County Tyrone

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County Tyrone
Contae Thír Eoghain  (Irish)
Coontie Owenslann (Ulster-Scots)
County
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Coat of arms
Nickname(s): The Red Hand County
Motto: Consilio et Prudentia  (Latin)
"By Wisdom and Prudence"
Location of County Tyrone
Country United Kingdom
Region Northern Ireland
Province Ulster
Established 1585
County town Omagh
Area[1]
 • Total 1,261 sq mi (3,270 km2)
Area rank 8th
Highest elevation (Sawel Mountain) 2,224 ft (678 m)
Population (2021) 188,383
 • Rank 11th[2]
Time zone GMT (UTC±0)
 • Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
Postcode area BT
Contae Thír Eoghain is the Irish name; Countie Tyrone,[3] Coontie Tyrone[4] and Coontie Owenslann[5] are Ulster Scots spellings (the latter used only by Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council).

County Tyrone (/tɪˈroʊn/;[6] from Irish: Tír Eoghain, meaning "land of Eoghan") is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh.

Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 1,261 square miles (3,266 km2),[1] making it the largest of Northern Ireland's six counties by size, and the second largest county in Ulster after Donegal. With a population of 188,383 as of the 2021 census, Tyrone is the 5th most populous county in both Northern Ireland and Ulster, and the 11th most populous county on the island of Ireland. The county derives its name and general geographic location from Tír Eoghain, a Gaelic kingdom under the O'Neill dynasty which existed until the 17th century.

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 (then Tír Eoghain or Tirowen) was much larger in size, stretching 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 and 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 1,261 square miles (3,266 km2), 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 metres (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 1,261 sq mi (3,270 km2).[14] Annaghone lays claim to be the geographical centre of Northern Ireland.

Tyrone is connected by land to the counties of Fermanagh to the southwest; Monaghan to the south; Armagh to the southeast; Londonderry to the north; and Donegal to the west. Across Lough Neagh to the east, it borders County Antrim. It is the eighth largest of Ireland's thirty-two counties by area and tenth largest by population.[16] It is the second largest of Ulster's nine traditional counties by area and fourth largest by population.[17]

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

Administration

The county was administered by Tyrone County Council from 1899 until the abolition of county councils in Northern Ireland in 1973.[18]

Demography

Religious Background in Tyrone (2021)
Religion Per cent
Catholic
  
 66.5%
Protestant and Other Christian
  
 28.9%
None
  
 4.0%
Other faiths
  
 0.7%

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 2021 census.[19] In 1900 County Tyrone had a population of 197,719,[14] while in 2021 it was 188,383. At the time of the 2021 census, 66.49% were from a Catholic background, 28.88% were from a Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related), 0.66% were from other religions, and 3.97% had no religious background.[19]

Religion or religion brought up in (2021 Census)
Religion or religion brought up in Number %
Catholic 125,251 66.49%
Protestant and Other Christian 54,407 28.88%
Other religions 1,251 0.66%
None (no religion) 7,474 3.97%
Total 188,383 100.00%
National identity (2021 Census)[20][21][22][23]
National identity Number (%)
Irish only 78,291 41.6%
British only 39,551 21.0%
Northern Irish only 38,698 20.5%
British and Northern Irish only 8,197 4.4%
Irish and Northern Irish only 3,853 2.1%
British, Irish and Northern Irish only 1,175 0.6%
British and Irish only 737 0.4%
Other identity 17,881 9.5%
Total 188,383 100.0%
All Irish identities 84,562 44.9%
All British identities 50,768 27.0%
All Northern Irish identities 52,667 28.0%

Irish language and Ulster Scots

In the 2021 UK census in County Tyrone:

  • 18.44% claim to have some knowledge of the Irish language, whilst 5.84% claim to be able to speak, read, write and understand spoken Irish. 3.62% claim to use Irish daily. 0.38% claim that Irish is their main language.
  • 8.15% claim to have some knowledge of Ulster Scots, whilst 0.91% claim to be able to speak, read, write and understand spoken Ulster Scots. 1.26% claim to use Ulster Scots daily.

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 2021 Census)[24]

Medium towns

(population of 10,000 or more and under 18,000 at 2021 Census)[24]

Small towns

(population of 4,500 or more and under 10,000 at 2021 Census)[25]

Intermediate settlements

(population of 2,250 or more and under 4,500 at 2021 Census)[24]

Villages

(population of 1,000 or more and under 2,250 at 2001 Census)[25]

Small villages

(population of less than 1,000 at 2001 Census)[25]

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Subdivisions

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Further information: Clonaneese

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 possibility of the line being reopened to Dungannon railway station from Portadown.[26]

Sport

Major sports in Tyrone include Gaelic games, association football, rugby union and cricket:

Notable people

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See also: Category:People from County Tyrone

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See also

References

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Further reading

  • Joost, Augusteijn (ed.) (1920s). The Memoirs of John M. Regan, a Catholic Officer in the RIC and RUC, 1909–48. Co. Tyrone. ISBN 978-1-84682-069-4.
  • McNeill, I. (2010). The Flora of County Tyrone. National Museums of Northern Ireland. ISBN 978-1-905989-17-1

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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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  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.
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  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  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.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  15. ↑ McCavitt, John. The Flight of the Earls. Gill & MacMillan, 2002. p.143-44
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Marie Veronica Tarpey The role of Joseph McGarrity in the struggle for Irish independence Archived 17 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 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. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ The Tyrone GAA team have won the Ulster Senior Championship on eight occasions in the 20th century
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Ireland's Bready Cricket Club Gets ICC's Recognition[permanent dead link]
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Sidney Elisabeth Croskery: Whilst I Remember (1983), ISBN 978-0-85640-260-9
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Professor P G (Gerry) McKenna Archived 20 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine. gerrymckenna.co.uk.
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