The Chimes of the Cathedral Church of St Patrick – The most popular sound within the city of Armagh, and therefore perhaps the defining keynote sound. From our interviews with people, the cathedral bells were almost always the first sound that anyone would mention. The bells ring on the quarter-hour and, thanks to the cathedral’s elevation, can be heard across the city. The chimes themselves are played by four of the bells, with the on-hour ring bringing a fifth bell into play. There are, however, 39 in all – all housed in the north tower, although the other 34 only sound when the carillon is played.
Jimmy – At the time of recording we considered Jimmy to be perhaps Armagh’s most famous teenager. This 19 year old white cockatoo has kept visitors to the Companions Pet Shop amused for many years. Although there are other talking birds in the shop, it is Jimmy that is perhaps the most well-known, not only because of his age but for his ability to appear to converse with the shop’s customers, utilising a wide range of phrases picked up from overheard conversations.
Early Morning Deliveries – Just before the City properly comes to life of a morning, the rhythmic sound of small castor wheels over the different pavement and road surfaces can be heard fading in and out as large sculpture-like stacks of consumables are wheeled carefully to their respective shops.
Rainbow Café coffee machine – The sound of this particular coffee machine not only adds to the atmosphere of this busy eating house, but also was featured as part of a BBC programme in the 1990s. Perhaps the most famous coffee machine in the whole of the county!
Shop Shutters – Long gone are the days when “opening up” was as simple as unlocking a shop door. These days shops are protected by alarms, panels and/or shutters and this has resulted in the introduction of various new sounds being introduced into the soundscape. Every shopping day – first thing in the morning and at the end of the afternoon – these sounds can be heard, but are most dramatic in the mornings when the city is quieter.
Going Chopping – The introduction of pre-packaged food into our society has done more than help to further the gap between the consumer and food source. It has also distanced us from the processes involved in the preparation of that food, including its associated sounds, such as, in the case of this butcher, the sounds of chopping, mincing, and so on.
Ballynahone River – The small but fast-flowing Ballynahone River on the boundary of St Luke’s hospital is an important wildlife corridor for the area. Its stony riverbed produces a variety of musical tones as the water flows over and around its various rocky obstacles, and acts as a gentle backdrop to the nearby birdsong.
Stairway to Heaven – Of the two escalators in Armagh, the most rhythmic is the one in the ‘City Shopping Centre’. It has a distinct triplet feel to it and provides quite an interesting rhythm owing to the complexity of its hidden working machinery. The rotating chain loops, the drive gear, and the collapsing steps that pull the stairs all work together to produce a subtly shifting pattern that still remains interesting on extended listenings.
PO Sorting Office – First thing in the morning, it is the sound of letters and parcels freshly retrieved from the area’s post boxes that fills the Post Sorting Office. As the various letters are arranged according to their destination they are filed and separated into sectioned metal-basket compartments which reverberate as each letter lands.
GAA – Sport plays an important part in Armagh’s culture. Whether it be Gaelic Football, Soccer, Hurling, Handball, or whatever, there is always a game on or soon to happen. Although the players of course make sounds as they play their game, in fact their musical role is closer to that of conductor as they inspire their watching audience to cheer, chant and sing. In return, their fans shout out to encourage the players to continually lift their game, and through this circle of inspiration An atmospheric soundscape is produced.
Sounds of Deception – Gaming machines are not only a source for cloned sounds, replicating the mechanics of the older one-armed bandits and various clunking moving parts, but are also a source of sounds designed to make the player think in a certain way. Sounds ranging from the cheers of an on-looking crowd to that of falling coins are all carefully chosen to affect the onlooker’s thinking. So too, are the action-packed sound effects and happy musical riffs – all helping to assist the player in believing that they are likely to win and ultimately profit from playing.
Sole Music – Kerr’s shoe repair shop in Armagh has been repairing footwear now for over fifty years, and still uses some of its equipment dating back to that time. Whilst, at one time, every big town would have had its cobber, the trend towards cheaper, less-well-made and therefore more disposable shoes has, in turn, led to the decline of this ancient trade and its associated sounds.
Trolley Collecting – Another one of Armagh’s sonic rituals is the sound of the stacked shopping trolleys from Emmerson’s supermarket either being slowly pushed outside in preparation for another shopping day or being returned from their gathered position from outside the supermarket and back to their nightly resting place inside. The slowness of the movement and the effort involved in coordinating this long metallic snake seems to fit well with the end of the working day.
Warm Up – It has been said that an actor’s most important tool is his voice. In preparation for the demands stage-performance makes, and in order to project the voice so that it can be heard from a distance the muscles must be prepared. Vocal warm ups then are unique in the sense that they are sounds that are (privately) made in order to help produce bigger and better (public) sounds.
Acoustic Renovation – The renovation of the Cathedral Church of St Patrick’s North Tower clock resulted in the installation of a new clock mechanism. The more modern replacement might be more accurate, and I am sure also a relief for the person whose job it may have been to climb the tower steps to wind up the older mechanism every week; nevertheless, it always seems a loss when something that would have sounded beautiful in its own right is replaced by something more mundane and with less acoustic interest.
Constant Alert – As the ambient noise level of our environment has increased over the years so too has the decibel level of the alarms of emergency vehicles. Our adopted North American style glissando siren, for example, is more intense than the older two tone “nee-naw” of its predecessor, which in turn was louder than the clanging bell. In contrast, the fire station sounds quiet, even expectant. This is the sound of being continually ready and prepared for whatever may befall the next moment.
Letting Off Steam – Just outside of the city centre, the JFMcKenna Factory makes its own contribution to the local soundscape. Most obvious is an occasional short air burst that interrupts the surrounding quiet countryside every 96 seconds or so, with different intensities of volume. Apart from that, the factory’s continual hum is relatively quiet, though with slight changes in the sound depending on what activities are going on inside at the time, and only rarely heard beyond the factory grounds when the wind is blowing in the ‘right’ direction. All this is interspersed by a very occasional tannoy announcement preceded by a rising four-note C Major arpeggio and followed by a descending arpeggio in the same key.
Going Up – Armagh’s public library hosts a talking lift sporting a rather posh english sounding female voice. She doesn’t say very much, and I suspect she isn’t from Armagh. Of course, someone, somewhere, has paid attention to what are the best type of voices to use for announcements of this type, and I often wonder what the effect would be if less conventional voices were used in this context.
Printing Rhythms Printers – Surprisingly there is quite a lot of variation in the sounds of machinery that apparently do the same thing over and over again, such as variations in rhythm, tempo and timbre. Their task might be repetitive but their sounds are in a continual flux of change, and in fact demand that their operator listens with musical ears so that they can learn about their current status and whether or not they need attention or not.
Grave Digging – There can be few sounds that have the same contemplative charge as that of a grave being dug. The methodical pace of the spade against the earth seems to mark time and allow space for reflection, as well as confirm that connection between our bodies and the earth that we stand on.
Pedal Power – Danny has been selling bicycles in Armagh for around sixty years, having set up business at the close of the Second World War. At that time very few people could afford cars and the bicycle was the preferred transport; however, nowadays the situation is reversed and it is a rare sight to see a bicycle being cycled around the city. This change in behaviour has, of course, made a marked impact on how Armagh sounds thanks to the gentle sound of pedal power being replaced by its noisier motorised alternative.
Watching The Stars – The Observation domes at the Armagh Observatory all have a moveable skylight opening so that their telescopes can focus on any part of the sky. Some accomplish this by electric motor though the older ones are manually wound by means of a rope and cog system. Telescopes, such as the 1885 ten inch Grubb Refractor, also have a wonderfully sounding clockwork drive mechanism (powered by weights) in order to help the viewer keep focused on a particular astronomical body (and compensate for the rotation of the earth).
Laundrette – It seems that society’s willingness to give up manual work in favour of automation has also resulted in the introduction of the flatline sound, and thus changed the nature of our soundscape once and for all. The steady power supply offered by electricity also resulted in sound components that themselves continue without pause, and so whilst one aspect of our lives changed for the better, our soundscape suffered as the continued electronic whirr was introduced into our homes and lives.
Tuning – It’s interesting that we use the term “to tune” an engine. Does this imply that a car’s health is related to the sound that it makes, and if so, could this also be true for other things as well? For example, is the health of the City of Armagh also related to its overall sound? Who’s listening? Who’s tuning?
Road Bowls – Armagh is one of Ireland’s focal points for the Road Bullets sport, where contestants pit their wits against each other by attempting to see how few throws it takes for them to hurl a metal ball along a designated route through the county’s country lanes. The event is full of atmosphere and excitement as thousands crowd the roads to cheer the players and the result is one of the most exhilarating sounds that the county has to offer.
Shambles Market – Every Tuesday and Friday mornings the sounds of traders setting up their stalls can be heard in the secluded shambles market place. These days there are not so many traders and only what seems like a handful of potential customers, and so the market is a fairly quiet affair. Nevertheless its sounds tell their own story and point to a more old- fashioned shopping experience without carefully selected muzak and where a transaction may be complete but the conversation is not yet over.
Sounds of the Future? – In stark contrast to the market, the soundscape of the modern shopping experience appears to be almost devoid of ‘natural’ sound, helping to highlight the separation between consumer and product. Modern appliances, from fluorescent lights to refrigeration units, all broadcast their flatline 50 Hertz hum, masking the quieter intimate sounds connected with the shopping experience, whilst the occasional beeps of the cash register punctuate with the sounds of commerce.
Latin Lessons – Armagh’s weekly Salsa class brings to its participants sounds that originate way beyond the county borders. Here, Cuban rhythms and musical phrases mix with the sounds of western footwear as people learn variations on the dance’s “Quick, Quick, Slow” rhythm – but it’s not just the timings that are important – it’s how to master the Cuban movement as well….
Hospital Trolleys – When not breaking world records or touring the world visiting one of the different charities he supports, Willie Nugent works as one of the porters at the Tower Hill Hospital transporting people and documents around the different areas. For some reason the trolleys sound almost comical as their metal baskets vibrate whilst being pushed through the bare corridors, with pauses to allow for the automatic fire doors to open and close.
Road to Nowhere – The modern gym offers an efficient path to fitness; however, with a very different accompanying soundtrack. Cut off from the outside, there is little sense of moving through a soundscape as there would be if one was simply going for a conventional walk, run or cycle. Instead, the predominant sounds come from the machines themselves, such as the slowly altering whine of the treadmill depending on its incline and speed. Interestingly, this less complicated sonic environment provides the space to perceive the sounds of one’s own actions, such as the sound of one’s feet in contact with the ground.
Eight Bells – The eight bells of St Patrick’s Cathedral are each full of character owing to their age and general condition. One is particularly muffled sounding, whilst one sounds quite Chinese – certainly they are all quite different sounding! Unlike those of their sister cathedral They are all rung by hand by a series of bell-pull ropes which in turn operate a series of hammers that strike the bells. (See also picture on home page).
Mix it Up – Inside the Paint Shop is an instrument hidden away from public sight. Downstairs is the paint mixing machine that plays a continuous percussive sounding rhythm as it simultaneously shakes an inserted tin of paint and its contents whilst revolving it slowly. Different tin sizes make different pitched sounds as the volume of paint being moved is lesser or greater, whilst different amounts of paint within each tin also affect the sound of the slap of the paint as it is thrown from side to side.
Roll Out The Barrel – The metallic sound of beer kegs as they come into contact with their surroundings is quite musical sounding in its own right. The slow pace of the full barrels being rolled, one-by one, along the ground to the pub cellar opening, and then the different metallic tones that emanate as they are occasionally knocked whilst being positioned helps gives the whole operation the feeling of a well-balanced composition.
Best Bikes – It is perhaps interesting to note that designers of vehicles do consider the sonic identity of their different models, and this is very obvious when it comes to motorcycles. Each bike has its own particular sound in order to complement its appearance and projected lifestyle, as well as to enhance the driving experience. Unfortunately, as far as this audible signature is concerned, the sound travels far further than the bike’s immediate location with the result that our soundscape is needlessly coloured with their familiar loud wavering drones.
Beats per Minute – In Armagh Hospital ultrasound is used to create pictures of babies still in the womb by scanning the pregnant woman’s abdomen and pelvic cavity with high frequency waves of between 3.5 to 7 million cycles per second (around 14 octaves higher than a middle C). The resultant image, or sonogram, is created by measuring the time it takes for waves to bounce back and these reflections are recomposed into a visual image, or sonogram. In similar manner, ultrasonic waves are also used to detect the presence of the fetal heartbeat and to monitor its strength and rate. Aparently the average tempo is 145 beats per minute, within a healthy range of in between 120 and 170. At the time of recording, the tempo of this 21-week old was at around 150.
Early Morning Wash – One of the first sounding instruments in Armagh’s daily city sound score is that of The Pavement Buffer, which is used to clean the area immediately outside of the Mall Shopping Centre. Its multi-tasking capability to spray water, brush the ground in circular motion and also dry the surface through means of rubber strips produces an ever-changing sonic texture.
Shortcutz – In some ways the sounds of our hair being cut should be among the most personal of sounds – after all, it takes place in such proximity of our ears. Then again, perhaps we are normally too busy looking and talking to actually listen to the different sounds moving around our heads…. What would we hear if we closed our eyes and listened? Perhaps the difference between hearing through the ears and directly through our bone structure as when the trimmer makes contact with the skull, or simply an enhanced spatialisation of the different sounds as they move between, above and below our ears.
Film Fan – The extractor fan on the outside wall of Armagh’s Omniplex Cinema appears to never stop. Although during the noise of the day it is barely audible, it whirrs away continually in a quiet unassuming fashion giving out a 50 Hertz based tone (somewhere between a low Ab and a G), betraying the electric power source behind it.
Theatre Audience – Any theatrical performance is a collaboration between the performer(s) and the audience, and both have a role to play in supporting the other. For the audience, in the darkened theatre, this role is not only primarily an acoustic one but also a collective sound making experience, where individuals respond together and in sympathy with each other and the environment within which they are in, and for this brief moment a sonic utopia exists (until they leave the auditorium and behave as individuals again).
Kitchen Sounds – The City is full of many eating houses, and therefore the sounds of the kitchen and food preparation. The short sharp sounds of vegetables being chopped, the clank of cooking utensils and the sizzle of fried food are often hidden away from the customer who instead is treated to the smoother ambience of the diner area.
Howzatt! – There is something relaxing about the unhurried sounds of the game of cricket, as can be heard on the Armagh Mall on a summer’s Sunday afternoon. Because the game is played on grass, the loudest sounds tend to be either the occasional crack of the bat against the ball or the sporadic applause and shouts of enthusiasm by the game’s few onlookers. The minimal sound canvas provided by the game, where sound is balanced with silence, provides a sonic idyll unfortunately too often broken by the recurring traffic noise as vehicles use the road surrounding this picturesque area.
Stitch in Time – The constant rhythm of the large computer-aided embroidery and sewing machines hidden away above Lower English Street have a sound similar to car engines. Alterations in sewing direction sound like changes of gears and with the different machines all being operated by different workers, all working on different projects, the overall sound can be a little like a rather bizarre car rally!
Sliding Doors – For most of the day, Armagh Bus Station is one of the quietest places within the City. Apart from the conversations from people waiting and the very occasional announcement, it is the automatic doors that are the main sonic feature as they filter in and out the exterior ambience and engine sound of the waiting buses.
Personal Artwork – The tattooing machine works in a similar way to the sewing machine; however, because the needle that delivers the ink is electro-magnetically controlled it can go much faster as it does its job of delivering ink into the skin. The resulting sound is a very fast buzz – more like that of a fine barber’s trimmer.
Callan River – Armagh City lies between two rivers, both of which have their own particular sonic signature due to the amount of water that they carry. To the West is the larger and faster flowing Callan River, which was once the energy source for various linen mills further up stream. There’s an opinion shared by some Armagh locals that the river sounds in the key of C – and they might be right, although it’s hard to tell as the strong current produces a variety of slower deeper notes and a confusion of higher sounds as the water rushes by.
Hawthorne’s Clocks – The modern house clock is capable of playing a variety of tunes and chimes though it is rarer now for its sounds to be mechanically rung by the hitting of small bells or perhaps long metal rods. Instead, the chimes as the well as the mechanism are electronically generated, also meaning that they do not require to be manually wound. This independence has helped instil a different relationship to time, giving it a greater authority, and therefore perhaps contributing to the rush of today’s society.
Vall Car Wash – From this old converted petrol station now comes the sound of up to eight powered water jets that are used to speedily clean vehicles. Although the resulting sound is fairly loud and continuous (and therefore must be tiring on the ears) there is variation due to the changing distance that the hose is from the vehicle in question at any time, as well as the shape and material of the surface being cleaned.
Hand Ball – Not all of the sound that we hear comes directly from its source. Much is reflected and reaches our ears a few milliseconds later. Whilst the human brain uses direct sound for identification and to calculate location, the reflected sound provides information related to the surrounding environment as well as any direction of movement. In the game of handball, the majority of the sound heard is of the reflected variety, with the courts providing a long reverb that amplifies the volume of the ball hitting the floor and the wall.
Tap Dancing – Although tap shoes only have two metal plates, they are capable of producing a variety of sounds depending on whether it is the heel, toe, sole or side of the foot that is used, and then how it comes into contact with the floor. These different sounds all have different names many of which describe the technique used to produce them, such as tap, stomp, stamp, brush or scuff, or describe the sound itself, for example: click, shuffle, chug, flap, riffle or shim sham.
Flowers – The sounds of the florist are as delicate sounding as the flowers themselves and, perhaps more impressively, in balance with the ambient quietness. The pace is slow, and attention to detail great as bouquets are slowly crafted – the accompanying sounds being framed by the surrounding quietness.
The Cake Shop – Perhaps the first sounds to be heard in Armagh everyday are those that emanate from The Cake Shop on Upper English Street. The bakers’ day begins at 4am as they begin the process of making all the bread and cakes to be sold, not only for this shop but also a few other outlets as well.
Release – The sound of children ‘escaping’ from their classrooms to the outside playground at break is similar in intensity to that of fizzy lemonade escaping from a shaken can! As natural noise-makers, their reaction to being sonically controlled whilst in the classroom is to redress the balance and let out their all pent-up sound and energy out for all to hear.
Blind Sounds – Avolon Blinds is a complete industry as their products are made from scratch. This leads to a very varied workspace soundscape: from quiet, hardly audible, irregular manual sounds to repeating machinery rhythms.
Armagh Prison – Closed since 1986, the prison looks yet again to become a talking point of the City as work is beginning in order to transform it into a hotel. At the moment though, with its bare walls, metal staircases and empty rooms the places has an eerie reverberant sound making each footstep and key turn a dramatic sonic event.
Heading Home – For some reason the regenerated design of Armagh’s centre includes a flow of traffic through the middle of the City. It seems an odd idea to create such a beautiful looking area and then introduce the continuous sound of car engines, and accompanying pollution. Although, for much of the day this noise doesn’t appear too invasive, the ‘flatline’ quality of the sound results in a needless masking of the detail of the City’s other sounds and thus acoustically distances people from their immediate environment.
St Luke’s Dawn – Although Armagh is essentially in the countryside it is difficult to make that sonic connection, what with the City’s pattern of development. Of course, there are various species of birds that do live within the City’s built up areas; however, to be able to listen to nature’s continued vibrant sound one has to leave the immediate centre and also choose a time when the natural acoustic isn’t masked by our more modern soundscape. We found the area around St Luke’s hospital, at around 4am, with its variation of natural habitats to provide probably Armagh’s best listening experience of this kind.
Key Cutting – The short sharp phrases of the hard sound of metal on metal as key blanks are ground into shape provide a contrast to the continual low note of the spinning buffer wheel which glissandos between notes as keys are bought into contact to be polished.
Ultrasound – We say that birds “sing” but that bats “shout” owing to the loudness of their calls. Luckily for us the sound that they make is ultrasonic and so their calls are beyond our hearing range. I recorded the echolocation calls of this bat using a bat detector as it fed underneath the Callan Bridge as night fell. As I stood on the bridge I watched the bat fly directly below my feet, in and out of one of the bridges arches, for a couple of minutes before it made its way into the night.
Changing Colour – Getting a tan is also often associated with a relaxing, even exotic, soundscape, such as the lap of waves on a beach, maybe birdsong, perhaps even the clink of ice cubes in a glass. The white-noise whirr of the ironically named Tan Truth machine is a far cry from the real thing!
Acoustic Design – As well as Armagh’s link with traditional music making, there is also one with the making of the instruments themselves. Common to both instrument maker and performer is a respect, not only for the music created, but also for the instruments that produce the sounds. It is this attention to both object and sound produced that enhances the possibilities of an edifying and meaningful outcome, and in this manner points us in the direction of understanding one possible direction for our future acoustic ecology.
