Dungannon (, ) is a town in

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 cou ...

, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after

Omagh Omagh (; from , 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. Northern Ireland's c ...

) and had a population of 16,282 at the 2021 Census. The

Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council (, Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster Scots: ''Rathgannon an Sooth Owenslanngh Cooncil'') was a local council in Northern Ireland from 1973 until 2015. It was originally named Dungannon District Council, gai ...

had its headquarters in the town, though since 2015 the area has been covered by

Mid-Ulster District Council Mid Ulster District Council (; 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 Council and Magherafelt District 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 one of the most prominent family of the N ...

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 (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

and built a castle on the hill. After the O'Neills' defeat in the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...

, the English founded a

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

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

which ruled a large part of

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 Ire ...

, an

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

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. This castle was burned in 1602 by

Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone (; – 20 July 1616) was an Irish lord and key figure of the Nine Years' War (Ireland), Nine Years' War. Known as the "Great Earl", he led the confederacy of Irish lords against the Crown, the English Crown in r ...

, 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

. In 1607, ninety-nine Irish chieftains and their followers, including Hugh O'Neill, set sail from

Rathmullan Rathmullan () is a seaside village and townland on the Fanad Peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland. It is situated on the western shore of Lough Swilly, north-east of Ramelton and east of Milford. Rathmullan was the point of departure duri ...

, bound for the continent, in an event known as the

Flight of the Earls On 14 September ld Style and New Style dates, O.S. 4 September1607, Irish earls Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, permanently departed Rathmullan in Ireland for mainland Europe, accompanied by their fa ...

. In what became known as the

Plantation of Ulster The Plantation of Ulster (; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster Scots: ) was the organised Settler colonialism, colonisation (''Plantation (settlement or colony), plantation'') of Ulstera Provinces of Ireland, province of Irelandby people from Great ...

, 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 1605 ...

, 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 Confede ...

seized the town in the opening stages of the

Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and ...

, 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 Proclama ...

, 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, took place from 1641 to 1653. It was the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a series of civil wars in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, all then ...

, Dungannon changed hands several times; Scots

Covenanter Covenanters 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. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son C ...

forces under

Alexander Leslie Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven (4 April 1661) was a Scottish army officer. Born illegitimate and raised as a foster child, he subsequently advanced to the rank of field marshal in Swedish Army, and in Scotland became Lord General in comma ...

captured it in September 1642, before O'Neill took it back in spring 1643. In 1973, the town became the seat of the new district of the

. 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 (also known as the Ascendancy) was the sociopolitical and economical domination of Ireland between the 17th and early 20th centuries by a small Anglicanism, Anglican ruling class, whose members consisted of landowners, ...

who controlled the parliament at the time. The castle was partially excavated in October 2007 by the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

archaeological show ''

Time Team ''Time Team'' is a British television programme that originally aired on Channel 4, Channel 4 from 16 January 1994 to 7 September 2014. It returned in 2022 on online platforms YouTube and Patreon. Created by television produce ...

'', uncovering part of the

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

and walls of the castle.

The Troubles

In the late 1960s Northern Ireland was plunged into an ethnopolitical conflict known as

the Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...

. On 24 August 1968, the Campaign for Social Justice (CSJ), the

Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA; ) was an organisation that campaigned for civil rights for Irish Catholics in Northern Ireland during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Formed in Belfast on 9 April 1967,first civil rights march from

Coalisland Coalisland () is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, with a population of 5,682 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census. Four miles from Lough Neagh, it was formerly a centre for coal mining. History Origins In the late 1 ...

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 Cr ...

car bomb killed four Catholic civilians.

The Dungannon circus crash

On 7 May 1954, a convoy of circus wagons crashed and overturned in Dungannon. The convoy was on its way to hold a circus in Ballygawley when a pilot lorry, which was towing three wagons, struck a chemist's shop while taking a sharp bend on Irish Street. The driver lost control of the lorry, which continued on to Market Square. The first of its wagons, carrying eight horses, four Shetland ponies and an ass, toppled over, smashing the front of two drapery shops. The second wagon, carrying three lions, crashed into the front of a hair salon and a hardware shop. Locals broke the back of the horses' wagon open, to free the animals trapped inside. A large group of locals and police physically moved the wagon containing the lions back onto the road to allow it to be removed.

Demography

The population of the town increased slightly overall during the 19th century:

2011 Census

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 broad ...

, 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. 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 (Gaeilge), 4.82% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots and 23.18% did not have English as their first language.

2021 Census

In the 2021 Census, Dungannon was recorded as having a population of 16,282, a 13.5% increase from 2011. Of these: * 34.85% of the town's population was recorded as foreign-born (born outside the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

), by far the largest of any settlement in Northern Ireland. * The largest foreign-born communities are

East Timorese Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and t ...

(1,777 people),

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

(1,565 people),

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

(717 people) and Portuguese (578 people). * 67.15% of the population belong to or were brought up in the Catholic Christian faith, 24.25% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' religion, and 1.63% belonged to or were brought up in an other religion. 6.96% either declared no religion or did not state their religion. * 22.45% were aged under 16 years and 12.48% were aged 65 or over. * 49.24% of the usually resident population were female and 50.76% were male. * 15.38% had some knowledge of the

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

, 6.97% had some knowledge of

Ulster-Scots Ulster Scots, may refer to: * Ulster Scots people * Ulster Scots dialect {{disambig Language and nationality disambiguation pages ...

and 31.52% did not have English as their first language. * 27.15% had an Irish national identity, 21.98% had a British national identity and 19.64% had a Northern Irish national identity (respondents could indicate more than one national identity).

Places of interest

An interesting feature of the town is the former

Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the island was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom. A sep ...

barracks at the northeastern corner of the market square which is quite unlike any other police 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 is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

which meant Dungannon got a station designed for

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

and they got a standard Irish barracks, complete with a traditional Irish fireplace. Dungannon Park covers ; it is 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 ...

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 Uppe ...

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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

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 Wood Park.

Townlands

Dungannon sprang up in a

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

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 meaning 'the backwoods') * Drumcoo (from meaning 'ridge of the cuckoo') * Drumharriff (from meaning 'ridge of the bull') * Gortmerron (from meaning 'Merron's field') * Killymaddy (from meaning 'wood of the dogs') * Killymeal (from meaning 'wood of the bald/hornless cow') * Lisnaclin (from meaning 'ringfort of the bell chime') * Lisnahull (from meaning 'ringfort of the hazel') * Lurgaboy (from meaning 'yellow shin' i.e. shin-shaped hill) * Mullaghadun (from meaning 'hilltop of the fort') * Mullaghanagh (from meaning 'hillock of the kiln') * Mullaghconor Glebe (from meaning 'Conchobhar's summit') * Mullaghmore (from meaning 'big hilltop')

Economy

Until its closure in 2010, the crystal glass producer

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 ...

was based in Dungannon.

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 of England, James I (otherwise known as James VI of Scotland) in 1608 to provide an ed ...

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) motorway, A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the count ...

, which runs from the southeast of the town to

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

. There is an

Ulsterbus Ulsterbus is a public transport operator in Northern Ireland and operates bus services outside Belfast. It is part of Translink (Northern Ireland), Translink, the brand name for the subsidiary operating companies of the Northern Ireland Transpor ...

town bus service that runs daily that serves the town's suburbs, formerly operated by the

Optare Solo The Switch Solo (formerly sold as the Optare Solo) is a low-floor minibus/midibus with one or two doors manufactured by Switch Mobility in the United Kingdom since 1998. The Solo name is a play on its low-floor status, the manufacturer marketin ...

buses. The nearest railway station is on

Northern Ireland Railways NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways (NIR; and for a brief period Ulster Transport Railways; UTR), is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink, whose parent company is the Northern Ireland Tr ...

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 on the island of Ireland. History ;600 BC :The Diolkos (Δίολκος) across the Isthmus of Corinth in Greece ...

Portadown, Dungannon and Omagh Junction Railway (PD&O) linked the town with from 1858 and

from 1861, completing the –

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

railway route that came to be informally called "The Derry Road". The Great Northern Railway took over the PD&O in 1876Hajducki, ''op. cit.'', page xiii and built a

branch line A branch line is 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. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...

from Dungannon to

Cookstown Cookstown (, ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the fourth-largest town in the county and had a population of 12,546 in the 2021 census. It, along with Magherafelt and Dungannon, is one of the main towns in the Mid-Ulster ...

in 1879. The GNR Board cut back the Cookstown branch to

in 1956Hajducki, ''op. cit.'', map 39 and the

Ulster Transport Authority The Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland that operated from 1948 until 1967. Formation and consolidation The UTA was formed by the , 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 A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

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

* Thomas J. Clarke (1858–1916) – first signatory of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic; executed by the British authorities *

Dixie Paumier Clement Dixie Paumier Clement (23 December 187925 July 1935) was an Irish-born Australian physician and obstetrician. Early life and education Dixie Clement was born on December 23, 1879, in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Ireland. After attending St Faugh ...

– Irish-born Australian

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and

obstetrician Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

* Richard Dowse (1824–1890) – judge *

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 wa ...

(born Margaret Elizabeth Noble) (1867–1911) – social worker, author, teacher and disciple of Swami Vivekananda * George T. Oliver (1848–1919) – U.S. Senator *

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 U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

lawyer and state politician

1900s

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 ...

(born 1968) – professional golfer *

Austin Currie Joseph Austin Currie (11 October 1939 – 9 November 2021) was an Irish politician who served as a Minister of State with responsibility for Children's Rights from 1994 to 1997. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin West constituency ...

(1939–2021) – 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, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...

, attended St Patrick's Academy in Dungannon. *

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. *

Ryan Farquhar Ryan Alan Robert Farquhar (born 2 February 1976, Dungannon, Northern Ireland) is a former motorcycle sport, professional motorcycle racer who primarily competed in road racing. Farquhar won the Geoff Duke Trophy as Champion of the Duke Road Ra ...

(born 1976) – motorcycle racer *

Fra Fee Fra Fee (born 20 May 1987) is a Northern Irish actor and singer. He is best known for playing Courfeyrac in Tom Hooper's 2012 film adaptation of ''Les Misérables'', and for his role as Kazi in the Disney+ series ''Hawkeye'', which is set in ...

(born 1987) – film, stage actor *

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 * Michaella McCollum Connolly – criminal (convicted drug smuggler) *

Gerry McGeough Terence Gerard 'Gerry' McGeough (born 1958, near Dungannon, County Tyrone) is a prominent Irish republican who was a volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), a former Sinn Féin activist and editor of the defunct '' The Hiberni ...

(born 1958) –

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...

volunteer; prison escapee. *

Niall McGinn Niall McGinn (born 20 July 1987) is a Northern Irish professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward. McGinn has also played for Dungannon Swifts F.C., Dungannon Swifts, Derry City F.C., Derr ...

(born 1987) – footballer, Dungannon Swifts. *

Gerry McKenna Patrick Gerald McKenna, Deputy Lieutenant, DL, Institute of Biomedical Science, FIBMS, Royal Society of Biology, FRSB, Royal Irish Academy, MRIA (born 10 December 1953), known informally and widely as Gerry McKenna, is a Chartered Biologist (CBiol ...

(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; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...

, Vice Chancellor and President of

University of Ulster Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...

Kris Meeke Kris Meeke (born 2 July 1979) is a British professional rally driver from Northern Ireland, best known for competing in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). He was the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion. His co-driver is Seb ...

(born 1979) – rally driver *

Colin Morgan Colin Morgan (born 1 January 1986) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He is 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' ...

(born 1986) – actor, attended Integrated College Dungannon *

Joanne Salley Joanne Salley (born 1977, Dungannon) is the 1998 Miss Northern Ireland, later an art teacher and part-time television presenter. Educated at the Royal School Dungannon, she trained in ballet for fifteen years. She has a teaching certificate fr ...

(born 1977) – television presenter *

Victor Sloan Victor Sloan 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 School, Dungannon, County Tyrone and Belfast and Leeds Col ...

(born 1945) – artist * Gareth Steenson (born 1984) – rugby union player * Birdy Sweeney (1931–1999) – actor * Patrick Wallace (born 1969) – snooker player

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, which for a second time left 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 Irish semi-professional 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 Ireland since its election to the I ...

is the town's local team, which plays in the

NIFL Premiership The NIFL Premiership, known as the Sports Direct Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and Irish Premiership colloquially, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northern Ireland Football L ...

, 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 Europa League, UEFA Cup, UEFA's former second-tier club association football, football tournament. The 2008 UEFA Cup Final, final was played at the City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester, E ...

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 h ...

(''Thomáis Uí Chléirigh Dún Geanainn'') while the ladies' football team is Aodh a Ruadh.

Golf

Dungannon Golf Club, which provides an 18-hole course, 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 once a popular sport in Dungannon. The Dungannon Greyhound Stadium was opened in July 1930, the third track in Northern Ireland after

Celtic Park Celtic Park is a Soccer-specific stadium, football stadium and the home of Scottish Premiership team Celtic F.C., Celtic, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest List of football stadiums in Sco ...

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 ...

. 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 union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

club.

References

Sources

* * *

External links

Dungannon Enterprise CentreDungannon Life
{{Authority control O'Neill dynasty Towns in County Tyrone