Pomeroy, County Tyrone
Encyclopedia
Pomeroy is a small village in County Tyrone
, Northern Ireland
. It is in the townland
of Cavanakeeran, about 10 miles (16 km) from Cookstown
, 8 miles (13 km) from Dungannon
and 18 miles (29 km) from Omagh
. The 2001 Census
recorded a population of 604 people.
Pomeroy's prominent site dominates the surrounding countryside and is marked by several church spires. From the Cookstown end, the road through the village gradually climbs a gradient up to the middle of the square, The Diamond. In The Diamond are the Altedesert Church of Ireland
. The Diamond is a popular drinking area and Market Day is held there every Tuesday.
The village is surrounded by the Pomeroy Hills
and the Sperrins
. The surounding countryside is a mixture of moorland
and bog land. There are stone age
and bronze age
cairns in many places.
James I and VI
granted eight townlands to Sir William Parsons, Surveyor General of Ireland
. In 1729 James Lowry inherited the land from his father, Robert of Aghenis Caledon.
In the 18th century two new parishes were created in Tyrone, and the same family, the Lowerys (from whom issued the Earls of Belmore
), was involved in the establishment of both. Pomeroy was created from part of Donaghmore, while Clogherny was taken from Termonmaguirc. The arrangement was confirmed in 1731 by an Order in Council, which had the same legal status as an Act of Parliament
, and the articles of agreement under which it was conducted by the two parties involved, Lord Tyrone and Robert Lowery, suggest the tone:
In 1750 Rev. James Lowry was granted the right to hold a weekly market in Pomeroy and an important event was the twice yearly Hiring Fair, held in May and November. Men and women from the surrounding countryside would gather at the fair and hire themselves out to work as farm labourers and servants. In the 1640s the large forest had been stripped of timber and for many years after remained in neglected. In 1770 the Rev. James Lowry undertook its management, replanted approximately 556 acres (225 ha) and left money to erect the build, Pomeroy House. The Lowry family played a prominent part in the life of the area for about two hundred years.
In the square is the Church of Ireland
church which dates from the early 1840’s. Its belfry and tower were provided by the Lowry family as a token of their esteem for Pomeroy.
Much of the woodland is gone and the Georgian
mansion demolished. All that remains is the family burial vault on Tanderagee Road. This was once approached by the longest avenue of Chilean pine trees in Ireland.
The road leading from Pomeroy to Donaghmore is known as the Royal Road
because in 1689 James II and VII
took this route to visit his troops in Derry
during the historic siege. This route brought him through Cappagh
and Altmore
. King James’s Well is by the roadside just outside Cappagh.
opened Pomeroy railway station on 2 September 1861. From 1876 until 1958 it was part of the Great Northern Railway
. The Ulster Transport Authority
closed the station and the PD&O line on 15 February 1965. Throughout its history it had the highest altitude of any Irish gauge
railway station in Ireland. West of Pomeroy the railway reached its summit, 561 feet (171 m) above sea level, the highest point on Ireland's Irish gauge network.
In the year 2004 the Pomeroy Senior team won the Ulster title and came runners-up in the All-Ireland at intermediate level.
On Census day (29 April 2001) 604 people were recorded as living in Pomeroy. Of these:
For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service
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 in the townland
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...
of Cavanakeeran, about 10 miles (16 km) from Cookstown
Cookstown
Cookstown may refer to either of the following:*Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland*Cookstown, Ontario, Canada*Cookstown, New Jersey, United States...
, 8 miles (13 km) from 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...
and 18 miles (29 km) from 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...
. 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....
recorded a population of 604 people.
Pomeroy's prominent site dominates the surrounding countryside and is marked by several church spires. From the Cookstown end, the road through the village gradually climbs a gradient up to the middle of the square, The Diamond. In The Diamond are the Altedesert Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The 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...
. The Diamond is a popular drinking area and Market Day is held there every Tuesday.
The village is surrounded by the Pomeroy Hills
Mountains of Pomeroy
Mountains of Pomeroy are a small range of hills that run west of the town of Pomeroy in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The area around the mountain range is scenic, with a variety of moorland, forestry and rural farming. The mountain range is recalled in the ballad The Mountains of Pomeroy by Dr....
and the Sperrins
Sperrins
The Sperrins or Sperrin Mountains are a range of mountains in Northern Ireland and one of the largest upland areas in Ireland. The range stretches the counties of Tyrone and Londonderry from south of Strabane eastwards to Maghera and north towards Limavady...
. The surounding countryside is a mixture of moorland
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
and bog land. There are stone age
Prehistoric Ireland
The prehistory of Ireland has been pieced together from archaeological and genetic evidence; it begins with the first evidence of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers settling in Ireland around 7000 BC and finishes with the start of the historical record, around AD 400. The prehistoric period covers the...
and bronze age
Prehistoric Ireland
The prehistory of Ireland has been pieced together from archaeological and genetic evidence; it begins with the first evidence of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers settling in Ireland around 7000 BC and finishes with the start of the historical record, around AD 400. The prehistoric period covers the...
cairns in many places.
History
At the end of the 17th century there was no village in this area, just an extensive forest. In the plantation of UlsterPlantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster—a province of Ireland—by people from Great Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by King James I of England and VI of Scotland began in 1609...
James I and VI
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
granted eight townlands to Sir William Parsons, Surveyor General of Ireland
Surveyor General of Ireland
The office of Surveyor General of Ireland was an appointed office under the Dublin Castle administration of Ireland in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Surveyor General was typically responsible for the surveying, design and construction of civic works, and was often involved in overseeing the...
. In 1729 James Lowry inherited the land from his father, Robert of Aghenis Caledon.
In the 18th century two new parishes were created in Tyrone, and the same family, the Lowerys (from whom issued the Earls of Belmore
Earl Belmore
Earl Belmore is a title in the Peerage of Ireland created in 1797 for Armar Lowry-Corry, 1st Viscount Belmore, who had previously represented County Tyrone in the Irish House of Commons. He had already been created Baron Belmore, of Castle Coole in County Fermanagh, in 1781 and Viscount Belmore in...
), was involved in the establishment of both. Pomeroy was created from part of Donaghmore, while Clogherny was taken from Termonmaguirc. The arrangement was confirmed in 1731 by an Order in Council, which had the same legal status as an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
, and the articles of agreement under which it was conducted by the two parties involved, Lord Tyrone and Robert Lowery, suggest the tone:
The name of each of the new erected parishes shall be wrote on a separate scrole of parchment, roll'd up and put into a hatt, to be held by an indeffernet person,.. and that the said Marcus, Lord Viscount of TyroneMarcus Beresford, 1st Earl of TyroneMarcus Beresford, 1st Earl of Tyrone , known as Sir Marcus Beresford, 4th Baronet until 1720 and subsequently as The Viscount Tyrone until 1746, was an Irish peer, freemason and politician.-Background:...
, and Robert Lowry shall each put his hand into the said hatt, and take thereout one of the said scroles, and that the advowsonAdvowsonAdvowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
of that parish which shall be mentioned in the said scrole .. to be drawn out of the said hatte, by the said Lord Tyrone, shall stand and be the advowson of the said .. Tyrone, his heirs and assigns, for ever."
In 1750 Rev. James Lowry was granted the right to hold a weekly market in Pomeroy and an important event was the twice yearly Hiring Fair, held in May and November. Men and women from the surrounding countryside would gather at the fair and hire themselves out to work as farm labourers and servants. In the 1640s the large forest had been stripped of timber and for many years after remained in neglected. In 1770 the Rev. James Lowry undertook its management, replanted approximately 556 acres (225 ha) and left money to erect the build, Pomeroy House. The Lowry family played a prominent part in the life of the area for about two hundred years.
In the square is the Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The 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 which dates from the early 1840’s. Its belfry and tower were provided by the Lowry family as a token of their esteem for Pomeroy.
Much of the woodland is gone and the Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
mansion demolished. All that remains is the family burial vault on Tanderagee Road. This was once approached by the longest avenue of Chilean pine trees in Ireland.
The road leading from Pomeroy to Donaghmore is known as the Royal Road
Royal Road
The Persian Royal Road was an ancient highway reorganized and rebuilt by the Persian king Darius the Great of the Achaemenid Empire in the 5th century BC. Darius built the road to facilitate rapid communication throughout his very large empire from Susa to Sardis...
because in 1689 James II and VII
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
took this route to visit his troops in Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
during the historic siege. This route brought him through Cappagh
Cappagh
Cappagh is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is between Pomeroy, Ballygawley, Galbally and Carrickmore, with the hamlet of Galbally about one mile to the east...
and Altmore
Altmore
Altmore is a hamlet and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is five miles from Carrickmore and four miles from Pomeroy. Most of the community consists of farmers who make their livelihood in cattle and pig farming...
. King James’s Well is by the roadside just outside Cappagh.
Transport
The Portadown, Dungannon and Omagh Junction RailwayPortadown, Dungannon and Omagh Junction Railway
The Portadown, Dungannon and Omagh Junction Railway was an Irish gauge railway in County Armagh and County Tyrone, Ulster, Ireland .-Early development:...
opened Pomeroy railway station on 2 September 1861. From 1876 until 1958 it was part of 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...
. The Ulster Transport Authority
Ulster Transport Authority
The Ulster Transport Authority ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966.-Formation and consolidation:The UTA was formed by the Transport Act 1948, which merged the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board and the Belfast and County Down Railway...
closed the station and the PD&O line on 15 February 1965. Throughout its history it had the highest altitude of any Irish gauge
Irish gauge
Irish gauge railways use a track gauge of . It is used in* Ireland * Australia where it is also known as Victorian Broad Gauge* Brazil where it is also known as Bitola larga no Brasil....
railway station in Ireland. West of Pomeroy the railway reached its summit, 561 feet (171 m) above sea level, the highest point on Ireland's Irish gauge network.
Sport
- Pomeroy PlunkettsPomeroy PlunkettsPomeroy Plunketts is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the village of Pomeroy in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland....
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 the year 2004 the Pomeroy Senior team won the Ulster title and came runners-up in the All-Ireland at intermediate level.
Places of interest
- There is a modern forestry school on the estate of the Rev. James Lowry, the 18th century planner of the village.
- Mountains of PomeroyMountains of PomeroyMountains of Pomeroy are a small range of hills that run west of the town of Pomeroy in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The area around the mountain range is scenic, with a variety of moorland, forestry and rural farming. The mountain range is recalled in the ballad The Mountains of Pomeroy by Dr....
- CarrickmoreCarrickmoreCarrickmore is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies in the heart of the county on an raised site colloquially called "The Rock"; between Cookstown, Dungannon and Omagh. It had a population of 612 in the 2001 Census.-History:...
- AltmoreAltmoreAltmore is a hamlet and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is five miles from Carrickmore and four miles from Pomeroy. Most of the community consists of farmers who make their livelihood in cattle and pig farming...
- Gortavoy Bridge
- CavanakeeranCavanakeeranCavanakeeran is a district of the parish of Pomeroy in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The town of Pomeroy itself is situated in Cavanakeeran. The vast area comprising Cavanakeeran is countryside populated by agricultural farmers and the raising of livestock....
Demography
Pomeroy 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). Pomeroy village is situated in the townland of Cavanakeeran (the round hill of the mountain ash.) It is the highest town in Ulster.On Census day (29 April 2001) 604 people were recorded as living in Pomeroy. Of these:
- 29.6% were aged under 16 years and 15.5% were aged 60 and over
- 47.2% of the population were male and 52.8% were female
- 92.7% were from a Roman Catholic background and 6.6% 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 - 8.0% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed
For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service
People
- Philomena BegleyPhilomena BegleyPhilomena Begley is an Irish country music singer.-Background:Philomena Begley was born and grew up in Pomeroy Co. Tyrone and worked in a shirt factory in Cookstown before her break into music.-Career:...
, Irish country musicCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer - Patsy Quinn, fictional author and story teller