Cookstown, County Tyrone
Encyclopedia
Cookstown is a town and townland
in County Tyrone
, Northern Ireland
. It is the fourth largest town in the county and had a population of nearly 11,000 people in the 2001 Census
. It is one of the main towns in the area known as Mid-Ulster
. It was founded around 1620 when the townlands in the area were leased by an English
ecclesiastical lawyer, Dr. Alan Cooke, from the Archbishop of Armagh, who had been granted the lands after the Flight of the Earls
. It was one of the main centres of the linen
industry West of the River Bann
, and until 1956, the processes of flax spinning, weaving, bleaching and beetling were carried out in the town.
Cookstown's famous main street (laid out from c1735–c1800), is 1.25 miles (2.01 km) long and 135 feet (41.15 m) wide, one of the longest, and widest in Ireland
.
of Tyrone
and Tyrconnell in 1607 and a series of Rebellions in the area which saw the native landlords ousted from their holdings. The O'Mellan land was held to be the property of the Established (Anglican) Church and was thus presented to the Anglican Archbishop of Armagh
who was charged with overseeing the settlement of the area with English and Scots "planters". In 1620, a small portion was leased by James Stewart (a Scots settler in the area) and lands around the townland of Cor Criche were leased to an English ecclesiastical lawyer, Dr. Cooke, who fulfilled the covenants entered in the lease by building 10 houses on the land (today covering the area known as Oldtown), which he stipulated were all to have front gardens (a tradition which still remains in place). In 1628, King Charles I
granted Letters Patent to Cooke permitting the holding of a twice-weekly market for livestock and flaxen goods.
) and the area became a hotbed of activity as weapons such as pikes
were forged for the rebel cause. Lissan was one of the first estates in this area to be settled when it was purchased by Sir Thomas Staples of Yate Court near Bristol
in 1610. Sir Thomas' wife Charity, Lady Staples (by then a widow) and their five children were captured by Hugh Og O Quin during the Rebellion and imprisoned at Moneymore Castle about 5 miles away and held there and at Castlecaulfield until Moneymore
and the estate were liberated by the Royalist
army in 1643. When the armies of Charles I reached Cookstown in 1643, they routed the rebels and razed the remains of the town to the ground.
135 feet wide which would connect the Killymoon Demesne with Oldtown, a distance of over a mile and a quarter. This street was laid out by the mid 1790's and has remained at the centre of Cookstown's development ever since covering Killymoon Street, Church Street, Chapel Street, Loy Street, William Street, James Street Oldtown Street and finally Milburn Street and being the longest main street in Ireland. All remaining traces of Cooke's town were obliterated at this point.
Throughout the remainder of the 18th century, Cookstown prospered quietly as a market town where linens, seeds and other agricultural produce were marketed at its famous market. In 1802, Col William Stewart (James Stewart's unmarried son) approached the famous London architect, John Nash
and requested that he visit the area to rebuild the Castle
of Killymoon which had been burnt in 1801. The Castle was built in just over a year at a cost of £80,000 and was Nash's first Irish Commission. It is two stories high and has two large towers to the East and West, one circular the other (slightly lower) octagonal. Parts of the original castle were retained and its former Chapel became Nash's library.
In addition to Killymoon, there is evidence to suggest that Nash also designed the original St Luran's Parish Church
on Church Street in 1822 and certainly plans for the church exist in his hand.
It is also suggested that Nash designed the dower house
of Killymoon on Chapel Street (now divided into two houses) and it is certain that he designed the Rectory
at Lissan
for the Rev John Molesworth Staples in 1807.
. With the establishment of Gunning's Linen Weaving Mill, the expansion of the Wellbrook linen
finishing estate, the establishment of Adair's weaving mill at Greenvale and the final arrival of the railways, Cookstown's population quadrupled between 1820 and 1840. The railways allowed the fast transport to and from the town of agricultural produce. Two railways established termini at Cookstown - the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
in their dressed stone station designed by Charles Lanyon
(now much altered as a Chinese restaurant on Molesworth Street) and the Great Northern Railway
in their brick station next door (now Cookstown High School's Hockey Club). Both transported goods and livestock for sale to Cookstown's market.
With the exception of Killymoon Castle
, all of Cookstown's best architecture dates from this period and the town still resembles almost exactly the town developed at this time. Probably foremost among the buildings of this period is J.J. McCarthy's Church of the Holy Trinity on Chapel Street which is one of McCarthy's earliest commissions in which the influence of AWN Pugin's St. Giles' in Cheadle can be ascertained.
Other fine buildings of this period include the Scottish Baronial former Courthouse (currently derelict) on Chapel Street; the Classical First Presbyterian Church (Loy Hill) and Italianate Molesworth Presbyterian Church (Molesworth Street); the Romanesque
Methodist Church (Church Street); the Hibernian Bank on James Street and the pair of railway termini on Molesworth Street.
had a devastating effect on the local community at a cost of life commemorated in the prominent Cenotaph
(loosely based on Lutyens' Whitehall
Cenotaph
) at the centre of the town unveiled in 1927. This is Cookstown's sole piece of public sculpture.
On 17 June 1920, during the Irish War of Independence
, the Irish Republican Army
(IRA) attacked the Royal Irish Constabulary
(RIC) barracks in Cookstown. It is claimed that some RIC helped the IRA in this attack. However, it was unsuccessful and one IRA volunteer was killed.
As industry developed, a Technical College was established on Loy Hill in a Queen Anne style
red brick structure. This was opened by Mrs. Adair, whose husband owned the Greenvale Mill, in 1936 and the building continued as a Technical College until 2006 when it was relocated. Currently it is used as offices, a creche and a credit union.
All of Cookstown's main educational institutions date from this period, Cookstown High School being housed in the Victorian mansion and former residence of the Gunning family at Coolnafranky and the Catholic Church constructing its convent schools and St Mary's Boy's School in 1939 (now demolished and replaced by Holy Trinity Nursery School), all on Loy Hill.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, Cookstown became the centre of much regimental activity. Killymoon was requisitioned by the American Army and a large [internment camp] was established at Monrush. The British Army and later German Prisoners of War were interned here. The town suffered no enemy damage during the war and the industries of the town prospered.
This however proved to be the last belle époque
of the industrial town of Cookstown. While the linen industry survived to some degree in Ulster until well into the 1960s, increased fabric imports from the Far East
led to tremendous difficulties for the industry across Northern Ireland. Despite this economic downturn, Cookstown's Council constructed its modern town hall in 1953 (now demolished and replaced by the Buranavon Theatre) and the Daintyfit clothing factory on Burn Road was opened. An internationally renowned Agricultural College was also established at Loughry House, but the prosperity of the town was now severely in doubt. Gunning's weaving mill closed in 1956 and was swiftly followed by Adair's Mill and the Wellbrook estate in 1961. The railways ceased to operate from the town in 1963 and while the market continued to be held on Saturday, its agricultural significance to the wider Ulster community never recovered and the sale of livestock finally completely ceased in 2004. In 1970 the Blue Circle Cement factory was opened at Derryloran. This provided much employment for the local population.
The sole building of architectural note from this period was Liam McCormack's Chapel, the cube-shaped body of which is tacked on to JJ McCarthy's High Victorian Gothic
Convent of Mercy at Chapel Street at one of its corners. The patterned concrete and bronze façade of this building was constructed in 1965 and contains important stained glass by the Dublin artist Patrick Pye
though the building is currently boarded up following the closure of the Convent.
, Cookstown suffered from several bomb and other attacks, robbing the town centre of most of its Victorian buildings including the sandstone façade of the Hibernian Bank as well as the Adair's former Italianate residence at Glenavon (which had been converted to a hotel).
In 1989, two permanent armed checkpoints
were erected at either side of the town centre to protect an already existing army base at Chapel Street. Barriers were also erected around the town so that the Main Street could be cordoned off in the evening. These checkpoints were finally removed from the town in 2006.
thought up by James and William Stewart was restored and a scheme of regeneration saw the creation of green space, flowerbeds and restored shop frontage. The tree-lined boulevard
is the basis of the towns fantastic festive Christmas lighting. With Ulster's industry now substantially defunct, the town began to attract instead financial investment from shopping and tourism. In 2000, the Burnavon Arts and Cultural Centre opened on the site of the former Town Hall on the Burn Road and began to attract large scale cultural and artistic events to the town whilst a year later, a development scheme began which saw the former LMS
Railway Terminus turned into a shopping centre. In 2003 Cookstown District Council in conjunction with Cookstown Town Centre Forum launched Cookstown's ten year Town Centre Regeneration Strategy and Action Plan which details a range of short, medium and long range regeneration actions.
Today, Cookstown has been almost completely regenerated with plans for further regeneration work to be carried out throughout the town centre. Another large shopping centre on Molesworth Street was built in 2007. The old Gunning and Moore Weaving Mill at Broadfields has been transformed into a large retail park with outlets of Tesco
, Marks and Spencer, Homebase
, Next
, Tempest, New Look, Halfords and Peacocks
being the first tenants to set up here. More stores such as B&M Bargains and Burger King are also setting up. Plans were also passed in October 2010 for two more major retail and residential/ penthouse developments in the Orritor Street/ Burn Road area of the town. Further development is planned for the site of the former Daintyfit factory.
The town's central location and many hotels (for a population of just over 11,000 it has no less than 4) has meant that it is a natural location for conferences and meetings involving delegates from across Northern Ireland. It was the natural choice of location for the Mid-Ulster Sports Arena (established in 2003) and the planned multi-million pound investment in a state of the art Public Service Training College which will accommodate the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue and the Northern Ireland Prison Service (which is to be built at Loughry commencing in early 2009). Cookstown currently has more than a hundred types of businesses operating at its heart. Of the direct retailing businesses some two-thirds are independent, largely family-owned concerns which give the town's retailing a distinctive appearance and a unique mix of excellence outlets. The town's rich traditional retailing mix of high quality independent stores is a tribute to retaining long-standing and loyal business while simultaneously building a new customer base with the continued attraction of some of the biggest names in national retailing. The town has taken a long term view to regeneration and Cookstown District Council in conjunction with Cookstown Town Centre Forum appointed a Town Strategy Manager to implement Cookstown's Town Centre Regeneration Strategy.
Cookstown confidently bills itself as the ‘Retail Capital of Mid Ulster’ and is at the forefront of those towns which are reinventing retail and communicating the strength of the retailing offer to wider audiences, through a unique Cookstown brand identity (Cookstown – Looking Good, Looking Great) and aggressive marketing of the town locally and nationally. The town was also one of the first in Northern Ireland to produce a ten year Urban Design Strategy (2007), an aspirational framework for all future town centre development. The Cookstown Town Centre Living Initiative (LOTS) Scheme (2006–2011) offers substantial grant assistance to reinvigorate unused or derelict space above shops into modern residential living accommodation is considered to be one of the most successful schemes of any town in Northern Ireland. The Cookstown Town Centre Street Entertainment Programme (2008) promotes the town's family-friendly appeal and encouraging people either to visit for the first time or to prolong a regular visit. While in late 2009 the civic heart of Cookstown, the Burn Road has benefited greatly from an Environmental Improvement Scheme.
The Council has secured millions of UK pounds sterling and ensured that inward investment has been at its highest level since the establishment of the town in the 17th century, developing beyond recognition the economic infrastructure, tourism, retail and hospitality sectors in the area.
:
it is part of the Mid Ulster constituency.
The local authority, Cookstown District Council
, was established in 1973, and includes part of County Londonderry
, notably the villages of Moneymore
, The Loup
and Ballyronan
.
Townland
A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
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 the fourth largest town in the county and had a population of nearly 11,000 people in 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....
. It is one of the main towns in the area known as Mid-Ulster
Mid Ulster
Mid Ulster can refer to:* Central Ulster* Mid Ulster * Mid Ulster * Mid Ulster English* the proposed Mid-Ulster District local authority...
. It was founded around 1620 when the townlands in the area were leased by an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
ecclesiastical lawyer, Dr. Alan Cooke, from the Archbishop of Armagh, who had been granted the lands after the Flight of the Earls
Flight of the Earls
The Flight of the Earls took place on 14 September 1607, when Hugh Ó Neill of Tír Eóghain, Rory Ó Donnell of Tír Chonaill and about ninety followers left Ireland for mainland Europe.-Background to the exile:...
. It was one of the main centres of the linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
industry West of the River Bann
River Bann
The River Bann is the longest river in Northern Ireland, the total length being 80 miles . The river winds its way from the south east corner of Northern Ireland to the north west coast, pausing in the middle to widen into the enormous Lough Neagh...
, and until 1956, the processes of flax spinning, weaving, bleaching and beetling were carried out in the town.
Cookstown's famous main street (laid out from c1735–c1800), is 1.25 miles (2.01 km) long and 135 feet (41.15 m) wide, one of the longest, and widest in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Places of interest
- Cookstown's main street hosts an open air market each Saturday.
- The annual Cookstown 100 National Road Race is a motor biking event attended by many motorbiking enthusiasts. It is the opening race of the road racing calendar in Ireland and is usually held in April.
- Ardboe High Cross and AbbeyArdboe High CrossArdboe High Cross is a high cross and national monument located in Ardboe, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is believed to have been erected in either the ninth or the tenth century and forms the only remaining part of an early monastery on the site. At around 5.6 metres, Ardboe High Cross is...
(), one of the best examples of a 9th/10th century High crossHigh crossA high cross or standing cross is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval tradition in Ireland and Britain of raising large sculpted stone crosses, usually outdoors...
in Ireland, is 10 miles from Cookstown. 22 panels illustrate stories from the Old TestamentOld TestamentThe Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
and the New TestamentNew TestamentThe New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
of the BibleBibleThe Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
.
- Other ancient sites nearby include BeaghmoreBeaghmoreBeaghmore is a complex of early Bronze Age megalithic features, stone circles and cairns, 8.5 miles north west of Cookstown, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, on the south-east edge of the Sperrin Mountains...
stone circleStone circleA stone circle is a monument of standing stones arranged in a circle. Such monuments have been constructed across the world throughout history for many different reasons....
s and Tullyhogue FortTullyhogue FortTullyhogue Fort, also spelt Tullaghoge or Tullahoge , is large mound on the outskirts of Tullyhogue village near Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It has a depressed centre and is surrounded by trees...
(beside the village of TullyhogueTullyhogueTullyhogue, also called Tullaghoge or Tullahoge , is a small village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is within the civil parish of Desertcreat and is about three kilometres south of Cookstown....
), the inaugurationInaugurationAn inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term of office. An example is the ceremony in which the President of the United States officially takes the oath of office....
siteRoyal sites of IrelandThe royal sites of Ireland served as the seats for the Gaelic kings of Ireland. Historical sources associate these sites with various medieval Irish kingdoms while archaeological investigations show that many royal sites were culturally significant thousands of years before recorded history...
of the chiefs of Tyrone (Tir Eogain), the O'Neills. Destroyed in 1602, the fort was salvaged to some degree in 1964, when the site was cleared and presented. Though none of the original buildings remain, the unusual layout (raised inner mounds, but no outer defensive ditch) is still clearly visible. Tullaghogue is now owned and maintained by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (N.I.E.A.).Hearby Tullyhogue Harbour is a busy port and ferry terminal on Lough Neagh.
- The Donaghrisk walled cemetery to the southwest of (and clearly visible from) the fort is the resting place of the O'Hagans, the chief justices of Tyrone (and as such, they presided over the inauguration ceremonies of the O'Neills).
- Lissan HouseLissan HouseLissan House is a historic house and tourist attraction in Northern Ireland. Lissan lies nestled at the foot of the Sperrin Mountains amid ancient woodland near the historic market town of Cookstown.-The Staples family:...
lies on the outskirts of Cookstown. It is a huge structure of little architectural beauty but enormous historical significance and was, until the death of its last inhabitant, Hazel Radclyffe Dolling (daughter of the 13th Baronet of Lissan, Sir Robert George Alexander Staples), in 2006, the oldest domestic dwelling in IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
continually inhabited by one family. The entrance front is dominated by a gargantuan porte-cocherePorte-cochereA porte-cochère is the architectural term for a porch- or portico-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building through which a horse and carriage can pass in order for the occupants to alight under cover, protected from the weather.The porte-cochère was a feature of many late 18th...
built in about 1830. Inside, the most striking feature is the bizarre and gargantuan oak staircase which rises from the stone flagged entrance hall the full height of the building. This was constructed by a local carpenter from the remnants of a rare 17th century staircase which collapsed (along with the floors between it) as a result of dry rot in the 1880s and is quite unique, having flights springing at every conceivable angle, some of which go nowhere. The other most notable feature of the house is its octagonal ball room added by Sir Thomas Staples (Queen's Advocate in Ireland) in about 1830 with its fine restrained neo-classicalNeoclassical architectureNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
plasterwork, Dublin chimneypiece and carved door frames. The house currently lies empty, its contents in storage, but a Trust was established on the death of Mrs. Radclyffe Dolling to oversee the restoration of the house and its development into accommodation and conference facilities.
- Killymoon CastleKillymoon CastleKillymoon Castle is a castle situated about one mile south east of Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, on the north bank of the Ballinderry River. An 18 hole golf course has in recent years been built on the parkland, where British tournaments have been played.-History:The original...
is about 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) south east of Cookstown. This imposing structure is Cookstown's finest piece of architectural heritage. It was built in just over a year at a cost of £80,000 and was Nash'sJohn Nash (architect)John Nash was a British architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency London.-Biography:Born in Lambeth, London, the son of a Welsh millwright, Nash trained with the architect Sir Robert Taylor. He established his own practice in 1777, but his career was initially unsuccessful and...
first Irish commission. It is two stories high and has two large towers to the East and West, one circular the other (slightly lower) octagonal. Parts of the original castle were retained and its former Chapel became Nash's library. Inside the dramatic entrance porte-cocherePorte-cochereA porte-cochère is the architectural term for a porch- or portico-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building through which a horse and carriage can pass in order for the occupants to alight under cover, protected from the weather.The porte-cochère was a feature of many late 18th...
can be found a return staircase leading to the octagonal drawing room and oval dining room. The Stewarts sold the castle in 1852 and, after passing though the hands of some 6 owners, it was sold for the final time in 1922 to a local farmer for the princely sum of £100. The same family retains it to this day.
- Drum Manor, approximately 5 miles from the town. Alexander Richardson, a burgess from Edinburgh, Scotland, bought the estate of Craigbalk in 1617 and built Drum Manor, which was also known Manor Richardson. Alexander's son Sir William Richardson left it to his second son, Alexander, from which the Richardsons of Drum descend. Sir William's third son, William, who inherited lands near AugherAugherAugher is a small village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is 18 miles southwest of Dungannon, on the A4 Dungannon to Enniskillen road, halfway between Ballygawley and Clogher. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 399....
, obtained a lease for lands in the townland of Tullyreavy on the Drum Manor estate, where he built a house by the lake known as Oaklands. In 1868 Viscount Stuart (later the 5th Earl Castle StewartEarl Castle StewartEarl Castle Stewart, in the County of Tyrone, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Andrew Stuart, 1st Viscount Castle Stuart. The Stewart family descends from Sir Walter Stewart , younger son of Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, son of Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of...
) married Augusta Richardson-Brady, heiress to the Oaklands Estate. Immediately upon marriage, Lord Stuart set about reconstructing Oaklands into the Tudor revival Drum Manor. This battlementBattlementA battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
ed sandstone structure once had a tall tower to the East near the entrance front which was dominated by a huge entrance portal surmounted by a large traceryTraceryIn architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
window which contained VictorianVictorian eraThe Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
armorialRoll of armsA roll of arms is a collection of coats of arms, usually consisting of rows of painted pictures of shields, each shield accompanied by the name of the person bearing the arms...
stained glass. Lord Stuart was also responsible for setting out the formal gardens and demesneDemesneIn the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
which survive to this day. Lord Stuart's grandson sold the estate to the Forest ServiceForest ServiceForest Service may refer to:* Canadian Forest Service* Indian Forest Service* New Zealand Forest Service* United States Forest Service* Forestry Commission in the United Kingdom...
in 1980 and the Service set out the woodland habitat that exists today. However, in an attempt to avoid incurring ratesRates (tax)Rates are a type of property tax system in the United Kingdom, and in places with systems deriving from the British one, the proceeds of which are used to fund local government...
liability, the Forest Service decided to demolish the Manor. Today, Drum Manor Forest Park is one of Cookstown District's largest tourist attractions (complete with the highest-rated caravan site in the District) but the only the ground floor outer walls of the Manor House survive.
- St Luran's Church of IrelandChurch of IrelandThe Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
Church on Church Street is thought to have been originally constructed in 1822 by John NashJohn Nash (architect)John Nash was a British architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency London.-Biography:Born in Lambeth, London, the son of a Welsh millwright, Nash trained with the architect Sir Robert Taylor. He established his own practice in 1777, but his career was initially unsuccessful and...
and certainly plans for the church exist in his hand. However, even if Nash's church was completed, at most only the tower and first bay of this structure have survived Victorian extension by the architect Welland in 1859. Nash's plans show a castellated and battlemented church from which only the tower and spire bear any resemblance to the structure standing today. The interior is a typical Victorian church structure with a chancel arch, hammer beam roof and large sanctuary with sparse but dignified decoration.
- J.J. McCarthy's Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity was constructed between 1855 and 1860 with a tower and spire at the West End. It is one of McCarthy's earliest works in which the influence of A. W. N. Pugin is apparent and the later florid French GothicFrench Gothic architectureFrench Gothic architecture is a style of architecture prevalent in France from 1140 until about 1500.-Sequence of Gothic styles: France:The designations of styles in French Gothic architecture are as follows:* Early Gothic* High Gothic...
of his latter years (seen in St. Patrick's DungannonDungannonDungannon 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...
and St Macartan's Cathedral in MonaghanMonaghanMonaghan 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:...
) is nowhere to be seen. The church is constructed in the Early English style with a naveNaveIn Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
of 5 bays leading to a chancelChancelIn church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
arch and reduced chancel area beyond. In 1980 during the re-ordering works carried out in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, the caen stone side altars, marble altar rails, carved pulpitPulpitPulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
, original high altar and TelfordTelfordTelford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
Pipe Organ were removed . Only the gargantuan Caen stoneCaen stoneCaen stone or Pierre de Caen, is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in northwestern France near the city of Caen.The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about 167 million years ago...
reredosReredosthumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
survives (minus its central spire and High Altar) behind one of the reclaimed Caen stone and Carrera Marble altars, the front of which bears a carved representation of the Assumption of the Virgin (presumably formerly in the Lady ChapelLady chapelA Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
which would have been to the right of this space). The crowning feature of the church today is the Eastern Window. This was designed and manufactured by Hardman of Birmingham (a firm employed and partly run by A. W. N. Pugin) and has representations of the Canonized Bishops and Abbots of the Archdiocese of ArmaghArmaghArmagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
around a representation of the Virgin crowned in glory and below a tripartite window representing the constituents of the Holy Trinity. The remaining stained glass is mainly by Mayer of Munich and dates to the end of the 19th century though there is a very fine Art Deco window showing the AnnunciationAnnunciationThe Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
in the style of Harry ClarkeHarry ClarkeHarry Clarke was an Irish stained glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement.- History :...
in the former Lady ChapelLady chapelA Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
(now a seating area). The Church itself is now undergoing major renovation and refurbishment work to restore its once magnificent interior and exterior.
History
Plantation of Ulster
The lands around the present site of Cookstown were, prior to the early 17th century, in the hands of the O'Mellan Clan and were broadly known as "Mellanagh". This land was confiscated by King James I after the Flight of the EarlsFlight of the Earls
The Flight of the Earls took place on 14 September 1607, when Hugh Ó Neill of Tír Eóghain, Rory Ó Donnell of Tír Chonaill and about ninety followers left Ireland for mainland Europe.-Background to the exile:...
of Tyrone
Tyrone
The name Tyrone can refer to:*County Tyrone, a county in Northern Ireland, roughly corresponding to the ancient kingdom of Tír Eogain*An Earl of Tyrone*A small steam train which runs between Bushmills and the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland-Places:...
and Tyrconnell in 1607 and a series of Rebellions in the area which saw the native landlords ousted from their holdings. The O'Mellan land was held to be the property of the Established (Anglican) Church and was thus presented to the Anglican Archbishop of Armagh
Archbishop of Armagh
The Archbishop of Armagh is the title of the presiding ecclesiastical figure of each of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland in the region around Armagh in Northern Ireland...
who was charged with overseeing the settlement of the area with English and Scots "planters". In 1620, a small portion was leased by James Stewart (a Scots settler in the area) and lands around the townland of Cor Criche were leased to an English ecclesiastical lawyer, Dr. Cooke, who fulfilled the covenants entered in the lease by building 10 houses on the land (today covering the area known as Oldtown), which he stipulated were all to have front gardens (a tradition which still remains in place). In 1628, King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
granted Letters Patent to Cooke permitting the holding of a twice-weekly market for livestock and flaxen goods.
1641 Rebellion
In 1641, the native Irish revolted against the Planters in a bloody rebellion. Cookstown, being in the heartland of Ulster insurgency, was abandoned to the rebels who immediately seized the important Iron works at Lios Áine (later LissanLissan
Lissan is a civil and ecclesiastical parish that spans into County Londonderry and County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The local Roman Catholic church was built in 1908....
) and the area became a hotbed of activity as weapons such as pikes
Pike (weapon)
A pike is a pole weapon, a very long thrusting spear used extensively by infantry both for attacks on enemy foot soldiers and as a counter-measure against cavalry assaults. Unlike many similar weapons, the pike is not intended to be thrown. Pikes were used regularly in European warfare from the...
were forged for the rebel cause. Lissan was one of the first estates in this area to be settled when it was purchased by Sir Thomas Staples of Yate Court near Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
in 1610. Sir Thomas' wife Charity, Lady Staples (by then a widow) and their five children were captured by Hugh Og O Quin during the Rebellion and imprisoned at Moneymore Castle about 5 miles away and held there and at Castlecaulfield until Moneymore
Moneymore
Moneymore is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,369 in the 2001 Census.It is an example of a Plantation village in Mid-Ulster. It was the first town in Ulster to have piped water.-Geography:...
and the estate were liberated by the Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
army in 1643. When the armies of Charles I reached Cookstown in 1643, they routed the rebels and razed the remains of the town to the ground.
Eighteenth century
The 1641 Rebellion had a devastating effect on the town and development ceased for nearly a century. Over the succeeding years, the lands around Cookstown were progressively bought up by William Stewart of Killymoon until in 1671 all of Dr Cooke's lands were in the hands of the Stewart family. Settlement however remained sparse and by 1734, only 2 inhabited houses remained at Oldtown. William Stewart and later his son James set out plans for the town soon after this. Inspired by the Wide Street Commission's work in Dublin, they planned a new town to be built along a tree lined boulevardBoulevard
A Boulevard is type of road, usually a wide, multi-lane arterial thoroughfare, divided with a median down the centre, and roadways along each side designed as slow travel and parking lanes and for bicycle and pedestrian usage, often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery...
135 feet wide which would connect the Killymoon Demesne with Oldtown, a distance of over a mile and a quarter. This street was laid out by the mid 1790's and has remained at the centre of Cookstown's development ever since covering Killymoon Street, Church Street, Chapel Street, Loy Street, William Street, James Street Oldtown Street and finally Milburn Street and being the longest main street in Ireland. All remaining traces of Cooke's town were obliterated at this point.
Throughout the remainder of the 18th century, Cookstown prospered quietly as a market town where linens, seeds and other agricultural produce were marketed at its famous market. In 1802, Col William Stewart (James Stewart's unmarried son) approached the famous London architect, John Nash
John Nash (architect)
John Nash was a British architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency London.-Biography:Born in Lambeth, London, the son of a Welsh millwright, Nash trained with the architect Sir Robert Taylor. He established his own practice in 1777, but his career was initially unsuccessful and...
and requested that he visit the area to rebuild the Castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
of Killymoon which had been burnt in 1801. The Castle was built in just over a year at a cost of £80,000 and was Nash's first Irish Commission. It is two stories high and has two large towers to the East and West, one circular the other (slightly lower) octagonal. Parts of the original castle were retained and its former Chapel became Nash's library.
In addition to Killymoon, there is evidence to suggest that Nash also designed the original St Luran's Parish Church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
on Church Street in 1822 and certainly plans for the church exist in his hand.
It is also suggested that Nash designed the dower house
Dower house
On an estate, a dower house is usually a moderately large house available for use by the widow of the estate-owner. The widow, often known as the "dowager" usually moves into the dower house from the larger family house on the death of her husband if the heir is married, and upon his marriage if he...
of Killymoon on Chapel Street (now divided into two houses) and it is certain that he designed the Rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
at Lissan
Lissan
Lissan is a civil and ecclesiastical parish that spans into County Londonderry and County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The local Roman Catholic church was built in 1908....
for the Rev John Molesworth Staples in 1807.
Nineteenth century
However, Cookstown's greatest development came with the Industrial RevolutionIndustrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. With the establishment of Gunning's Linen Weaving Mill, the expansion of the Wellbrook linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
finishing estate, the establishment of Adair's weaving mill at Greenvale and the final arrival of the railways, Cookstown's population quadrupled between 1820 and 1840. The railways allowed the fast transport to and from the town of agricultural produce. Two railways established termini at Cookstown - the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
in their dressed stone station designed by Charles Lanyon
Charles Lanyon
Sir Charles Lanyon DL, JP was an English architect of the 19th century. His work is most closely associated with Belfast, Northern Ireland.-Biography:Lanyon was born in Eastbourne, Sussex in 1813...
(now much altered as a Chinese restaurant on Molesworth Street) and the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
The Great Northern Railway was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland.The Great Northern was formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway , Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. The Ulster Railway was the GNRI's oldest constituent, having opened between Belfast and...
in their brick station next door (now Cookstown High School's Hockey Club). Both transported goods and livestock for sale to Cookstown's market.
With the exception of Killymoon Castle
Killymoon Castle
Killymoon Castle is a castle situated about one mile south east of Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, on the north bank of the Ballinderry River. An 18 hole golf course has in recent years been built on the parkland, where British tournaments have been played.-History:The original...
, all of Cookstown's best architecture dates from this period and the town still resembles almost exactly the town developed at this time. Probably foremost among the buildings of this period is J.J. McCarthy's Church of the Holy Trinity on Chapel Street which is one of McCarthy's earliest commissions in which the influence of AWN Pugin's St. Giles' in Cheadle can be ascertained.
Other fine buildings of this period include the Scottish Baronial former Courthouse (currently derelict) on Chapel Street; the Classical First Presbyterian Church (Loy Hill) and Italianate Molesworth Presbyterian Church (Molesworth Street); the Romanesque
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
Methodist Church (Church Street); the Hibernian Bank on James Street and the pair of railway termini on Molesworth Street.
The twentieth century
With the linen and later the hat-making and brick manufacturing industries, Cookstown continued to prosper in the early 20th century and its population continued to expand. Little architecture of any note dates from this period as the Victorian structures of the previous generation continued to fulfil their purpose. World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
had a devastating effect on the local community at a cost of life commemorated in the prominent Cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
(loosely based on Lutyens' Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
Cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
) at the centre of the town unveiled in 1927. This is Cookstown's sole piece of public sculpture.
On 17 June 1920, during the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
, the Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
(IRA) attacked the Royal Irish Constabulary
Royal Irish Constabulary
The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital, and the cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police...
(RIC) barracks in Cookstown. It is claimed that some RIC helped the IRA in this attack. However, it was unsuccessful and one IRA volunteer was killed.
As industry developed, a Technical College was established on Loy Hill in a Queen Anne style
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
red brick structure. This was opened by Mrs. Adair, whose husband owned the Greenvale Mill, in 1936 and the building continued as a Technical College until 2006 when it was relocated. Currently it is used as offices, a creche and a credit union.
All of Cookstown's main educational institutions date from this period, Cookstown High School being housed in the Victorian mansion and former residence of the Gunning family at Coolnafranky and the Catholic Church constructing its convent schools and St Mary's Boy's School in 1939 (now demolished and replaced by Holy Trinity Nursery School), all on Loy Hill.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, Cookstown became the centre of much regimental activity. Killymoon was requisitioned by the American Army and a large [internment camp] was established at Monrush. The British Army and later German Prisoners of War were interned here. The town suffered no enemy damage during the war and the industries of the town prospered.
This however proved to be the last belle époque
Belle Époque
The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring during the era of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, it was a period characterised by optimism and new technological and medical...
of the industrial town of Cookstown. While the linen industry survived to some degree in Ulster until well into the 1960s, increased fabric imports from the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
led to tremendous difficulties for the industry across Northern Ireland. Despite this economic downturn, Cookstown's Council constructed its modern town hall in 1953 (now demolished and replaced by the Buranavon Theatre) and the Daintyfit clothing factory on Burn Road was opened. An internationally renowned Agricultural College was also established at Loughry House, but the prosperity of the town was now severely in doubt. Gunning's weaving mill closed in 1956 and was swiftly followed by Adair's Mill and the Wellbrook estate in 1961. The railways ceased to operate from the town in 1963 and while the market continued to be held on Saturday, its agricultural significance to the wider Ulster community never recovered and the sale of livestock finally completely ceased in 2004. In 1970 the Blue Circle Cement factory was opened at Derryloran. This provided much employment for the local population.
The sole building of architectural note from this period was Liam McCormack's Chapel, the cube-shaped body of which is tacked on to JJ McCarthy's High Victorian Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
Convent of Mercy at Chapel Street at one of its corners. The patterned concrete and bronze façade of this building was constructed in 1965 and contains important stained glass by the Dublin artist Patrick Pye
Patrick Pye
Patrick Pye is a sculptor, painter and stained glass artist, resident in County Dublin.Major commissions can be seen all over Ireland. In 1999 a retrospective of his work was exhibited by the Royal Hibernian Academy. He is a founding member of Aosdána. -External links:**...
though the building is currently boarded up following the closure of the Convent.
The Troubles
Through most of its history relatively good relations between Protestants and Catholics were maintained by almost equal numbers from both communities. But during the TroublesThe 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...
, Cookstown suffered from several bomb and other attacks, robbing the town centre of most of its Victorian buildings including the sandstone façade of the Hibernian Bank as well as the Adair's former Italianate residence at Glenavon (which had been converted to a hotel).
In 1989, two permanent armed checkpoints
Civilian checkpoint
Civilian checkpoints or Security checkpoints are distinguishable from border or frontier checkpoints in that they are erected and enforced within contiguous areas under military or paramilitary control...
were erected at either side of the town centre to protect an already existing army base at Chapel Street. Barriers were also erected around the town so that the Main Street could be cordoned off in the evening. These checkpoints were finally removed from the town in 2006.
The twenty-first century
In 1994 the tree-lined boulevardBoulevard
A Boulevard is type of road, usually a wide, multi-lane arterial thoroughfare, divided with a median down the centre, and roadways along each side designed as slow travel and parking lanes and for bicycle and pedestrian usage, often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery...
thought up by James and William Stewart was restored and a scheme of regeneration saw the creation of green space, flowerbeds and restored shop frontage. The tree-lined boulevard
Boulevard
A Boulevard is type of road, usually a wide, multi-lane arterial thoroughfare, divided with a median down the centre, and roadways along each side designed as slow travel and parking lanes and for bicycle and pedestrian usage, often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery...
is the basis of the towns fantastic festive Christmas lighting. With Ulster's industry now substantially defunct, the town began to attract instead financial investment from shopping and tourism. In 2000, the Burnavon Arts and Cultural Centre opened on the site of the former Town Hall on the Burn Road and began to attract large scale cultural and artistic events to the town whilst a year later, a development scheme began which saw the former LMS
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
Railway Terminus turned into a shopping centre. In 2003 Cookstown District Council in conjunction with Cookstown Town Centre Forum launched Cookstown's ten year Town Centre Regeneration Strategy and Action Plan which details a range of short, medium and long range regeneration actions.
Today, Cookstown has been almost completely regenerated with plans for further regeneration work to be carried out throughout the town centre. Another large shopping centre on Molesworth Street was built in 2007. The old Gunning and Moore Weaving Mill at Broadfields has been transformed into a large retail park with outlets of Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
, Marks and Spencer, Homebase
Homebase
Homebase is a British home improvement store and garden centre, with 350 stores across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is well known by its green and orange colour scheme. Together with its sister company Argos , it forms part of Home Retail Group. Homebase recorded sales figures...
, Next
Next (retailer)
Next plc is a British retailer marketing clothing, footwear, accessories and home products with its headquarters in Enderby, Leicestershire, England. The company has over 550 stores throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and 50 franchise branches in Europe, Asia and the Middle East...
, Tempest, New Look, Halfords and Peacocks
Peacocks (retailer)
Peacocks, is a fast fashion retailer based in Cardiff, Wales. The chain is owned by The Peacock Group plc and employs over 6,000 people. There are currently over 600 Peacocks stores in the United Kingdom and more than 200 in 12 overseas countries...
being the first tenants to set up here. More stores such as B&M Bargains and Burger King are also setting up. Plans were also passed in October 2010 for two more major retail and residential/ penthouse developments in the Orritor Street/ Burn Road area of the town. Further development is planned for the site of the former Daintyfit factory.
The town's central location and many hotels (for a population of just over 11,000 it has no less than 4) has meant that it is a natural location for conferences and meetings involving delegates from across Northern Ireland. It was the natural choice of location for the Mid-Ulster Sports Arena (established in 2003) and the planned multi-million pound investment in a state of the art Public Service Training College which will accommodate the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue and the Northern Ireland Prison Service (which is to be built at Loughry commencing in early 2009). Cookstown currently has more than a hundred types of businesses operating at its heart. Of the direct retailing businesses some two-thirds are independent, largely family-owned concerns which give the town's retailing a distinctive appearance and a unique mix of excellence outlets. The town's rich traditional retailing mix of high quality independent stores is a tribute to retaining long-standing and loyal business while simultaneously building a new customer base with the continued attraction of some of the biggest names in national retailing. The town has taken a long term view to regeneration and Cookstown District Council in conjunction with Cookstown Town Centre Forum appointed a Town Strategy Manager to implement Cookstown's Town Centre Regeneration Strategy.
Cookstown confidently bills itself as the ‘Retail Capital of Mid Ulster’ and is at the forefront of those towns which are reinventing retail and communicating the strength of the retailing offer to wider audiences, through a unique Cookstown brand identity (Cookstown – Looking Good, Looking Great) and aggressive marketing of the town locally and nationally. The town was also one of the first in Northern Ireland to produce a ten year Urban Design Strategy (2007), an aspirational framework for all future town centre development. The Cookstown Town Centre Living Initiative (LOTS) Scheme (2006–2011) offers substantial grant assistance to reinvigorate unused or derelict space above shops into modern residential living accommodation is considered to be one of the most successful schemes of any town in Northern Ireland. The Cookstown Town Centre Street Entertainment Programme (2008) promotes the town's family-friendly appeal and encouraging people either to visit for the first time or to prolong a regular visit. While in late 2009 the civic heart of Cookstown, the Burn Road has benefited greatly from an Environmental Improvement Scheme.
The Council has secured millions of UK pounds sterling and ensured that inward investment has been at its highest level since the establishment of the town in the 17th century, developing beyond recognition the economic infrastructure, tourism, retail and hospitality sectors in the area.
Townlands
The following is a list of townlands within Cookstown’s urban area, alongside their likely etymologiesEtymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
:
- Clare (likely from Clár meaning "level land")
- Cookstown (an English name)
- Coolkeeghan (likely from Cuil Caochain meaning "Keighen's corner")
- Coolnafranky (likely from Cuil na Francaigh meaning "corner of the rats")
- Coolnahavil (likely from Cuil na hAbhaill meaning "corner of the orchard")
- Coolreaghs (likely from Cuil Riach meaning "grey corner")
- Gortalowry (likely from Gort an Leamhraigh meaning "field of the elm place")
- Loy (likely from Laigh meaning "hill")
- Maloon (likely from Magh Luan meaning "plain of the lambs")
- Monrush (likely from Moin Rois meaning "wooded peatland")
- Sullenboy (likely from Sailean Buí meaning "yellow willows")
- Tullagh (likely from Tulach meaning "hilltop")
Politics
In elections for the Westminster Parliament and the Northern Ireland AssemblyNorthern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
it is part of the Mid Ulster constituency.
The local authority, Cookstown District Council
Cookstown District Council
Cookstown District Council is a district council covering an area largely in County Tyrone and partly in County Londonderry. Council headquarters are in Cookstown. Small towns in the council area include Pomeroy, Moneymore, Coagh and Stewartstown and in the east the area is bounded by Lough Neagh...
, was established in 1973, and includes part of County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
, notably the villages of Moneymore
Moneymore
Moneymore is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,369 in the 2001 Census.It is an example of a Plantation village in Mid-Ulster. It was the first town in Ulster to have piped water.-Geography:...
, The Loup
The Loup
Loup or The Loup is a small village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies near the western shore of Lough Neagh between Moneymore, Magherafelt, Ballyronan and Coagh...
and Ballyronan
Ballyronan
Ballyronan is a village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on the shores of Lough Neagh. The village is from Magherafelt and from Cookstown, and is within the Cookstown District close to its border with Magherafelt District.-History:...
.
Notable inhabitants
- Tyrone GAATyrone GAAThe Tyrone County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Tyrone GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Tyrone. The county board is also responsible for the Tyrone inter-county teams....
Eoin MulliganEoin MulliganEoin "Mugsy" Mulligan is an Irish Gaelic football player. He helped Tyrone win the 2003, 2005 and 2008 All-Ireland Finals and plays in Cookstown for the Fr...
who won three All Irelands with Tyrone in 2003, 2005 and 2008 is from the town. - Fulham F.C.Fulham F.C.Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
and Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland national football teamThe Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
central defenderDefender (football)Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
and captain Aaron HughesAaron HughesAaron William Hughes is a Northern Irish footballer who plays for Fulham. Hughes is able to play centre back, right back or left back, as well as anywhere in midfield. He is usually deployed in a centre half position for his club and country, and is the current Northern Ireland captain...
. - Birthplace of Ulster Vanguard founder William Craig.
- Birthplace of Republican political activist Bernadette Devlin, who was raised in a small housing estate called Rathbeg (meaning small fort in Gaelic), one of the leaders of 1960s civil rights movement and the youngest woman ever to be elected to the British parliament (aged 21).
- Birthplace of Major-General Sir Richard Havelock CharlesRichard Havelock CharlesMajor-General Sir Richard Henry Havelock Charles, 1st Baronet, GCVO KCSI was a noted doctor, and Serjeant Surgeon to King George V....
, 1st Baronet (1858–1934), doctor, and Serjeant SurgeonSerjeant SurgeonThe Serjeant Surgeon is an officer of the Medical Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, dating from 1253.-Pre-twentieth century :*Robert Keate FRCS 1841*Sir William Lawrence, Bt FRCS FRS...
to King George VGeorge V of the United KingdomGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
. - Home to comedianComedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
s Owen O'NeillOwen O'NeillOwen O'Neill is an award-winning writer actor director and comedian. His short film The Basket Case won the best Irish short at the 2008 Boston Film Festival in the U.S...
and Jimmy CricketJimmy CricketJimmy Cricket is a comedian. He currently lives with his family in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England.- Early life and career :...
. - Oliver SheppardOliver SheppardOliver Sheppard RHA was an Irish sculptor, most famous for his 1911 bronze statue of the mythical Cuchullain dying in battle.-Family:...
, sculptor was born in Cookstown in 1865. His The "Death of Cuchalain" piece was chosen by De Valera as the national memorial to participants of the 1916 Rising and now resides in Dublin General Post Office. - Jonathan SwiftJonathan SwiftJonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
stayed at Loughry Manor as a guest of the Lindsay family while writing Gulliver's TravelsGulliver's TravelsTravels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships, better known simply as Gulliver's Travels , is a novel by Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of...
(published in 1726). - Birthplace of Mary MallonMary MallonMary Mallon , also known as Typhoid Mary, was the first person in the United States identified as an asymptomatic carrier of the pathogen associated with typhoid fever. She was presumed to have infected some 53 people, three of whom died, over the course of her career as a cook...
, aka Typhoid Mary. - Nick LairdNick LairdNicholas 'Nick' Laird is a novelist and poet who was born, and grew up, in Cookstown, County Tyrone. He studied at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he attained a first in English. He went on to work at the global law firm Allen & Overy in London for six years, before leaving to concentrate...
, poet and novelist. - The Cookstown Drama Group won the confined section of the All Ireland One Act Drama Finals in ClonakiltyClonakiltyClonakilty , often referred to by locals simply as Clon, is a small town on the N71 national secondary road in West County Cork, Ireland, approximately 45 minutes away by road to the west of Cork City. The town is on the southern coast of the island, and is surrounded by hilly country devoted...
, County Cork on 2 December 2007 with their production of Ruby of Elsinore by Bruce Kane. It was directed by Nigel O'Neill and starred Lorraine Creighton, Linda Heenan, Mairead Eastwood, Gerry Eastwood, Sean Hurson and Charlie Eastwood. This is the first group from Northern Ireland to win the Finals.
Sport
- In 1981, the Cookstown Hockey ClubCookstown Hockey ClubCookstown Hockey Club is a hockey club based in Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association and was founded in 1951. The first team currently plays in the Premier League of the Ulster Senior League and are current holders of the...
became the first Irish field hockeyField hockeyField Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
team to win a major European competition, the EuroHockey Club Champions Trophy. - Cookstown Fr. Rock'sCookstown Fr. Rock'sCookstown Father Rocks is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the town of Cookstown in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. In recent years Owen Mulligan and Raymond Mulgrew have both won All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals with the Tyrone senior team...
is the local Gaelic Athletic AssociationGaelic Athletic AssociationThe Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
club. In 2010 they won the title of All-Ireland Champions. - Killymoon Rangers F.C.Killymoon Rangers F.C.Killymoon Rangers F.C. is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 2. It hails from Cookstown, County Tyrone.-Club history:...
a football club in the town. - Coagh UnitedCoagh UnitedCoagh United is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 2. The club, founded in 1970, hails from Coagh, near Cookstown, County Tyrone.-Intermediate honours:*IFA Intermediate League Second Division: 1**2003/04...
is a football club in the Cookstown District. - Cookstown Youth is the local football team(s) for younger boys and girls
2001 census
On census day (29 April 2001) there were 10,646 people living in Cookstown. Of these:- 26.0% were aged under 16 years and 15.6% were aged 60 and over
- 49.7% of the population were male and 50.3% were female
- 52.8% were from a CatholicRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
background and 45.1% were from a ProtestantProtestantismProtestantism 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 - 3.9% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.
Education
- Ballylifford Primary School(BallinderryBallinderryBallinderry is a small civil and ecclesiastical parish on both sides of the County Londonderry / County Tyrone border in Northern Ireland. It is a rural parish of about 350 houses and lies on the western shores of Lough Neagh....
) - Churchtown Primary School (LissanLissanLissan is a civil and ecclesiastical parish that spans into County Londonderry and County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The local Roman Catholic church was built in 1908....
) - Cookstown High School
- Cookstown Primary School
- Crievagh Primary School (Lissan)
- Derrychrin Primary School (Ballinderry)
- East Tyrone Institute (technical college)
- Holy Trinity College
- Holy Trinity Primary School, Cookstown|Holy Trinity Primary School
- Lissan Primary School (Lissan)
- Orritor Primary School (Orritor)
- St. Joseph's Primary School, Cookstown|St. Joseph's Primary School
- St. Mary's Primary School, Cookstown|St. Mary's Primary School
External links
See also
- List of towns in Northern Ireland
- List of villages in Northern Ireland