County Tyrone is the largest of the six traditional counties of Northern Ireland, covering 1,261 square miles (3,270 km2) between the Sperrin Mountains and the western shore of Lough Neagh. The 2021 census counted 188,383 people within its boundaries. Omagh is the county town and the largest settlement.
Tyrone stopped being a unit of local government in 1973. The name is still used for addresses, sport, land registry and everyday reference, while services are run by three district councils created in 2015. The county is the only one of the six that touches neither the sea nor the international border along its whole length.
| Country | Northern Ireland, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Province | Ulster |
| Status | Traditional county, not administrative |
| Area | 1,261 sq mi (3,270 km2) |
| Population (2021) | 188,383 |
| Density | 58 people per km2 (149 per sq mi) |
| County town | Omagh |
| Largest town | Omagh |
| Highest point | Sawel Mountain, 678 m (2,224 ft) |
| Councils | Fermanagh and Omagh; Mid Ulster; Derry City and Strabane |
Towns and Villages in County Tyrone
About 100 named places are listed below, grouped by the district council that administers them. Each of the three councils also covers ground in County Fermanagh or County Londonderry, so the district boundaries do not follow the county line.
Fermanagh and Omagh (west and central Tyrone)
- Altamuskin
- Barr
- Beragh
- Blackfort
- Cappagh
- Carrickmore
- Clanabogan
- Dooish
- Dromore
- Drumnakilly
- Drumquin
- Dunmoyle
- Eskragh
- Fintona
- Garvaghy
- Gortaclare
- Gortin
- Greencastle
- Killyclogher
- Kilskeery
- Knockmoyle
- Lislap
- Loughmacrory
- Mountfield
- Mountjoy
- Mullans Town
- Newtown Saville
- Omagh
- Rahony
- Ranelly
- Roscavey
- Rousky
- Seskinore
- Sixmilecross
- Trillick
Mid Ulster (east and south Tyrone)
- Ardboe
- Augher
- Aughamullan
- Aughnacloy
- Ballyclog
- Ballygawley
- Benburb
- Brockagh
- Broughderg
- Caledon
- Carland
- Carnteel
- Castlecaulfield
- Clogher
- Coagh
- Coalisland
- Cookstown
- Crilly
- Donaghey
- Donaghmore
- Dungannon
- Dunmore
- Dunnamore
- Dyan
- Eglish
- Findermore
- Fivemiletown
- Galbally
- Grange
- Granville
- Kildress
- Killycolpy
- Laghey Corner
- Moy
- Moygashel
- Newmills
- Newport Trench
- Oritor
- Pomeroy
- Sandholes
- Seskilgreen
- Stewartstown
- Tamnamore
- The Rock
- Tullyhogue
Derry City and Strabane (north-west Tyrone)
- Ardstraw
- Artigarvan
- Ballymagorry
- Ballynamallaght
- Ballyneaner
- Bready
- Castlederg
- Clady
- Cranagh
- Douglas Bridge
- Dunnamanagh
- Edymore
- Glenroan
- Killen
- Killeter
- Magheramason
- Mulvin
- Newtownstewart
- Plumbridge
- Sion Mills
- Strabane
- Victoria Bridge
Geography
Tyrone is landlocked. County Londonderry lies to the north across the Sperrins, County Antrim across Lough Neagh to the east, County Armagh across the River Blackwater to the south-east, and County Fermanagh to the south-west. County Donegal and County Monaghan lie across the border to the west and south.
The Sperrin Mountains fill the north, with Sawel at 678 m on the Londonderry boundary and a run of summits above 600 m either side of the Glenelly valley. South of them the ground falls into the Clogher valley and the drumlin farmland around Dungannon, and then to the flat, wet lough shore around Ardboe and Coalisland.
The Mourne River, the Strule and the Camowen meet at Omagh and Strabane to form the Foyle. Beaghmore, on the Sperrin foothills near Cookstown, holds seven stone circles and a dozen cairns dated to the Bronze Age.
Demographics
The 2021 census counted 188,383 residents, about 58 people per square kilometre. Tyrone is the largest county in Northern Ireland by area but only the fourth by population, and outside a handful of towns it is thinly settled: the Sperrins have fewer than ten people per square kilometre.
Omagh has about 21,000 residents, Strabane about 14,000, Dungannon about 12,000 and Cookstown about 11,000. Coalisland, Fintona and Castlederg follow. The county has a Catholic majority, strongest in the west and around the Lough Neagh shore; the Clogher valley, Fivemiletown, Aughnacloy and parts of the Cookstown area lean Protestant.
Economy and Local Life
Engineering is the county’s signature industry. Dungannon and Cookstown carry quarry and crushing equipment makers that export worldwide, and Coalisland has a long metal-working tradition from its colliery and brickworks past. Food processing, especially poultry and beef, employs heavily around Dungannon.
Farming is mixed beef and sheep, with dairy on the better ground in the Clogher valley. Peat cutting on the lough shore bogs continues on a small scale. Tourism is modest: the Ulster American Folk Park at Castletown near Omagh, the Sperrins walking routes, the Beaghmore stone circles and the Ulster Canal towpath. Tyrone’s Gaelic football team is one of the strongest in Ulster and has won the All-Ireland Senior Championship four times.
History
The county name comes from Tír Eoghain, “land of Eoghan”, the territory of the O’Neill dynasty who ruled Ulster from Tullyhogue near Cookstown. O’Neill inaugurations took place on the Tullyhogue rath until Lord Mountjoy destroyed the stone chair in 1602.
Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, led the Nine Years’ War against the Crown and left Ireland in the Flight of the Earls in 1607. His lands were confiscated and planted, and the villages laid out by Scottish and English grantees still carry their names: Castlecaulfield, Stewartstown, Caledon, Newtownstewart. Linen and coal supported the Coalisland area into the twentieth century. Tyrone County Council ran from 1899 to 1973, when county councils in Northern Ireland were abolished.
Getting There
The M1 motorway ends at Dungannon, where the A4 continues west to Ballygawley, Augher and Enniskillen. The A5 runs the length of the county from Aughnacloy through Omagh and Strabane to Derry, and the A29 crosses north to south through Cookstown and Dungannon.
Tyrone has had no railway since 1965, when the Portadown to Derry line closed. The nearest stations are Portadown, Ballymena and Derry. Belfast International Airport is about 45 miles from Dungannon and about 65 from Omagh; City of Derry Airport is about 20 miles from Strabane.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of County Tyrone?
188,383 at the 2021 census, in an area of 1,261 square miles.
Which councils cover County Tyrone?
Three: Fermanagh and Omagh, Mid Ulster, and Derry City and Strabane. The county has had no council of its own since 1973.
What is the largest town in County Tyrone?
Omagh, with about 21,000 residents. Strabane, Dungannon and Cookstown follow, each between 11,000 and 14,000.
How many towns and villages are in County Tyrone?
About 100 named towns, villages and hamlets, listed above by council district.
Is County Tyrone the biggest county in Northern Ireland?
Yes, by area. It covers 3,270 km2, ahead of County Antrim at 3,086 km2. By population it ranks fourth of the six.
What postcodes does County Tyrone use?
BT70 to BT71 for Dungannon and Coalisland, BT75 to BT78 for the Clogher valley, Omagh and its villages, BT79 for Omagh and the Sperrins, BT80 for Cookstown, BT81 and BT82 for Castlederg and Strabane.