County Tyrone

Tyrone Contae Thír Eoghain
Motto: Consilio et Prudentia  (Latin) "By Wisdom and Prudence"
Location
Statistics
Province:	Ulster
County seat:	Omagh
Area:	3,155 km2 (1,218 sq mi) (7th)
Population (2001 census)	166,516 (10th) [1]

County Tyrone (from Irish: Tír Eoghain meaning "land of Eoin") is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 3,155 km², with a population of approximately 566,085, with its county town being Omagh. It is also one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, lying within the historical province of Ulster.

Tyrone is the seventh largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and eighth largest in terms of population.^[2] It is the second largest of Ulster’s 9 counties in size and fourth largest in terms of population.^[3]

Name

The name Tyrone is derived from Irish: Tír Eoghain meaning "land of Eoghan". This Eoghan was son of king Niall of the Nine Hostages, and brother of Conall Gulban, who gave his name to the kingdom of Tír Chonaill.^[4] Historically, it was anglicised as Tirowen or Tyrowen, which are closer to the Irish pronunciation.

History

Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on natural resources located there. Tyrone was the traditional stronghold of the various O'Neill clans and families, the strongest of the Gaelic Irish families in Ulster, surviving into the seventeenth century. The ancient principality of Tír Eoghain, the inheritance of the O'Neills, included the whole of the present counties of Tyrone and Londonderry, and the two baronies of Inishowen and Raphoe in County Donegal.^[4]

Geography

With an area of 3,155 square kilometres (1,218 square miles), Tyrone is the largest county in Northern Ireland. The flat peatlands of East Tyrone borders the shoreline of the largest lake in Ireland, Lough Neagh, rising gradually across to the more mountainous terrain in the west of the county, the area surrounding the Sperrin Mountains, the highest point being Sawel Mountain at a height of 678 m (2,224 ft). The length of the county, from the mouth of the River Blackwater at Lough Neagh to the western point near Carrickaduff hill is 55 miles. The breadth, from the southern corner, southeast of Fivemiletown, to the northeastern corner near Meenard Mountain is 37.5 miles; giving an area of 1,260 square miles (in 1900).^[4] Annaghone lays claim to be the geographical centre of Northern Ireland.

Demography

It is one of four counties in Northern Ireland which presently has a majority of the population from a Catholic community background, according to the 2001 census. In 1900 County Tyrone had a population of 197,719^[4], while in 2001 it was 166,516.

Settlements

Large towns

(population of 18,000 or more and under 75,000 at 2001 Census)^[11]

• Omagh

Medium towns

(population of 10,000 or more and under 18,000 at 2001 Census)^[11]

• Cookstown
• Dungannon
• Strabane

Small towns

(population of 4,500 or more and under 10,000 at 2001 Census)^[11]

• Coalisland

Intermediate settlements

(population of 2,250 or more and under 4,500 at 2001 Census)^[11]

• Castlederg

Villages

(population of 1,000 or more and under 2,250 at 2001 Census)^[11]

• Ardboe
• Dromore
• Fintona
• Fivemiletown
• Moy
• Newtownstewart
• Sion Mills

Small villages or hamlets

(population of less than 1,000 at 2001 Census)^[11]

• Altamuskin
• Altmore
• Ardstraw
• Artigarvan
• Augher
• Aughnacloy
• Ballygawley
• Ballymagorry
• Beragh
• Caledon
• Carrickmore
• Clogher
• Clonoe
• Derrylaughan
• Donaghmore
• Donemana
• Drumquin
• Edanderry
• Eglish
• Erganagh
• Eskra
• Evish
• Glenmornan
• Gortin
• Greencastle
• Killyclogher
• Loughmacrory
• Pomeroy
• Rock
• Stewartstown
• Tullyhogue
• Victoria Bridge

Subdivisions

Baronies

• Clogher
• Dungannon Lower
• Dungannon Middle
• Dungannon Upper
• Omagh East
• Omagh West
• Strabane Lower
• Strabane Upper

Parishes

Townlands

Sport

The major sports in Tyrone are Gaelic games, Association football and Rugby Union.

• Gaelic football is more widely played than hurling. The Tyrone GAA football side has had considerable success since 2000, winning three All Ireland titles (in 2003, 2005 and 2008), they have also won four Ulster titles (2001, 2003, 2007 and 2009)^[12] and two National League titles (in 2002 and 2003).
  • Underage Gaelic football teams have also had considerable successes on the field at both provincial and national level - winning the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship seven times (the most recent, also in 2008) and the All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship four times.
• Association Football also has a large following. Omagh Town F.C. were members of the Irish Football League until they folded in 2005. Dungannon Swifts F.C. compete in the IFA Premiership. Other team's include Irish League Division One side Coagh United F.C. and Division Two sides Dergview F.C. and Killymoon Rangers F.C..
• Rugby Union is very popular in the county. Dungannon RFC are one of only three Ulster teams currently playing in All Ireland League One. Other teams include Omagh RFC, Clogher Valley RFC, Cookstown RFC and Strabane RFC.

People

Notable residents of County Tyrone have included:

• Hugh Ó Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone (Aodh Mór Ó Néill), 1540–1617, Irish leader during the Nine Years' War against English occupation of his country
• Philomena Begley, Irish country music singer
• John Dunlap (1747–1812), publisher of the first American daily newspaper the Pennsylvania Packet in 1784, also the printer of the American Declaration of Independence.
• John Hughes, (1797–1864), born in Annaloghan, first Archbishop of Roman Catholic diocese of New York.^[13]
• Peter Canavan, former All Ireland winning Tyrone captain and second top scorer in Senior Ulster Championship football.
• Darren Clarke, professional golfer.
• Paul Brady, musician.
• Ryan Kelly, one of the men of Celtic Thunder.
• Brian Dooher, current captain of the Tyrone senior football team.
• Hugo Duncan, singer and broadcaster on BBC Radio.
• Dennis Taylor, former World Snooker Champion.
• Aaron Hughes, current captain of the Northern Ireland football team and also plays for Fulham.
• Benedict Kiely (1919–2007), writer and broadcaster
• Thomas Mellon, founder of Mellon Bank, now Bank of New York Mellon
• Flann O'Brien, 1911–1966, writer
• William Burke, 1792–1829, grave robber and murderer
• William Carleton, 1794–1869, writer
• Brian Friel, dramatist and theatre director
• Chloe Coyle, The All Ireland Talent Show (series 2)^[14]

See also

• Abbeys and priories in Northern Ireland (County Tyrone)
• List of civil parishes of County Tyrone
• List of places in County Tyrone
• List of townlands in County Tyrone

References

• The Memoirs of John M. Regan, a Catholic Officer in the RIC and RUC, 1909–48, Joost Augusteijn, editor, District Inspector, Co. Tyrone, 1920s, ISBN 978-1-84682-069-4.

External links

• County Tyrone at the Open Directory Project
• A Flavour of Tyrone
• County Tyrone.com
• Ulster-American Folk Park

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