Sixmilecross is 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 ...
and small village 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 ...
.
The original Irish name for Sixmilecross is Na Corracha Mora, this refers to marshy ground, probably the ground that runs along the Glusha river at the back of the village. Sixmilecross is one of the few villages 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 ...
that lost all connection with its Irish root name. It is situated in 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
Omagh East
Omagh East (named after Omagh town) is a barony in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is bordered by nine other baronies: Omagh West and Lurg to the west; Strabane Lower and Strabane Upper to the north; Dungannon Middle and Dungannon Upper to ...
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
Termonmaguirk
Termonmaguirk is a civil parish in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the historic barony of Omagh East, with a small portion in Strabane Upper.
The Parish contains the following towns and villages:
*Carrickmore
*Drumnakilly
*Lo ...
. The village has a wide, tree lined main street and a population of 282 in the
2001 Census.
Sixmilecross is in the
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council ( ga, Comhairle Ceantair Fhear Manach agus na hÓmaí; Ulster-Scots: ''Districk Cooncil o Fermanagh an Omey'') is a local authority in Northern Ireland and was established on 1 April 2015. It replaced Ferman ...
area about south-east of Omagh.
History
The great
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 Tyrone had some connection with the area because the hill above the village was known as Tulach Uí Neill, meaning O'Neill's Hill. It lies above the
Presbyterian Church
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
in the village and is still known as Tullyneil. Tullyneil hill is said to be the geographical centre 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 ...
.
Sixmilecross is believed to have been established in 1634. St Michael's
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...
has a stained glass window commemorating the Dunlap family, one of whom,
John Dunlap
John Dunlap (1747 – 27 November 1812) was an early American printer who emigrated from Ireland and who printed the first copies of the United States Declaration of Independence and was one of the most successful Irish/American printers of his ...
printed the
United States Declaration of Independence
The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ...
. The
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) opened Sixmilecross railway station in September 1861 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 ...
closed the station and the PD&O line in February 1965.
People
*
Willie Anderson (rugby coach)
Willie Anderson (born 3 April 1955 in Sixmilecross, Northern Ireland) is a rugby union coach and former Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland international. A Rugby union positions#4._.26_5._Lock, lock, Anderson was capped 27 times for the ...
, was born here.
*
Mic Christopher
Michael "Mic" Christopher (21 September 1969 – 29 November 2001) was an Irish singer-songwriter, best known for his posthumously-released debut album '' Skylarkin.
Early life
Michael Christopher was born in The Bronx, New York City, t ...
, singer-songwriter, has maternal roots here; his mother, Vaun (née Heaney), comes from Sixmilecross.
*
W.F. Marshall
William Forbes Marshall (8 May 1888 – January 1959) was an Irish poet and Presbyterian minister from Sixmilecross, County Tyrone, Ireland.
Marshall's father was principal teacher at Sixmilecross National School, where he was first edu ...
, poet who contributed to midwest Tyrone cultural heritage.
2011 Census
On Census Day April 2011 the resident population of Sixmilecross Ward was 2,374.
*26.07% were under 16 years old and 10.57% were aged 65 and over;
*51.68% of the population were male and 48.32% were female;
*77.51% were from a Catholic community background;
*21.52% were from a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' community background;
*33 years was the average age of the population;
*20.12% had some knowledge of Irish (
Gaeilge
Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was the p ...
), 3.90% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots and 1.73% did not have English as their first Language
See also
*
List of 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 stat ...
*
List of towns 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 stat ...
References
Links
Omagh District Council
{{authority control
Villages in County Tyrone
Civil parish of Termonmaguirk