County Tyrone

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"Tyrone" redirects here. For other uses, see Tyrone (disambiguation).
County Tyrone
Contae Thír Eoghain
Coontie Tyrone
Coat of arms of County Tyrone
Coat of arms
Motto: Consilio et Prudentia  (Latin)
"By Wisdom and Prudence"
Location of County Tyrone
Country United Kingdom
Region Northern Ireland
Province Ulster
County town Omagh
Area
 • Total 1,218 sq mi (3,150 km2)
Area rank 8th
Population (2011) 177,986
 • Rank 10th[1]
Contae Thír Eoghain is the Irish name; Countie Tyrone,[2] Coontie Tyrone[3] and Coontie Owenslann[4] are Ulster Scots spellings (the latter used only by Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council).

County Tyrone (from Irish: Tír Eoghain, meaning "land of Eoghan") is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 3,155 km² (1218 sq mi) and has a population of about 177,986, with its county town being Omagh. It is also one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland and is within the historic province of Ulster.

Tyrone is the eighth largest of Ireland's thirty-two counties by area and tenth largest by population.[5] It is the second largest of Ulster's nine counties by area and fourth largest by population.[6] The county is no longer used as an administrative division for local government purposes, but retains a strong identity in popular culture.

Name

The name Tyrone is derived from Irish Tír Eoghain, meaning "land of Eoghan", the name given to the conquests made by the Cenél nEógain from the provinces of Airgíalla and Ulaid.[7] Historically, it was anglicised as Tirowen or Tyrowen, which are closer to the Irish pronunciation.

History

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Main article: List of Kings of Tír Eógain

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 four baronies of West Inishowen, East Inishowen, Raphoe North and Raphoe South in County Donegal.[14]

In 1608 during O'Doherty's Rebellion areas of the country were plundered and burnt by the forces of Sir Cahir O'Doherty following his destruction of Derry. However, O'Doherty's men avoided the estates of the recently fled Earl of Tyrone around Dungannon, fearing Tyrone's anger if he returned from his exile.[15]

Geography

With an area of 3,155 square kilometres (1,218 sq mi), Tyrone is the largest county in Northern Ireland. The flat peatlands of East Tyrone border the shoreline of the largest lake in the British Isles, 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 (89 km). The breadth, from the southern corner, southeast of Fivemiletown, to the northeastern corner near Meenard Mountain is 37.5 miles (60.4 km); giving an area of 1,260 square miles (in 1900).[14] Annaghone lays claim to be the geographical centre of Northern Ireland.

Blackrock Bridge near Newtownstewart, carrying the closed GNR mainline that ran through the county.

Demography

It is one of four counties in Northern Ireland which currently has a majority of the population from a Catholic community background, according to the 2011 census. In 1900 County Tyrone had a population of 197,719,[14] while in 2011 it was 177,986.

Settlements

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Main article: List of places in County Tyrone

Large towns

(population of 18,000 or more and under 75,000 at 2001 Census)[16]

Medium towns

(population of 10,000 or more and under 18,000 at 2001 Census)[16]

Small towns

(population of 4,500 or more and under 10,000 at 2001 Census)[16]

Intermediate settlements

(population of 2,250 or more and under 4,500 at 2001 Census)[16]

Villages

(population of 1,000 or more and under 2,250 at 2001 Census)[16]

Small villages

(population of less than 1,000 at 2001 Census)[16]

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Subdivisions

Baronies

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Main article: Barony (Ireland)

Parishes

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Main article: List of civil parishes of County Tyrone

Townlands

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Main article: List of townlands in County Tyrone

Future Railway Revival

There is the future possibility of the line being reopened to Dungannon railway station from Portadown.[17]

Sport

The major sports in Tyrone are Gaelic games, Association football and Rugby Union.[citation needed]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ Cookstown.gov.uk Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Marie Veronica Tarpey The role of Joseph McGarrity in the struggle for Irish independence
  7. ↑ Art Cosgrove (2008); "A New History of Ireland, Volume II: Medieval Ireland 1169-1534". Oxford University Press.
  8. ↑ For 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy, 14 March 1865.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ McCavitt, John. The Flight of the Earls. Gill & MacMillan, 2002. p.143-44
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ "All aboard! Dungannon railway hopes revived." Tyrone Times, January 28, 2013
  18. ↑ The Tyrone GAA team have won the Ulster Senior Championship on eight occasions in the 20th century
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ http://www.gerrymckenna.co.uk
  22. ↑ http://www.debretts.com/people-of-today/profile/35837/Patrick-Gerald-(Gerry)-McKENNA
  23. ↑
  • 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.

Further reading

External links

 County Londonderry Lderry arms.svg
County Donegal 36px Lough Neagh
  County Tyrone  
County Fermanagh 32px County Monaghan County Armagh Armagh arms.svg
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