Dungannon

In the late 1960s Northern Ireland was plunged into an ethnopolitical conflict known as the Troubles. On 24 August 1968, the Campaign for Social Justice (CSJ), the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA), and other groups, held Northern Ireland's first civil rights march from Coalisland to Dungannon. The rally was officially banned, but took place and passed off without incident. The publicity surrounding the march encouraged other groups to form branches of NICRA.[7]

During the conflict Dungannon suffered numerous bombings, and almost 50 people were killed in and around the town.[8] The deadliest attack was on 17 March 1976, when a loyalist car bomb killed four Catholic civilians.

Dungannon had a population of 14,340 at the 2011 census, rising by 3,349 (over 30%) from 10,983 in 2001, making it one of the fastest growing towns in Northern Ireland.[11] It has the highest percentage of immigrants of any town in Northern Ireland.[12] Immigrants make up about 11% of its population; more than twice the average. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of immigrants in Dungannon increased tenfold; the biggest increase of any town.[12] Many came to work in the local food processing plants. There have been several attacks on immigrants[13] and clashes between rival groups of immigrants[14] in the area.

On Census day (27 March 2011) there were 14,340 people living in Dungannon (5,388 households), accounting for 0.79% of the NI total.[11] Of these:

• 22.01% were aged under 16 years and 12.09% were aged 65 and over;
• 50.33% of the usually resident population were female and 49.67% were male;
• 64.82% belong to or were brought up in the Catholic Christian faith, 30.46% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' religion;
• 31.63% had an Irish national identity, 28.27% indicated that they had a British national identity and 23.93% had a Northern Irish national identity (respondents could indicate more than one national identity);
• 34 years was the average (median) age of the population;
• 15.93% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaelic), 4.82% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots and 23.18% did not have English as their first language.

In the 2021 Census, Dungannon was recorded as having a population of 16,282,[15] a 13.5% increase from 2011. Of these:

• 34.85% of the town's population was recorded as foreign-born (born outside the United Kingdom and Ireland),[2] by far the largest of any settlement in Northern Ireland.
• The largest foreign-born communities are East Timorese (1,777 people), Lithuanian (1,565 people), Polish (717 people) and Portuguese (578 people).[16]
• 67.15% of the population belong to or were brought up in the Catholic Christian faith, 24.25% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' religion, and 1.63% belonged to or were brought up in an other religion. 6.96% either declared no religion or did not state their religion.[17]
• 22.45% were aged under 16 years and 12.48% were aged 65 or over.[18]
• 49.24% of the usually resident population were female and 50.76% were male.[19]
• 15.38% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaelic),[20] 6.97% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots[21] and 31.52% did not have English as their first language.[22]
• 27.15% had an Irish national identity,[23] 21.98% had a British national identity[24] and 19.64% had a Northern Irish national identity[25] (respondents could indicate more than one national identity).

Dungannon sprang up in a townland called Drumcoo. Over time, the urban area has spread into the neighbouring townlands. Many of its roads and housing estates are named after them. The following is a list of these townlands and their likely etymologies:[33][34]

• Ballynorthland Park
• Ballysaggart (from Irish: Baile na Sagart, meaning 'homestead of the priests')
• Coolhill (from Cúlchoill meaning "the backwoods")
• Drumcoo (from Druim Cuaiche meaning "ridge of the cuckoo")
• Drumharriff (from Druim Thairbh meaning "ridge of the bull")
• Gortmerron (from Gort Mearain meaning "Merron's field")
• Killymaddy (from Coill na Madaí meaning "wood of the dogs")
• Killymeal (from Coill na Maoile meaning "wood of the bald/hornless cow")
• Lisnaclin (from Lios na Clinge meaning "ringfort of the bell chime")
• Lisnahull (from Lios a' Choill meaning "ringfort of the hazel")
• Lurgaboy (from Lurga Buí meaning "yellow shin" i.e. shin-shaped hill)
• Mullaghadun (from Mullach a' Dúin meaning "hilltop of the fort")
• Mullaghanagh (from Mullán na hÁithe meaning "hillock of the kiln")
• Mullaghconor (from Mullach Conchobhair meaning "Conchobhar's hilltop")
• Mullaghmore (from Mullach Mór meaning "big hilltop")

The Irish gauge 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Portadown, Dungannon and Omagh Junction Railway (PD&O) linked the town with Portadown from 1858 and Omagh from 1861,[39] completing the Portadown – Derry railway route that came to be informally called "The Derry Road".[40] The Great Northern Railway took over the PD&O in 1876[41] and built a branch line from Dungannon to Cookstown in 1879.[39]

The GNR Board cut back the Cookstown branch to Coalisland in 1956[42] and the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) closed the branch altogether in 1959.[42] In accordance with the Benson Report submitted to the Government of Northern Ireland 1963 the UTA closed the "Derry Road" through Dungannon in 1965.[42][43] The site of Dungannon station is now a public park and the former trackbed through the station is now a greenway.

• Richard Dowse (1824–1890) – judge[44]
• Henry W. Oliver (1840–1904) – Pittsburgh industrialist[45]
• Thomas Wilson Spence (1846–1912) – Wisconsin lawyer and state politician[46]
• George T. Oliver (1848–1919) – U.S. Senator[47]
• Thomas J. Clarke (1858–1916) – first signatory of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic; executed by the British authorities[48]
• Sister Nivedita (born Margaret Elizabeth Noble) (1867–1911) – social worker, author, teacher and disciple of Swami Vivekananda[49]

• Birdy Sweeney (1931–1999) – actor[50]
• Austin Currie (born 1939) – former member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland and Dáil Éireann, attended St Patrick's Academy in Dungannon.[51]
• Victor Sloan (born 1945) – artist[52]
• Bernadette Devlin McAliskey (born 1947) – former British MP; Irish republican activist, attended St Patrick's Girls Academy in Dungannon.[53]
• Gerry McKenna (born 1953) – MRIA, biologist, Senior Vice President of the Royal Irish Academy, Vice Chancellor and President of University of Ulster[54]
• Dominic Gates (born 1954/1955) – journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner[55]
• Adrian Logan (born 1955) – television presenter[56]
• Gerry McGeough (born 1958) – Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteer; prison escapee.[57]
• Darren Clarke (born 1968) – professional golfer[58]
• Patrick Wallace (born 1969) – snooker player[59]
• Ryan Farquhar (born 1976) – motorcycle racer[60]
• Joanne Salley (born 1977) – television presenter[61]
• Kris Meeke (born 1979) – rally driver[62]
• Gareth Steenson (born 1984) – rugby union player[63]
• Colin Morgan (born 1986) – actor, attended Integrated College Dungannon[64]
• Fra Fee (born 1987) – film, stage actor[65]
• Niall McGinn (born 1987) – footballer, Dungannon Swifts.[66]
• Michaella McCollum Connolly – criminal (convicted drug smuggler)[67]

Dungannon Cricket Club was established in 1865.[68] Attempts were made to re-establish the club after the First World War and this was done in 1929 and survived until 1933 when Lord Ranfurly died, which for a second time left the club without a ground. Cricket was kept alive by the Royal School, Bankers and the RUC until 1939 when the Second World War broke out. The club was reformed in 1948 mainly due to the efforts of Eddie Hodgett and the NCU leagues in 1952 and continues to do so to the present time. The club has never quite reached senior cricket as it has limited resources and relies on the District Council for a ground. The club has played on at least five different locations during its existence. Home games are played at Dungannon Park.[69]

Dungannon Swifts F.C. is the town's local team, which plays in the NIFL Premiership, and is Tyrone's only representative in the league, following Omagh Town's collapse. The club represented Northern Ireland in European competition in the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup[70] and the 2007–08 UEFA Cup.[71]

The local boys' Gaelic football club is Dungannon Thomas Clarkes (Thomáis Uí Chléirigh Dún Geanainn) while the ladies' football team is Aodh a Ruadh.[72]

Dungannon Golf Club, which provides an 18-hole course, appointed its first woman captain in January 2022.[73]

The local Hare Coursing Club has been in existence since the 1920s but the sport was popular in the area long before the formation of the club. With hare coursing currently banned in Northern Ireland, the Dungannon club organises meetings in the Republic of Ireland.[74][75]

Greyhound racing was once a popular sport in Dungannon. The Dungannon Greyhound Stadium was opened in July 1930, the third track in Northern Ireland after Celtic Park and Dunmore Stadium.[76] The stadium, also known as the Oaks Park Greyhound Stadium, remained operational until January 2003 when it was closed by Dungannon (Oaks Park) Stadium Greyhound Racing Limited who had taken over the track in 1995 and saw the opportunity to make a substantial profit by developing the site.[77]

Dungannon Rugby FC, founded in 1873, was one of the first towns in Ireland to form a rugby club.[78]