Moy () is a village and
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 ...
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
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
about southeast of
Dungannon
Dungannon (, ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh) and had a population of 16,282 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2021 Census. The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Counci ...
and beside the smaller village of
Charlemont. Charlemont is on the east bank of the
River Blackwater and Moy on the west; the two are joined by
Charlemont Bridge. The river is also the boundary between County Tyrone and
County Armagh
County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...
. The
2011 Census recorded a population of 1,598.
[ This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under th]
Open Government Licence v3.0
© Crown copyright.
History
The houses lining the village square are mostly mid-18th century, though all four churches (
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
,
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...
,
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
and
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
) are later.
Moy had
town commissioners under the
Lighting of Towns (Ireland) Act, 1828 from 1844 until about 1865.
The Troubles
Incidents in Moy during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities:
1973
*5 August 1973 - Francis Mullen (59) and Bernadette Mullen (39),
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
civilians, were found shot dead by the
Ulster Volunteer Force at their farmhouse, near Moy.
1975
* 2 August 1975 - George McCall, civilian, Protestant, aged 22, former member of the UDR, shot dead by three masked IRA men, near his home at Jockey Lane.
*23 October 1975 - Peter McKearney (63) and Jane McKearney (58), both Catholic civilian], were shot dead by the
Ulster Volunteer Force at their home,
Listamlet, near Moy. A contemporary newspaper article reported that "
ritishArmy issue ammunition" had been used. The attack has been linked to the "
Glenanne gang".
1976
*17 May 1976 - Robert Dobson (35) and Thomas Dobson (38), both
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
civilians, were shot and killed by a non-specific republican group at their workplace, an egg packing factory in Dungannon Street, Moy.
1991
*December 1991 - Robin Farmer (19) Protestant civilian was murdered in his father's shop by republicans. He had returned home from university for Christmas.
1992
*3 January 1992 - John McKearney (69) and Kevin McKearney (32), both Catholic civilians, were shot dead by the
Ulster Volunteer Force at their butcher's shop, Moy. John McKearney died on 4 April 1992. They had been targeted because two of Kevin McKearney's brothers had been killed on IRA service and another was a former IRA hunger striker, serving time for his part in the murder of a UDR soldier.
*6 September 1992 - Charles Fox (63) and Teresa Fox (53), both Catholic civilians, were shot dead by the
Ulster Volunteer Force at their home,
Listamlet Road, near Moy. Their son, IRA volunteer Paddy Fox, was serving a 10-year prison sentence for possession of a bomb at the time.
Former railway
The Portadown – Dungannon section of the
Portadown, Dungannon and Omagh Junction Railway (PD&O) opened in 1858. Its nearest station to Moy was optimistically called , although it was at Trew Mount over north of Moy. In 1876 the PD&O became part of the new
Great Northern Railway. The
Ulster Transport Authority took over the line in 1958 and closed it in 1965.
Places of interest
Dublin iron-founder
Richard Turner designed a conservatory for the house c. 1850.
Sport
Moy has a long history of horse riding and
Gaelic games
Gaelic games () are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the most popular of the s ...
.
Moy Tir Na nOg were the 2018 All Ireland Intermediate Club Champions.
Schools
*Moy Regional Primary School
*St. John's Primary School, Moy
Demography
Moy is classified as a Village by the
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA, ) is an executive agency within the Department of Finance (Northern Ireland), Department of Finance in Northern Ireland. The organisation is responsible for the collection and publicat ...
(NISRA) (i.e. with population between 1,000 and 2,499 people).
On Census Day (27 March 2011) the usually resident population of Moy Settlement was 1,598, accounting for 0.09% of the NI total.
[ Of these:
*24.72% were aged under 18 years, with 10.76% aged 65 and over
*49.25% of the population were male, with 51.75% female
*73.97% were from a Catholic background, with 22.03% from a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' background
*21.59% said their nationality was British, 39.80% said their nationality was Irish and 29.04% said their nationality was Northern Irish
]
Notable people
* Ryan Kelly, singer, songwriter, born and grew up in the Moy. Member of the Irish band Celtic Thunder.
* John King, explorer in Australia
* Tommy McKearney, Provisional IRA volunteer
* Gerry McKenna (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 ...
* Paul Muldoon, poet, born and grew up in the Moy. He refers to it often in his poems.
References
EBook Ireland - Tyrone
County Tyrone.com
Culture Northern Ireland
{{authority control
Villages in County Tyrone
Civil parish of Clonfeacle
Planned communities in Northern Ireland