Dungannon () is a town in
County Tyrone
County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. It is the second-largest town in the county (after
Omagh
Omagh (; from ga, An Ómaigh , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers River Drumragh, Drumragh and Camowen River, Camowen meet to form the River Strule, Strule. North ...
) and had a population of 14,340 at the
2011 Census.
The
Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council
Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council ( ga, Comhairle Buirge Dhún Geanainn agus Thír Eoghain Theas, Ulster Scots: ''Rathgannon an Sooth Owenslanngh Cooncil'') was a local council in Northern Ireland from 1973 until 2015. It was originall ...
had its headquarters in the town, though since 2015 it has been covered by
Mid-Ulster District Council
Mid Ulster District Council ( ga, Comhairle Ceantair Lár Uladh; Ulster-Scots: ''Mid Ulstèr Airts Cooncil'') is a local authority that was established on 1 April 2015. It replaced Cookstown District Council, Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough C ...
.
For centuries, it was the 'capital' of the
O'Neill dynasty
The O'Neill dynasty (Irish: ''Ó Néill'') are a lineage of Irish Gaelic origin, that held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As kings of Cenél nEógain, they were historically the most prominent family of the Northern ...
of
Tír Eoghain
Tír Eoghain (), also known as Tyrone, was a kingdom and later earldom of Gaelic Ireland, comprising parts of present-day County Tyrone, County Armagh, County Londonderry and County Donegal (Raphoe). The kingdom represented the core homeland of ...
, who dominated most of
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
and built a castle on the hill. After the O'Neills' defeat in the
Nine Years' War
The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...
, the English founded a
plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
town on the site, which grew into what is now Dungannon. Dungannon has won
Ulster in Bloom's Best Kept Town Award five times. It currently has the highest percentage of immigrants of any town in Northern Ireland.
History
For centuries, Dungannon's fortunes were closely tied to that of the
O'Neill dynasty
The O'Neill dynasty (Irish: ''Ó Néill'') are a lineage of Irish Gaelic origin, that held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As kings of Cenél nEógain, they were historically the most prominent family of the Northern ...
which ruled a large part of
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
until the 17th century. Dungannon was the clan's main stronghold. The traditional site of inauguration for 'The O'Neill' was
Tullyhogue Fort
Tullyhogue Fort, also spelt Tullaghoge or Tullahoge (from Middle Irish ''Tulach Óc'' meaning "hill of youth" or "mound of the young warriors"), is a large mound on the outskirts of Tullyhogue village near Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Irela ...
, an
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
mound some four miles northeast of Dungannon. The clan
O'Hagan
O'Hagan is an Irish surname originally from the pre 10th century Old Gaelic Ó hAodhagáin, meaning perhaps "Little Fire from the Sun", being derived from Aodh the pagan sun god and Og meaning young, they are the "male descendant of Aodh" the paga ...
were the stewards of this site for the O'Neills. In the 14th century the O'Neills built a castle on what is today known as Castle Hill; the location was ideal for a fort, for it was one of the highest points in the area and dominated the surrounding countryside, giving (depending on the weather) the ability to see seven counties.
![Heavy traffic expected soon (38083984691)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Heavy_traffic_expected_soon_%2838083984691%29.jpg)
This
castle was burned in 1602 by
Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone
Hugh O'Neill (Irish: ''Aodh Mór Ó Néill''; literally ''Hugh The Great O'Neill''; – 20 July 1616), was an Irish Gaelic lord, Earl of Tyrone (known as the Great Earl) and was later created ''The Ó Néill Mór'', Chief of the Name. O'Neil ...
, as Crown forces under
Lord Mountjoy
The titles of Baron Mountjoy and Viscount Mountjoy have been created several times for members of various families, including the Blounts and their descendants and the Stewarts of Ramelton and their descendants.
The first creation was for Walter ...
closed in on the Gaelic lords towards the end of the
Nine Years' War
The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...
. In 1607, ninety-nine Irish chieftains and their followers, including Hugh O'Neill, set sail from
Rathmullan, bound for the continent, in an event known as the
Flight of the Earls
The Flight of the Earls ( ir, Imeacht na nIarlaí)In Irish, the neutral term ''Imeacht'' is usually used i.e. the ''Departure of the Earls''. The term 'Flight' is translated 'Teitheadh na nIarlaí' and is sometimes seen. took place in Sep ...
. In what became known as the
Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster ( gle, Plandáil Uladh; Ulster-Scots: ''Plantin o Ulstèr'') was the organised colonisation (''plantation'') of Ulstera province of Irelandby people from Great Britain during the reign of King James I. Most of the sett ...
, their lands were confiscated and awarded to Protestant English and Scots settlers; Dungannon and its castle were granted to
Sir Arthur Chichester
Arthur Chichester, 1st Baron Chichester (May 1563 – 19 February 1625; known between 1596 and 1613 as Sir Arthur Chichester), of Carrickfergus in Ireland, was an English administrator and soldier who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland from 160 ...
, the
Lord Deputy of Ireland
The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...
.
Sir
Phelim O'Neill
Sir Phelim Roe O'Neill of Kinard (Irish: ''Sir Féilim Rua Ó Néill na Ceann Ard''; 1604–1653) was an Irish politician and soldier who started the Irish rebellion in Ulster on 23 October 1641. He joined the Irish Catholic Confederati ...
seized the town in the opening stages of the
Irish Rebellion of 1641
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1641) was an uprising by Irish Catholics in the Kingdom of Ireland, who wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and to partially or fully reverse the plantatio ...
, and issued the
Proclamation of Dungannon
The Proclamation of Dungannon was a document produced by Sir Phelim O'Neill on 24 October 1641 in the Irish town of Dungannon. O'Neill was one of the leaders of the Irish Rebellion which had been launched the previous day. O'Neill's Proclamat ...
, in which the rebels set out their aims and proclaimed their loyalty to
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
. O'Neill claimed they had been ordered to rise by the King, and later produced a forged commission in support of this. During the course of the
Irish Confederate Wars
The Irish Confederate Wars, also called the Eleven Years' War (from ga, Cogadh na hAon-déag mBliana), took place in Ireland between 1641 and 1653. It was the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a series of civil wars in the kin ...
, Dungannon changed hands several times; Scots
Covenanter
Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from ''Covenan ...
forces under
Alexander Leslie
Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven (15804 April 1661) was a Scottish soldier in Swedish and Scottish service. Born illegitimate and raised as a foster child, he subsequently advanced to the rank of a Swedish Field Marshal, and in Scotland b ...
captured it in September 1642, before O'Neill took it back in spring 1643.
The castle was partially excavated in October 2007 by the
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
archaeological show ''
Time Team
''Time Team'' is a British television programme that originally aired on Channel 4 from 16 January 1994 to 7 September 2014. It returned online in 2022 for two episodes released on YouTube. Created by television producer Tim ...
'', uncovering part of the
moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
and walls of the castle. In 1973, the town became the seat of the new district of the
Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council
Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council ( ga, Comhairle Buirge Dhún Geanainn agus Thír Eoghain Theas, Ulster Scots: ''Rathgannon an Sooth Owenslanngh Cooncil'') was a local council in Northern Ireland from 1973 until 2015. It was originall ...
. In 1782, the town was the location where the independence of the
Irish Parliament was declared by members of the
Protestant Ascendancy
The ''Protestant Ascendancy'', known simply as the ''Ascendancy'', was the political, economic, and social domination of Ireland between the 17th century and the early 20th century by a minority of landowners, Protestant clergy, and members of th ...
who controlled the parliament at the time.
The Troubles
In the late 1960s Northern Ireland was plunged into an ethnopolitical conflict known as
the Troubles
The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...
. On 24 August 1968, the
Campaign for Social Justice
The Campaign for Social Justice (CSJ) was an organisation based in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in th ...
(CSJ), the
(NICRA), and other groups, held Northern Ireland's
first civil rights march from
Coalisland
Coalisland () is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, with a population of 5,682 in the 2011 Census. Four miles from Lough Neagh, it was formerly a centre for coal mining.
History
Origins
In the late 17th century coal deposits ...
to Dungannon. The rally was officially banned, but took place and passed off without incident. The publicity surrounding the march encouraged other groups to form branches of NICRA.
During the conflict Dungannon suffered numerous bombings, and almost 50 people were killed in and around the town. The deadliest attack was on 17 March 1976, when a
loyalist
Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...
car bomb
killed four Catholic civilians.
Demography
Dungannon had a population of 14,340 at the 2011 census, rising by 3,349 (over 30%) from 10,983 in 2001, making it one of the fastest growing towns in Northern Ireland.
It has the highest percentage of immigrants of any town in Northern Ireland.
["NI migrant population triples in decade, says study"]
. BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
, 26 June 2014 Immigrants make up about 11% of its population; more than twice the average. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of immigrants in Dungannon increased tenfold; the biggest increase of any town.
Many came to work in the local food processing plants. There have been several attacks on immigrants and clashes between rival groups of immigrants in the area.
The population of the town increased slightly overall during the 19th century:
On Census day (27 March 2011) there were 14,340 people living in Dungannon (5,388 households), accounting for 0.79% of the NI total.
Of these:
* 22.01% were aged under 16 years and 12.09% were aged 65 and over;
* 50.33% of the usually resident population were female and 49.67% were male;
* 64.82% belong to or were brought up in the Catholic Christian faith, 30.46% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' religion;
* 31.63% had an Irish national identity, 28.27% indicated that they had a British national identity and 23.93% had a Northern Irish national identity (respondents could indicate more than one national identity);
* 34 years was the average (median) age of the population;
* 15.93% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaelic), 4.82% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots and 23.18% did not have English as their first language.
Places of interest
![Georges Street, Dungannon (16022291874)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Georges_Street%2C_Dungannon_%2816022291874%29.jpg)
An interesting feature of the town is the former
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
barracks at the top right-hand corner of the market square which is quite unlike any other barracks of a similar vintage in Ireland. A popular but apocryphal story relates that the unusual design of this building is due to a mix-up with the plans in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
which meant Dungannon got a station designed for
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
and they got a standard Irish barracks, complete with a traditional Irish fireplace. Dungannon Park is a seventy-acre oasis centred round an idyllic still-water lake, with miles of pathways and views of the surrounding townland.
Geography
Dungannon is in the southeast of County Tyrone, within the historic
barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
of
Dungannon Middle
Dungannon Middle (named after Dungannon town) is a barony in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It was created in 1851 with the splitting of the barony of Dungannon. It is bordered by Lough Neagh to the east and six other baronies: Dungannon Upper ...
and the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
of Drumglass.
The town grew up around a hill, known locally as Castle Hill. There are three small lakes on the southern edge of town, the biggest of which is
Black Lough. There are also two parks in the eastern part of town: Dungannon Park and Windmill Park. Surrounding settlements include
Moygashel
Moygashel () is a small village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is near the southern edge of Dungannon. Although the village's name is pronounced , the trademark of the Irish linen named after it is pronounced .
People
One ...
(a village at the southern edge of Dungannon),
Coalisland
Coalisland () is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, with a population of 5,682 in the 2011 Census. Four miles from Lough Neagh, it was formerly a centre for coal mining.
History
Origins
In the late 17th century coal deposits ...
(to the northeast),
Donaghmore (to the northwest),
Eglish
Eglish () is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is about 6 km southwest of Dungannon, in the Mid Ulster District Council area. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 93. The village has grown in a dispersed form an ...
(to the south) and
Castlecaulfield
Castlecaulfield is a village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies about 2 miles west of Dungannon and is part of the Mid Ulster District Council area. The village is mostly within the townland of Drumreany, although part of it extends i ...
(to the west).
Townlands
Dungannon sprang up in a
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...
called Drumcoo. Over time, the urban area has spread into the neighbouring townlands. Many of its roads and housing estates are named after them. The following is a list of these townlands and their likely etymologies:
*Ballynorthland Park
*Ballysaggart ()
*Coolhill (from ''Cúlchoill'' meaning "the backwoods")
*Drumcoo (from ''Druim Cuaiche'' meaning "ridge of the cuckoo")
*Drumharriff (from ''Druim Thairbh'' meaning "ridge of the bull")
*Gortmerron (from ''Gort Mearain'' meaning "Merron's field")
*Killymaddy (from ''Coill na Madaí'' meaning "wood of the dogs")
*Killymeal (from ''Coill na Maoile'' meaning "wood of the bald/hornless cow")
*Lisnaclin (from ''Lios na Clinge'' meaning "ringfort of the bell chime")
*Lisnahull (from ''Lios a' Choill'' meaning "ringfort of the hazel")
*Lurgaboy (from ''Lurga Buí'' meaning "yellow shin" i.e. shin-shaped hill)
*Mullaghadun (from ''Mullach a' Dúin'' meaning "hilltop of the fort")
*Mullaghanagh (from ''Mullán na hÁithe'' meaning "hillock of the kiln")
*Mullaghconor (from ''Mullach Conchobhair'' meaning "Conchobhar's hilltop")
*Mullaghmore (from ''Mullach Mór'' meaning "big hilltop")
Economy
![Tyrone Crystal Factory - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Tyrone_Crystal_Factory_-_geograph.org.uk_-_904631.jpg)
A well-established crystal glass producer in the town is
Tyrone Crystal
Tyrone Crystal was a crystal manufacturing company in Dungannon, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland.
History
Glass-making and -decoration in County Tyrone can be dated back to the early medieval period, where Dunmisk outside Carrickmore was a ...
.
Schools
;Primary
*Aughamullan (Holy Family) Primary School (RC)
*Bush Primary School
*Clintyclay Primary School
*Derrylatinee Primary School (RC)
*Donaghey Controlled Primary School
*Dungannon Primary School
*Killyman Primary School
*Laghey Primary School (RC)
*Lisfearty Primary School
*Newmills Primary School
*Orchard County Primary School (amalgamation of Annaghmore and Tullyroan primary schools)
*St Mary's Primary School
*St Patrick's Primary School
*Tamnamore Primary School
*Walker Memorial Primary School
*Windmill Integrated Primary School
;Secondary
*
Royal School Dungannon
The Royal School is a mixed boarding school located in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It was one of a number of 'free schools' created by James I (otherwise known as James VI of Scotland) in 1608 to provide an education to the son ...
*
Integrated College Dungannon
Integrated College Dungannon (ICD) is an integrated secondary school situated in Dungannon, County Tyrone and is attended by students from ages 11–18. It is an all-ability College including grammar entry. It has been open since 1995.
Context
...
*
St Patrick's Academy, Dungannon
Saint Patrick's Academy (Irish: ''Acadamh Naomh Pádraig'') is a voluntary grammar school located in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It formed on 1 September 2003 when the two single-sex Saint Patrick's Academies, which coexisted ...
*
Drumglass High School
*St Patricks's College, Dungannon
Transport
Dungannon is linked to the
M1 motorway
The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, which lat ...
, which runs from the southeast of the town to
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
. There is an
Ulsterbus
Ulsterbus is a public transport operator in Northern Ireland and operates bus services outside Belfast. It is part of Translink, the brand name for the subsidiary operating companies of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, which also ...
town bus service that runs daily that serves the town's suburbs. Formally operated by the
Optare Solo
The Optare Solo is a low-floor minibus/midibus with one or two doors manufactured by Optare in the United Kingdom since 1998. The Solo name is a play on its low-floor status, the manufacturer marketing its vehicle as having an entrance that is ...
buses. The nearest railway station is on
Northern Ireland Railways
NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) ( ga, Iarnród Thuaisceart Éireann); and for a brief period Ulster Transport Railways (UTR), is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink, whose parent ...
.
Former railways
The
Irish gauge
Railways with a track gauge of fall within the category of broad gauge railways. , they were extant in Australia, Brazil and Ireland.
History
600 BC
:The Diolkos (Δίολκος) across the Isthmus of Corinth in Greece – a grooved pave ...
Portadown, Dungannon and Omagh Junction Railway
The Portadown, Dungannon and Omagh Junction Railway (PD&O) was an Irish gauge () railway in County Armagh and County Tyrone, Ulster, Ireland (now Northern Ireland).
Early development
Building of the PD&O line started from Portadown in 1855 a ...
(PD&O) linked the town with from 1858 and
Omagh
Omagh (; from ga, An Ómaigh , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers River Drumragh, Drumragh and Camowen River, Camowen meet to form the River Strule, Strule. North ...
from 1861,
completing the –
Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
railway route that came to be informally called "The Derry Road". The
Great Northern Railway took over the PD&O in 1876
[Hajducki, ''op. cit.'', page xiii] and built a
branch line
A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line.
Industrial spur
An industri ...
from Dungannon to
Cookstown
Cookstown ( ga, An Chorr Chríochach, IPA: anˠˈxoːɾˠɾˠˈçɾʲiːxəx is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the fourth largest town in the county and had a population of 11,599 in the 2011 census. It, along with Maghe ...
in 1879.
The
GNR Board cut back the Cookstown branch to
Coalisland
Coalisland () is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, with a population of 5,682 in the 2011 Census. Four miles from Lough Neagh, it was formerly a centre for coal mining.
History
Origins
In the late 17th century coal deposits ...
in 1956
[Hajducki, ''op. cit.'', map 39] and the
Ulster Transport Authority
The Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966.
Formation and consolidation
The UTA was formed by the Transport Act 1948, which merged the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board (NIRTB ...
(UTA) closed the branch altogether in 1959.
In accordance with the
Benson Report submitted to the
Government of Northern Ireland
The government of Northern Ireland is, generally speaking, whatever political body exercises political authority over Northern Ireland. A number of separate systems of government exist or have existed in Northern Ireland.
Following the partitio ...
1963 the UTA closed the "Derry Road" through Dungannon in 1965.
The site of
Dungannon station is now a public park and the former trackbed through the station is now a greenway.
Notable people
1800s
*
Richard Dowse (1824–1890) – judge
*
Henry W. Oliver
Henry W. Oliver (February 25, 1840 – February 8, 1904) was an American industrialist.
Biography
Henry W. Oliver was born in Ireland in 1840. Two years later his family settled in Pittsburgh. Oliver began working at the age of thirteen as ...
(1840–1904) – Pittsburgh industrialist
*
Thomas Wilson Spence (1846–1912) –
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
lawyer and state politician
*
George T. Oliver (1848–1919) – U.S. Senator
*
Thomas J. Clarke (1858–1916) – first signatory of the
1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic; executed by the British authorities
*
Sister Nivedita
Sister Nivedita ( born Margaret Elizabeth Noble; 28 October 1867 – 13 October 1911) was an Irish teacher, author, social activist, school founder and disciple of Swami Vivekananda. She spent her childhood and early youth in Ireland. She was ...
(born Margaret Elizabeth Noble) (1867–1911) – social worker, author, teacher and disciple of Swami Vivekananda
1900s
*
Birdy Sweeney
Birdy Sweeney (14 June 1931 – 11 May 1999) was an Irish actor and comedian.
Born Edmund Francis Sweeney in Dungannon, County Tyrone, he garnered his nickname "Birdy" from his childhood ability to imitate bird calls which he demonstrated on BB ...
(1931–1999) – actor
*
Austin Currie
Joseph Austin Currie (11 October 1939 – 9 November 2021) was an Irish politician who served as a Minister of State for Justice with responsibility for Children's Rights from 1994 to 1997. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin West ...
(born 1939) – former member of the
Parliament of Northern Ireland
The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended because of its inability to restore ord ...
and
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...
, attended St Patrick's Academy in Dungannon.
*
Victor Sloan
Victor Sloan Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 1945) is a Northern Irish photographer and artist.
Life and work
Sloan was born in 1945 in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. He studied at the Royal Sch ...
(born 1945) – artist
*
Bernadette Devlin McAliskey
Josephine Bernadette McAliskey (née Devlin; born 23 April 1947), usually known as Bernadette Devlin or Bernadette McAliskey, is an Irish civil rights leader, and former politician. She served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Ulster in North ...
(born 1947) – former British MP; Irish republican activist, attended St Patrick's Girls Academy in Dungannon.
*
Gerry McKenna
Patrick Gerald McKenna, DL, FIBMS, FRSB, MRIA (born 10 December 1953), known informally and widely as Gerry McKenna, is a Chartered Biologist (CBiol, 1982) and Chartered Scientist (CSci, 2006) from Northern Ireland.
Professor McKenna is most w ...
(born 1953) –
MRIA,
biologist
A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...
, Senior Vice President of the
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...
, Vice Chancellor and President of
University of Ulster
sco, Ulstèr Universitie
, image = Ulster University coat of arms.png
, caption =
, motto_lang =
, mottoeng =
, latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae
, established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...
*
Dominic Gates
Dominic Gates is an Irish-American aerospace journalist for ''The Seattle Times'', former math teacher, and Pulitzer Prize winner. He has been assigned to cover Boeing for ''The Times'' since 2003. Gates was a co-recipient of the 2020 Pulitzer ...
(born 1954/1955) – journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner
*
Adrian Logan (born 1955) – television presenter
*
Gerry McGeough (born 1958) –
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reun ...
volunteer; prison escapee.
*
Darren Clarke
Darren Christopher Clarke, (born 14 August 1968) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions and has previously played on the European Tour and PGA Tour. He has won 21 tournaments worldwide on a ...
(born 1968) – professional golfer
*
Patrick Wallace
Patrick Wallace (born 20 September 1969) is a former professional snooker player from Dungannon in Northern Ireland. During his career, which lasted seventeen years from 1994 to 2011, he won two non-snooker world rankings, ranking titles, and ...
(born 1969) – snooker player
*
Ryan Farquhar
Ryan Alan Robert Farquhar (born 2 February 1976, Dungannon, Northern Ireland) is a professional motorcycle racer who primarily competes in road racing. Farquhar won the Dukes Road Racing Rankings four times. He won five races at the Cooks ...
(born 1976) – motorcycle racer
*
Joanne Salley (born 1977) – television presenter
*
Kris Meeke
Kris Meeke (born 2 July 1979) is a Northern Irish professional rally driver, best known for competing in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). He was the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion. His co-driver is Seb Marshall, also B ...
(born 1979) – rally driver
*
Gareth Steenson
Gareth Steenson (born 5 April 1984) is an Irish former rugby union player. He played as a Rugby union positions#Fly-half, fly-half.
Playing career Early years
Steenson, who is from Ulster, did not get opportunities with his home province with U ...
(born 1984) – rugby union player
*
Colin Morgan
Colin Morgan (born 1 January 1986) is a Northern Irish actor. He is best known for playing the title character in the BBC fantasy series '' Merlin'' (2008–2012), Leo Elster in ''Humans'' (2015–2018), and Billy Clanton in Kenneth Branagh’s ...
(born 1986) – actor, attended Integrated College Dungannon
*
Fra Fee
Francis Martin "Fra" Fee (born 20 May 1987) is an Irish actor and singer. He is known for portraying Courfeyrac in Tom Hooper's film adaptation of ''Les Misérables''. He portrayed the role of Michael Carney in Jez Butterworth's ''The Ferryman ...
(born 1987) – film, stage actor
*
Niall McGinn
Niall McGinn (born 20 July 1987) is a Northern Irish professional footballer, who plays for Scottish Championship club Dundee. McGinn has also played for Dungannon Swifts, Derry City, Celtic, Brentford, Aberdeen (two spells) and South Korea ...
(born 1987) – footballer, Dungannon Swifts.
*
Michaella McCollum Connolly – criminal (convicted drug smuggler)
Sport
Cricket
Dungannon Cricket Club was established in 1865. Attempts were made to re-establish the club after the First World War and this was done in 1929 and survived until 1933 when Lord Ranfurly died to again leave the club without a ground. Cricket was kept alive by the Royal School, Bankers and the
RUC until 1939 when the Second World War broke out. The club was reformed in 1948 mainly due to the efforts of Eddie Hodgett and the NCU leagues in 1952 and continues to do so to the present time. The club has never quite reached senior cricket as it has limited resources and relies on the District Council for a ground. The club has played on at least five different locations during its existence. Home games are played at Dungannon Park.
Football
Dungannon Swifts F.C.
Dungannon Swifts Football Club is a Northern Ireland, Northern Irish, semi-professional football (soccer), football club playing in the NIFL Premiership. The club, founded in 1949, has risen from the Mid-Ulster league to the top tier in Northern ...
is the town's local team, which plays in the
NIFL Premiership
The NIFL Premiership, known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and colloquially as the Irish League or Irish Premiership, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northe ...
, and is Tyrone's only representative in the league, following
Omagh Town's collapse. The club represented Northern Ireland in European competition in the
2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup
The 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup was the first edition after a major change of the competition format. There were only three rounds instead of five, and eleven tournament co-winners qualified for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup (instead of ...
and the
2007–08 UEFA Cup
The 2007–08 UEFA Cup was the 37th edition of the UEFA Cup, UEFA's second-tier club football tournament. The final was played at the City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester, England on 14 May 2008 between Rangers of Scotland and Zenit Saint Pet ...
.
Gaelic games
The local boys' Gaelic football club is
Dungannon Thomas Clarkes
Dungannon Thomas Clarkes (in Irish 'Dún Geanainn Thomáis Uí Cleirigh') is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the town of Dungannon in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. They play at O'Neill Park in Dungannon, which is also the second ...
(''Thomáis Uí Chléirigh Dún Geanainn'') while the ladies' football team is Aodh a Ruadh.
Golf
Dungannon Golf Club, which provides an 18-hole courses, appointed its first woman captain in January 2022.
Hare coursing
The local Hare Coursing Club has been in existence since the 1920s but the sport was popular in the area long before the formation of the club. With hare coursing currently banned in Northern Ireland the Dungannon club organises meetings in the Republic of Ireland.
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing was a popular sport in Dungannon with the
Dungannon Greyhound Stadium
Dungannon Greyhound Stadium or Oaks Park was a greyhound racing track held on Oaks Road, Dungannon, County Tyrone, BT71 4BA, Northern Ireland.
History
Dungannon became the third Northern Irish greyhound track behind Celtic Park and Dunmore St ...
being opening in July 1930, making it the third track in Northern Ireland after
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is also ...
and
Dunmore Stadium
Dunmore Stadium was a greyhound racing track located in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
History
Dunmore was the second greyhound stadium to be opened in Ireland, the first meeting at which was held on 6 September 1928. It closed in 2000.
Opening
Du ...
.
The stadium, also known as the Oaks Park Greyhound Stadium, remained operational until January 2003 when it was closed by Dungannon (Oaks Park) Stadium Greyhound Racing Limited who had taken over the track in 1995 and saw the opportunity to make a substantial profit by developing the site.
Rugby
Dungannon Rugby FC, founded in 1873, was one of the first towns in Ireland to form a
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
club.
See also
*
Abbeys and priories in Northern Ireland (County Tyrone)
*
List of towns and villages in Northern Ireland
This is an alphabetical list of towns and villages in Northern Ireland. For a list sorted by population, see the list of settlements in Northern Ireland by population. The towns of Armagh, Lisburn and Newry are also classed as cities (see city sta ...
*
List of localities in Northern Ireland by population
This is a list of settlements in Northern Ireland by population. The fifty largest settlements are listed. This list has been compiled from data published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), based on the 2011 Census. Se ...
*
O'Neill dynasty
The O'Neill dynasty (Irish: ''Ó Néill'') are a lineage of Irish Gaelic origin, that held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As kings of Cenél nEógain, they were historically the most prominent family of the Northern ...
*
Tullyhogue Fort
Tullyhogue Fort, also spelt Tullaghoge or Tullahoge (from Middle Irish ''Tulach Óc'' meaning "hill of youth" or "mound of the young warriors"), is a large mound on the outskirts of Tullyhogue village near Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Irela ...
References
Sources
*
*
*
External links
Dungannon Enterprise CentreDungannon Life
{{Authority control
O'Neill dynasty
Towns in County Tyrone