Armagh Marble has been used as a building stone for centuries. Many of the prestigious buildings in Armagh were constructed of it historically and it has gone further afield, with examples being seen in cathedrals in England and Dublin.

But it had not been used for decades before Roy Reaney reintroduced it by setting up the company Armagh Marble 11 years ago. He had a quarry on his land but only started to consider its potential after a holiday in Portugal, where he saw what was being built in stone there. Since re-opening his own quarry he has also taken on the processing of block from two other local quarries to supply Noble Macha (white) and Cardinal Coral (pink).

“We specialise in using only indigenous limestone from three local quarries,” Roy told NSS. “We have established a reputation for consistent commitment to quality, producing a range of marble products in three shades of colour predominantly for commissioned top end homes and commercial projects all over Ireland.”

He has invested in two, 1600mm GMM saws slabbing blocks that come in bed heights of 500-600mm.

The photograph(right) shows a doorway from one of two projects Armagh Marble are just finishing for the architect Liam Mulligan. It is a new-build at Oldcastle, Co Meath, for which Armagh Marble supplied and fitted the Tuscan door casing shown and window cills. The other project, also in Co Meath, involves renovation and building an extension, with Armagh Marble supplying and fitting a Tuscan door casing, window cills and 2.8m long fluted columns.