1845. The building's footprint is of approximately 370 square metres.
The Long Room (Photograph by Brian Mason)
The Library's Long Room (150 square metres) at first-floor level, with a gallery, is the principal room,
and is accessed by a stairway from the public entrance in the east end. The south side and downstairs
rooms are mainly used for the Keeper's accommodation. A return on two floors over ce112rs
provides additional administrative and storage space.
The importance of the Library and its collections lies not just in their individual elements but also in
the fact that both building 2nd collections remain intact as a very rare example of a once-essential
resource for advanced scholarship, a visual dimension of Europe's classical heritage, as part of
Archbishop Robinson's purpose to encourage learning among the clergy and people of his day.
The Registry
No 5 Vicars, Hill was built in 1772 as the Diocesan Registry by Archbishop Richard Robinson. Its
octagonal rooms held the records of the Church of Ireland Diocese of Armagh, as well as some
public records. While the Diocesan records are no longer kept in the building, some examples are
on display, with ancient coins, gems, significant prints, early Christian artefacts and other examples
of the collections of Armagh Robinson Library. In 2010-201 I the building was restored with grant
aid from the then Heritage Lottery Fund and Northern Ireland Tourisc Board and converted into
an exhibition area to display some of the Library's non-book collection. It is now known as No 5
Vicars, H ill.

al￿1,
The Robinson Room in No 5 Vicars, Hill
The Collection
The Library is a reference library of some 48,000 titles with additional collections of fine art, coins,
gems and archaeological items. The Library is also an accredited museum whose role is to care for,
display and make accessible to the public the collections in its care.
The Library's collections currently consist of the following:
Approximately 48,000 books, the earliest one printed in 1484.
310 manuscripts, of which 23 are from the Middle Ages, the earliest from the twelfth
century",
7 incunabula, dating from the second half of the fifteenth century;
4,500 prints and engravings, from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries;
38 maps and atlases, from the seventeenth century.
4,000 eighteenth-century gemslsulphurs.
400 coins (mainly pairs of Roman coins from the first two centuries of the Roman Empire,
with some medieval and eighteenth-century items including some very rare specimens
4,000 items of music from Armagh Church of Ireland Cathedral's collection.
6 volumes of eighteenth-century newspapers covering a ten-year period.
the complete original series of 15 costume drawings for a pageant to mark the 1,500th
anniversary of St Patrick in Ireland by the distinguished Irish artist, William Conor;
prehistoric and historic antiquities of the personal collection of Archbishop Marcus Gervais
Beresford, including Bronze Age tools and weapons, some of great rarity;
two portraits in oils of Archbishop Robinson, one by Angelica Kauffman and the other
attributed to the studio of Sir Joshua Reynolds.
The Library also houses the Armagh Observatory's collection of the 1835 edition of the Ordnance
Survey of Ireland, which is of particular interest for local history and genealogical research.
The Library's current acquisition subjects are Local History (Armagh City and County), St Patrick,
Jonathan Swift, and Church History. While the material on Church history consists mainly of printed
books, journals and pamphlets, the Library also holds the archives of three former Church of Ireland
Archbishops of Armagh, namely those of Beresford (1822-1862), Gregg (1939-1959) and Eames
(5 986-2006).

The Library owns Jonathan Swift's personal copy of Gulliverfs Travels (1726), annotated for re-
printing, along with some of his most significant writings such as A Tole of a Tub and A Modest Proposol.
The nucleus of the collection is Archbishop Robinson's personal library which contains 17th- and
18th-century books on theology, philosophy, classic and modern literature, voyages and travels,
history, medicine and law. Included in the collection are many rare and valuable books such as John
Gerson's De Proeceptis Decalogi, printed in Stra5burg, 1488; Sir Walter Raleigh's History of the World,
1614; Fynes Moryson's Travels, 1617. Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hibernioe, 1645; Seneca's Tragoediae,
published in Amsterdam in 1665,. Richard FitzRalph's Defensorium Curatorum, 1485. and Coryat's
Crudities, 161 S, amongst others. There is also a collection of medieval and 17th- and 18th-century
manuscripts. There are over 6,500 items published before 1801 included on the English Short Title
Catalogue (ESTC) and 7 incunabula. The Library contains Robinson's large collection of important
and rare engravings, known as the 'Rokeby Collection,, which includes examples from the work of
Claude Mellan, Robert Nanteuil, Wenceslaus Hollar, William Hogarth and Giovanni Bapttista
Piranesi.
The Irish antiquities span a period of several millennia from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages and
include Neolithic polished stone axe-heads, Bronze Age tools and weapons, 8th-1 Oth century ringed
pin5 and late medieval bells.
Contemporary Uses of the Library
The Library is a research library open to academic researchers, and to general visitors free of charge.
It welcomes vi51tors from Northern Ireland and across the world. Current visitors include local
schools, both primary and post-primary, university lecturers and students, specialist interest groups,
all-lreland and overseas tourists, as well as local Armagh people.
For all the groups identified above, guided tours are offered to suit the ages, abilities, backgrounds
and interest areas of the participants. Programmes for schools are related to the appropriate Key
Stage of the Northern Ireland Curriculum. Book-handling is an integral part of the experience.
The Library work5 to promote both its buildings with representatives of Tourism Nl, Tourism
Ireland, and tourism development representatives of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon
Borough Council. All events and activities are promoted on the Library'5 website
(armaghrobinsonlibrary.co.uk), and on other websites, such as the local council's 'Visit Armagh,, and
those of Tourism Nl and the Northern Ireland Museum5 Council.
The Library's catalogue is available online at htt s:Ilarma
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.co.uldcollectionslmain-
cat210
uel. There are separate catalogues for the Rokeby Collection of Prints
s."Ilarma
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rint-collectionl) and the archive of Archbishop John Allen
Fittgerald Gregg (htt
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-archivel).
Staffing
During 2023, the Library employed six members of staff:
Assistant Keeper - part-time;
Administrative Officer - part-time.
Archivist - part-time;
Cleaning Supervisor - part-time;
Project Officer - part-time from March 2023 for a funded cataloguing project
Visitor Engagement Officer- part-time from September 2023 for a funded community and outreach
project.
These posts are overseen by the Library's Keeper, who is also the Dean of Armagh.

FURTHERING OUR PUBLIC BENEFIT
Opening Hours
The Library's usual opening hours are Monday-Friday, l 0.00 a.m. to l .00 p.m., and 2.00 p.m. to 4.00
p.m. Its associated museum at the former Diocesan Registry, No 5 Vicars, Hill, is open for the same
hours by prior booking.
Admission both to the Library and to No 5 Vicars, Hill is free. For group tours, the Library charges
£3.00 per adult for visits to the Library, and a further £3.00 for visits to No 5 Vicars, Hill. Free tours
are provided for school pupils.
Exhibitions
The following temporary exhibitions were held in the Long Room of the Library:
January-june 2023: Written by Hand,
July- December 2023 - Who Knows where the Time Goes?.
Online versions of all but the most recent exhibition are now available on the Library's website,
htt s:Ilarma
hrobinsonlibrar
.co.uldcollectionsl ast-exhibitions-and-dis
Exhibition Launch by Ursula Monaghan, Education and Outreach Officer on the theme
Who Knows where the Time Goes?
School Visits
In collaboration with St. Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral, the Library offers an educational
programme entitled, 'A Morning on the Hill,. This year the following schools visited the Library as
part of this programme:
Date
13106123
13106123
14106123
14106123
12110123
09111123
22111123
24111123
30111123
07112123
School
Royal School Armagh
Royal School Armagh
30
Royal School Armagh
29
Royal School Armagh
30
St Patrick's Primary School,Armagh
26
Armstrong Primary School, Armagh
22
St Malachy's Primary School,Armagh
27
St Patrick's Primary School,Armagh
24
Armstrong Primary School,Armagh
26
Armstrong Primary School
26
Primary schools participate in the visit to link with the 'World Around Us, topic on the Nl
Curriculum.
No. of ChildrenlAdults

Community Engagement and Collaboration with Other Organisations
Launch of the Shared Island Civic Society Fund
On 12101123 the Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheal Martin TD, launched a new
funding scheme in the Library. The Shared Island Civic Society Fund promotes practical North South
cooperation and engagement to encourage and support civic society and community organisation5
to strengthen further existing partnerships. Representatives from the Cardinal O'Fiaich Library and
Archive were present and the Tanaiste learned of the parallel project in opening up the Eames
Papers in this Library and those of the papers of Cardinals O'Fiaich and Daly in the O'Fiaich Library.
Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Micheal Martin TD received a copy of
Bishops & Buildings, a joint venture with
Armagh County Museum, Cardinal O'Fiaich
Library and both Cathedrals.
Playful Museums Festival
The Library and No 5 took part in the 2023 Playful Museums Festival, organised by the Northern
Ireland Museums Council in February. The Festival seeks to engage under 5s and their adults with
museums and their collections.
Playful Museums Events in the Library and No 5 with children's illustrator, Paul Howard
The City Chapter Partnership
Working together within the partnership that is 'The City Chapter,, the Library collaborates with
three other libraries in Armagh (Armagh City Library, The Cardinal O Fiaich Library and Archive,
and the Cultural Heritage Library in Armagh) to deliver events to promote the spoken and the written
word. Funding for the National Poetry Day event was obtained from the Arts Council of Northern
Ireland and the John Hewitt Society. This year City Chapter events included:
0210312023: author Jan Carson celebrated World Book Day in Armagh City Library;
1411510312023: storytelling sessions for primary schools as part of Armagh's Festival of St Patrick.,
0511012023: poets Ruth Carr and Iggy McGovern celebrated National Poetry Day in the Cardinal
O'Fiaich Library.
io

The City Chapcer's World Book Day evenc
with author Jan Carson (seated third from left).
The City Chapter's National Poetry Day event with
poets Iggy McGovern (seated left) and Ruth Carr
(seated right).
Dementia Friendly Museum
The Library continues to work to become a dementia friendly museum. In April 2023, it was the
venue for filming by Dementia Nl to create a video for use in a range of health settings. Members
living with the diagnosis of dementia were recorded with the aim to encourage health workers to
understand their needs. In July 2023, a preview of the video, called 'Hear Our Voice, for use
throughout the Health Trusts in N. Ireland was shown in the Library for the Dementia Nl members
who had participated. Local Dementia Nl volunteers were also present for the preview.
Climote Change Project
The Garden Project, funded originally by Northern Ireland Museums Council, was supported further
by volunteers helping to tend the garden and by the gift of Spring bulbs donated by members of the
United Nations Association for Northern Ireland.
Global Voices, Local Choices Project
The Library was one of six museums in Northern Ireland which participated in a project called
'Global Voices, Local Choices,. Local Ukrainian families participated in the project with this Library,
which involved a visit to the Ulster Museum, a modest exhibition in the Library, a visit to Stormont
as a thank-you to all participating members of the projects and finally a special Christmas reception
for the County Armagh participants given by the Lord Mayor,Alderman MargaretTinsley.
Local Ukrainian families with, seated, the Library's Keeper, the Very Revd Shane Forster, the Lord
Mayor,Alderman MargaretTinsley, poet and creative writer, Maria Mcmanus, and standing centrally,
Agrippa Njanina, Community Engagement Officer with National Museums Nl
li

Royal Visit
On 2510512023, the Library hosted a royal visit when Her Majesty The Queen visited the Long
Room and met three different groups of supporters of the Library: the Library's own volunteers,
pupils and teachers from the Drelincourt School, and members, volunteers and staff members
of Dementia Nl.
Primacy of Peace Joint Conference
The organisation of the joint conference with the Cardinal O'Fiaich Library involved the whole
team at the Library. Over l 00 people attended the event, which was held in the Market Place
Theatre, Armagh on 2411012023. A-Level History students from the Royal School Armagh and
St Patrick's Grammar School,Armagh were present. The conference was recorded and can be
found on: htt s:Ilarma
hrobinsonlibrar
.co.uldrecordin
rimac
eace-conferencel
The Primacy ofPeace
Prorrviing Unde151,itdin8.Iiltl Dialo￿TrIjC Ihiouih IhDColie(Iions41
the Fiinhlles Ol All-Iidath4.
OFI.i-nll977_199Ql
Guest Speakers and Library staff members at the Primacy of Peace Joint Conference
Armagh's Georgian Festival
The Library has always participated in Armagh's Georgian Festival held annually in late November.
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council funds the Library's Rokeby Lecture which
is held each year on the Thursday before Georgian Day. This year the guest speaker was Professor
Karen Corrigan, Director of Research in Linguistics at Newcastle University. The title of her lecture
was 'The Language of this Country Being Always Upon the Flux: Swift and Sheridan as Guardians of
English Nouns and Verbs,.
Professor Karen Corrigan, guest
speaker for the Rokeby Lecture, with
Archbishop John McDowell, Chairman
of the Governors and Guardians, the
Very Revd Shane Forster, the Library's
Keeper, Mr Brett Hannam, Governor
and Guardian, and staff members of the
Library,
Ursula
Monaghan,
Education and Outreach Officer and
Ms Carol Conlin, Assistant Keeper.
l ¥ 11
12

IF
The Library and No 5 were also open to welcome visitors on Georgian Day, held on 2511112023
with caricaturist, John Farrelly and the Living History Interpreters from Armagh City, Banbridge
and Craigavon Borough Council. We also welcomed back some of the Ukrainian families
External Exhibition
'Researching the Rokeby Collection of Prints atArmagh Robinson Library, Project
(Funded by the Paul Mellon Centre and the Association of Independent Museums
This project was brought to a successful conclusion following the launch of the exhibition of a
selection of the prints from the Rokeby Collection. It was a pleasure to welcome to the launch a
representative of one of the project's funders, the London-based Paul Mellon Centre. It was also a
pleasure to welcome the newly elected Lord Mayor, Alderman Margaret Tinsley, for whom this
exhibition launch was her first public engagement. Armagh County Museum kindly hosted the
exhibition which ran for the month of June, after which the prints were safely returned to the Library.
The exhibition was as a result of meticulous research of the Library's print collection, undertaken
separately by two Curatorial Research Fellows
Dr Max Bryant and Ms Ella Letort, and brought
together by the Library's Archivist, Ms Thirza Mulder.
Present at the print exhibition launch were Mr Sean Barden, Curator of Armagh County Museum,
Lord Mayor, Alderman Margaret Tinsley, Archbishop John McDowell, Chairman of the Library's
Governors and Guardians and the Very Revd Shane Forster, the Library's Keeper
13

Room Hire
To assist its financial sustainability, the Library'5 published charges for the hire of the Long Room
are as follows:
Long Room: Capacity 50 (seated)
Half day (9.00-13.00): £ 100
Full day (9.00-17.00): £200
Evenings (17.00-22.00): £150
For charities, and for bookings of two or more days, a discount of 20/0 applies. The Long Room is
not available for daytime private hire during the months of July and August.
Academic ond Cultural Connections
To further the implementation of its memoranda of understanding with univer51ties, che following
have agreed to act as co-ordinators for their institution:
Queen's University Belfast
U Ister University
Trinity College Dublin
Professor Moyra Haslett
Dr Frank Ferguson
Dr Robert Armstrong (Academic)
Dr Lydia Ferguson (Library)
University Placements
Stranmillis University College- Final year student, Ms Laura Grant,worked on the updating of school
visits for Year 10 pupils and helped with the promotion of the Playful Museums Festival events as
part of herAlternative Placement.
Ulster University - PhD Student, Ms Grainne Mcmenamin, began her studies with the Rokeby print
collection. Based at Ulster University, she will visit the Library at intervals to consult the prints.
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council continues to involve the Library and No 5
in tour operators, visits, all with the intention of encouraging tours to the Armagh area.
Donations
The Library continues to accept suitable donations that fit the criteria set out in its Collections
Development Policy. During 2023 twenty-one donations were received. All the donations have been
catalogued and are accessible to members of the public.
AdoPtA Book IAdoptA Shelf Scheme
The Adopt a BooklAdopt a Shelf scheme was supported throughout 2023. This was the idea of the
Chairperson of the Development Advisory Committee, Mr Brian Acheson, who worked with the
Library's team to further the fund-raising of the endowment appeal. In addition, a special reading
was given by poet Michael Longley in his role as a patron of the Library's 3ppeal.The deadline for the
matched funding provision with the National Lottery Heritage Fund was reached on 31 August 2023.
Care of the Collections
The Library provides searchable summary catalogues of its book and print collections, as well as the
Gregg Archive, on its website arma
hrobinsonlibra
.co.uk.
Protection of the Collections and the Public
The Library maintains the following facilities under annual contract:
Intruder alarm and CCTV coverage
Central heating, including the annual servicing of the boiler
Fire alarm system, including twice-yearly professional maintenance and testing
Fire extinguishers
14

The Library's electrical system is checked and certified every five years, and its portable electrical
appliances checked and certified as required.
For the protection of children, the Library and No 5 Vicars, Hill close to other visitors during school
visits. All staff have been the subject of a criminal record check by Access Nl (or its predecessor
organisation).
THE LIBRARY'S ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2023
Visitors
Visitor numbers to the Library and No 5 Vicars, Hill are recorded on automatic people-counters.
The figures for 2023 are given below, along with those of previous years.
Library
No 5 Vicars, Hill
2023
2,959
2022
5,478
2021
1,185
2020
499
2019
4,426
2018
3,965
2017
3,252
2016
4,149
2015
3,582
2054
3,876
2013
3,755
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
8,254
6,058
995
478
8,060
8,209
8,075
8,276
7,959
7,713
7,086
The reduced number of visitors during 2020 and 2021 were due to the closure of the Library and
No 5 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The reduced visitor numbers in 2023 to No 5 was due
to a staff shortage, with No 5 open only by prior appointment.
Group Visits
Two-fold visits were booked with St Patrick's Cathedral and the Library until the temporary
employment of the Education and Outreach Officer from September 2023, enabling the inclusion of
No 5 Vicars, Hill as part of the Morning or Afternoon on the Hill experience. Group visits during
2023 were as follows:
15103123: Belfast Bible Group {20)
26103123: Familiarisation Tour organised by the Tourism Department of the ABC Council (27)
14104123: Vibe Church Group {9)
18105123: EIL (Intercultural Learning) Group - LibrarylNo 5 (22)
15106123: EIL (intercultural Learning ) Group - Library and Cathedral (20)
20106123: Craigavon'Health in Mind, Group (22)
29106123: Group tour of Goodenough College Students (8)
06107123: EIL (intercultural Learning ) Group - Library and Cathedral (22)
10107123: EIL (intercultural Learning ) Group - Library and Cathedr21 (18)
22107123: Group of Building Conservation Specialists (14) - Library and No 5
18108123: Southern Health Trust Group for People with Learning Difficulties (14)
24108123: EIL (intercultural Learning ) Group - Library and Cathedral (19)
08112123: Causeway University of the Third Age - (34) all three buildings
15

Research
Research queries were answered by Library staff throughout the year. 22 research queries were
logged before the end of the year. Topics researched included the works of Jonathan Swift,
correspondence with Walter Harris and the Physico-Historical Society of Ireland, Armagh
Corporation Records, women and the Ulster Plantation.
Website and Social Media
Visitor interaction with the Library's website and social media in 2023 was recorded as follows:
Website: Users
Quarter I:
1,966 (including 1,829 new users)
Quarter 2:
2,055 (including 1,947 new users)
Quarter 3:
1,865 (including 1,833 new users)
Quarter 4:
1,857 (including 1,775 new users)
Facebook: Page Visits
Quarter I:
868 12.1%
Quarter 2:
858 l1.2%
Quarter 3:
809 15.7/.
Quarter 4:
1,300 T66/ (Georgian Day posts and Santa posts drew a great number of visits
Twitter: Number of new followers:
Quarter I:
Quarter 2:
Quarter 3:
Quarter 4:
10
Quality Grading
The Library and No 5 received further notification that their four-star rating in Tourism Nl's Quality
Assurance Scheme will continue until further notice. This is because, due to the COVID-19
pandemic, Tourism Nl has decided not to carry out assessments at the present time.
Museum Accreditation
The Library's accredited museum status was re-confirmed in February 2018 and remained valid
throughout 2022 and 2023. The Library was invited to submit a request to seek museum
accreditation renewal. A fresh submission was made in December 2023 to the Arts Council of
England via Northern Ireland Museums Council and a response is awaited.
Visitor Response
The Library and No 5 both take great care to provide a friendly and personal service to visitors.
The quality of the service is evident from the positive reviews received from platforms such as
TripAdvisor.
Statement of Compliance
The Governors and Guardians of the Library have given careful consideration to the Charity
Commission for Northern Ireland's guidance on public benefit to ensure that the activities entered
into during the year have helped to achieve the Library's objectives and activities, as well as providing
public benefit.
Private Benefit
There is a continuing private benefit to the Keeper in the provision of living accommodation within
the Library building. This is an incidental and necessary benefit, deriving from the Library's founding
Act of Parliament.
16

There is also a private benefit to the Keeper in that the Library pay5 to the Church of Ireland
Diocese of Armagh l 0% of his approved stipend, employer's pension contribution and expenses as
one of the ordained clergy of the Church of Ireland, by agreement with the Diocese of Armagh and
the Armagh Cathedral Board, this payment being part of, not additional to, the stipend, pension
contributions and expenses as determined annually by the Representative Body of the Church of
Ireland and the Diocese of Armagh. This is an incidental and necessary benefit, deriving from the
provision of the Act of Parliament that the Keeper 'be a Presbyter of the Church of England or
Ireland as by Law established,, and the present conjunction of the positions of Keeper of Armagh
Robinson Library and Dean of Armagh. The amount paid by the Library to the Diocese in 2023 was
£5,992.
Financial Review
The net result for the year 2023 was an operating deficit of £69,601 compared with a deficit for 2022
of £45,553.
The continuing weakness in commercial rents in Armagh City Centre remains unchanged and core
income from rental properties continued to decline (2023: £92,691. 2022: £97,001). The Library's
investment income rose by 0.06/ due to the markets starting to stabilise again in the last quarter of
the year.
Expenditure for 2023 was similar to the previous year (£262,160; 2022: £263,277). Repairs works
(2023: £68,540. 2022: £18,233) which were necessary repairs to the Library's rental properties.
There was also an increase in professional fees (2023: £23,225; 2022: £10,050) mainly for new rental
leases for the properties.
The Library is benefitting from an Endowment Grant of £1,091,900 from the National Lottery
Heritage Fund. Of this, £1 million is to match whatever the Library can raise from private or
corporate sources up to £ I million by 31 August 2023. The remainder is a grant of £91,900 (incl.
VAT) towards the cost of a fundraising campaign, to be matched £ I:£ I by the library. By the end of
2023 the invested NLHF Endowment Fund (inclusive of match funding) stood at £899,105.
Going Concern
The Governors and Guardians are satisfied that there are adequate funds in place to ensure that the
Library can continue its activities and that the financial statements for the year 2023 can be signed
off as a going concern.
Structure, Governance and Management
Governing Document and Constitution of the Chority
The Library is governed by an Act of Parliament of 1773-4, for 'settling and preserving a publick
library in the City of Armagh for ever, (George 111. Chap. XL)
In accordance with the provisions of the Act, the governance of the Library is entrusted to its
Governors and Guardians. Its day-to-day management is the responsibility of the Keeper, who
reports to the Governors and Guardians. The Governors and Guardians are the Charity Trustees.
The Governors and Guardians met four times in the course of 2023, on 30 March, 22 June, 26
September and 23 November.
Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees
The Library's Act of Parliament specified that the Governors and Guardians should be the
Archbishop of Armagh, the Dean and the members of the Chapter of St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh
at that time, and their successors. The Chapter consists of the Precentor, the Chancellor, the
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Treasurer, the Archdeacon of Armagh, and the Prebendaries of Ballymore, Loughgall, Mullabrack
and Tynan, eight members in all. The Act also provided that they might elect two persons from the
Diocese of Armagh to be joined with them as Governors and Guardians.
The Archbishop of Armagh is elected by the other bishops of the Church of Ireland, when a vacancy
occurs in the See. Until 2016, the eleven such bishops were required to elect one of their own
number. They may now elect a bishop from another Province of the world-wide Anglican
Communion.
The appointment of the Dean and of all the members of the Cathedral Chapter is the responsibility
of the Archbishop. The members of the Chapter are appointed from among clergy serving in the
Diocese of Armagh, and hold their stalls in the Cathedral until they retire or move to serve in
another diocese. The Dean, who is resident at the Cathedral, may be appointed from among the
clergy of the Church of Ireland, from the Diocese of Armagh or elsewhere, and holds office until
resignation or retirement.
The two lay persons from the Diocese of Armagh permitted by the Act of Parliament are elected
by the Archbishop, Dean and Chapter meeting as Governors and Guardians of the Library.
Statement of Trustees, Responsibilities
The Governors and Guardians are responsible for preparing the Trustees, Report, the statement of
receipts and payments and statements of assets and liabilities in accordance with applicable law and
regulations.
The Governors and Guardians are responsible for keeping accounting records that are sufficient to
show and explain the Library's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the
assets and liabilities of the Library. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the
Library and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other
irregularities.
Signed on behalf of the Governors and Guardians
Trustee I
Trustee 2 .
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