Ballygawley
Encyclopedia
Ballygawley or Ballygawly is a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...

, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. It is about 21 kilometres (13 mi) southwest of Dungannon
Dungannon
Dungannon is a medium-sized town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the third-largest town in the county and a population of 11,139 people was recorded in the 2001 Census. In August 2006, Dungannon won Ulster In Bloom's Best Kept Town Award for the fifth time...

, near the meeting of the A5 Omagh
Omagh
Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The town, which is the largest in the county, had a population of 19,910 at the 2001 Census. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and...

Monaghan
Monaghan
Monaghan is the county town of County Monaghan in Ireland. Its population at the 2006 census stood at 7,811 . The town is located on the main road, the N2 road, from Dublin north to both Derry and Letterkenny.-Toponym:...

 and A4 Dungannon–Enniskillen
Enniskillen
Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...

 roads.

It is a compact village around the ‘L’ shaped Main Street and Church Street, with a second cluster of development to the southwest. The main cluster inholds most of the village’s facilities; two primary schools, churches and a range of shops and services. The cluster of development to the southwest inholds a secondary school and housing. Ballygawley had a population of 642 at the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....

.

The Troubles

For more information see The Troubles in Ballygawley
The Troubles in Ballygawley
The Troubles in Ballygawley recounts incidents during The Troubles in Ballygawley, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.Incidents in Ballygawley during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities:1983...

, which includes a list of incidents in Ballygawley during the Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...

 resulting in two or more fatalities, as well as:
  • Attack on Ballygawley barracks
    Attack on Ballygawley barracks
    The attack on Ballygawley RUC barracks was an attack carried out on 7 December 1985 by a Provisional Irish Republican Army group against a Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks at Ballygawley, County Tyrone...

    , 1985.
  • Ballygawley bus bombing
    Ballygawley bus bombing
    The Ballygawley bus bombing was an attack by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on a bus carrying British Army soldiers in Northern Ireland...

    , 1988.

People

  • Mickey Harte
    Mickey Harte
    Michael "Mickey" Harte is the current manager of Tyrone Gaelic football team. He has led the team to three All-Ireland titles, three Ulster titles, one National League, and four Dr...

    , the Gaelic football manager who led Tyrone to All Ireland glory in 2003,2005 and 2008, was born in Ballygawley in 1952 (http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/article.aspx?co=4&ca=0&to=0&sca=0&articleID=1318&navID=1).
  • Michaela McAreavey
    Murder of Michaela McAreavey
    Michaela McAreavey born 31 December 1983 was murdered on 10 January 2011, while she was on honeymoon in Mauritius. She was found strangled to death in her hotel room...

    , daughter of Mickey Harte, who was murdered in 2011 whilst on honeymoon in Mauritius
  • Ballygawley is located near the ancestral homestead of Ulysses S. Grant
    Ulysses S. Grant
    Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...

    , the 18th President of the United States
    President of the United States
    The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

     on his mother's side.

Development

Ballygawley is acquiring extensive development with the major upgrade to the A4 and the building of the new roundabout to accommodate the traffic congestion from the main Aughnacloy rd. With these road improvements many contractors have been submitting plans for extensive housing developments. The most exciting of all being the redevelopment of Main st leading onto Church Street, with plans for new bars and restaurants. There is speculation of the Stewart Arms hotel being reopened and other developments such as the health spa at 'Grangemount'. There are other developments such as the rebuilding of Loughrans Castle as a historical building to house historical items from the surrounding area. The Ballygawley River is a major tourist attraction supplying the finest of fresh water fishing in Ireland. The original hydo-electric station at the old Dungannon rd is being rebuilt to provide a large amount of the town's energy.

Events

Although having an Irish nationalist majority, Ballygawley is paraded through by the unionist loyal orders
without any incident and last held the Orange Orders "Twelfth
The Twelfth
The Twelfth is a yearly Protestant celebration held on 12 July. It originated in Ireland during the 18th century. It celebrates the Glorious Revolution and victory of Protestant king William of Orange over Catholic king James II at the Battle of the Boyne...

" celebrations in 2006, and the Royal Black Institutions "Black Saturday" demonstration in 2011.

Transport

  • Ballygawley railway station (on the narrow gauge Clogher Valley Railway
    Clogher Valley Railway
    The Clogher Valley Railway was a 37 mile long narrow gauge railway in County Tyrone and County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It opened in May 1887 and closed on 1 January 1942 .-Route:...

    ) opened on 2 May 1887 but was shut on 1 January 1942.

Education

  • Richmond Primary School
  • St. Mary's Primary School
  • St. Ciaran's High School

Demography

Ballygawley is classified as a Small Village or Hamlet by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 500 and 1,000 people). In the 2001 census (29 April 2001) there were 642 people living in Ballygawley. Of these:
  • 26.7% were aged under 16 years and 19.3% were aged 60 and over
  • 45.8% of the population were male and 54.2% were female
  • 82.1% were from a Catholic
    Catholic
    The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

     background and 17.5% were from a Protestant
    Protestantism
    Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...

    background
  • 4.0% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed


For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

External links

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