County Tyrone


County Tyrone 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, 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 the 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. Historically, it was anglicised as Tirowen or Tyrowen, which are closer to the Irish pronunciation.

History

Historically Tyrone 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.
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.

Geography

With an area of, 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. The length of the county, from the mouth of the River Blackwater at Lough Neagh to the western point near Carrickaduff hill is. The breadth, from the southern corner, southeast of Fivemiletown, to the northeastern corner near Meenard Mountain is ; giving an area of. 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. It is the second largest of Ulster's nine traditional counties by area and fourth largest by population.
File:Blackrock Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 467291.jpg|thumb|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.

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 2021 census. In 1900 County Tyrone had a population of 197,719, 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, 0.66% were from other religions, and 3.97% had no religious background.
Religion or religion brought up inNumber%
Catholic125,25166.49%
Protestant and Other Christian54,40728.88%
Other religions1,2510.66%
None 7,4743.97%
Total188,383100.00%

National identityNumber
Irish only78,29141.6%
British only39,55121.0%
Northern Irish only38,69820.5%
British and Northern Irish only8,1974.4%
Irish and Northern Irish only3,8532.1%
British, Irish and Northern Irish only1,1750.6%
British and Irish only7370.4%
Other identity17,8819.5%
Total188,383100.0%
All Irish identities84,56244.9%
All British identities50,76827.0%
All Northern Irish identities52,66728.0%

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

Large towns

  • Omagh

    Medium towns

  • Cookstown
  • Dungannon
  • Strabane

    Small towns

  • Coalisland

    Intermediate settlements

  • Castlederg

    Villages

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

    Small villages

Subdivisions

Baronies
  • Clogher
  • Dungannon Lower
  • Dungannon Middle
  • Dungannon Upper
  • Omagh East
  • Omagh West
  • Strabane Lower
  • Strabane Upper
Parishes
'''Townlands'''

Future railway revival

There is the possibility of the line being reopened to Dungannon railway station from Portadown.

Sport

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